In just one year, Karen Lovely has shot onto the blues scene like Stack O' Lee's Forty-Four. Driven by Lovely's powerful, expressive voice, and backed by a stellar band, this act delivers a blistering mix of contemporary & old school blues, R &B, and pure Memphis soul.
Karen's debut record "Lucky Girl" was a #1 Pick to Click on XM Radio's B.B. King's Bluesville and premiered at #13 on the Living Blues Chart.
Karen's latest release "Still the Rain" has been hailed as "magnificent" by Blues Wax Magazine. Within weeks of its release, "Still the Rain" made it to #1 on XM Radio Bluesville, reached #4 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Blues Chart, #12 on the Living Blues chart, and #1 on the Roots Radio Oregon chart. Karen Lovely has also been selected 4 times as a TOP 10 featured artist on Blues City Radio.
Karen Lovely & her band consistently deliver outstanding performances that have earned them awards, critical acclaim and standing ovations at venues such as the New Daisy & Orpheum Theatres (International Blues Challenge), Waterfront Blues Festival and Britt Festival.
HONORS/AWARDS
LIVE PERFORMANCE
2010 WINNER - 2nd Place Band, Int'l Blues Challenge
2009 WINNER - Muddy Award - BEST NEW ACT
2009 WINNER - Muddy Award - BEST PERFORMANCE
2009 WINNER - "Journey to Memphis" 2009 WINNER - Waterfront Prize Best Performance
DISCOGRAPHY
"STILL THE RAIN" - 2010 #1 "Pick to Click" XM Bluesville
#4 Roots Radio Top 50 Blues Chart
#12 Living Blues Chart
#1 Oregon Roots Radio Blues Chart
TOP 10 Blues City Radio
"LUCKY GIRL" - 2009 #1 "Pick to Click " XM Bluesville
#13 Living Blues Chart
#1 Blues City Radio
#1 Oregon Roots Radio Blues Chart
LISTEN:
QUOTES/REVIEWS - STILL THE RAIN
"Lovely's new album is the brightest spot on the horizon and a good bet to make many a top Blues album list this year. "Still the Rain" is magnificent!" - BluesWax Magazine
"It's a GREAT record!" - Bill Wax, XM Radio, B.B. King's Bluesville
"...enjoyed the disc all the way through and.put it in my playlist right away!" - Dennis Schaibly, WWOZ New Orleans
"The single most impressive emerging female vocalist I've heard in quite some time. Karen Lovely doesn't just sing, she is the song. Star power personified...she's here to stay!" - The Blues Hound, KPFT Houston
"Every song is a jewel to be listened to time after time. I am excited and proud to be putting these great new tracks on the station. Blues lovers will want this in their collection." - Sheila Cain, Blues City Radio
"Lovely's voice combines roadhouse grit with a focused emotional clarity all her own. Given superior songs by Dennis Walker and Alan Mirikitani, she's an unstoppable force blasting out of the Pacific Northwest." - Frank-John Hadley, DownBeat Magazine Blues Columnist
2010 FESTIVAL APPEARANCES
Britt Festival - 7/3/10 (opening for Taj Mahal)
Waterfront Blues Festival - 7/4/10
Willamette Blues & Brews Festival - 8/7/10
Bronze Brews & Blues Festival - 8/14/10
Canal Bank Shuffle, CAN - 10/22,23/10
"I think Karen Lovely is the most talented singer I have been associated with since my early days with Robert Cray." - Dennis Walker, multi Grammy & Handy award winning producer (Robert Cray/B.B. King/Bettye LaVette)
"One thing is for certain, Karen Lovely is the real deal. Straight off the heels of their success at the 26th
annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, the Karen Lovely Band is turning heads wherever they perform." - James Byrum
Blues Festival Guide
"This lady can flat out sing like nobody's business..Karen soars and attains vocal nirvana throughout, leaving you hungry to listen...again and again!" - Greg Johnson, Pres,
Cascade Blues Assoc.
"...her voice cracks my heart in half..." - Chris Conrad, Mail Tribune
2010 IBC PRAISE!!!
"When 2nd Place Winner Karen Lovely belted deeply that the 'blues ain't far behind' her poise and control showed why she was one of the [IBC's] top club acts" - Art Tipaldi, Senior Editor, Blues Revue
"the standout performances came from four female participants...only Karen Lovely made it into the finals. The buzz on the street was that she was getting standing ovations throughout her performance at the New Daisy Theater." - Don Wilcock, Senior Editor, Blues Wax/Blues Beat
“That set was wonderful.” - Janiva Magness, 2009 BMA Entertainer of the Year
