Get Ready for a Hand Clappin’ Good Time

Coinciding with the United States’ 250^th birthday, the Webb Center is excited to present Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 7:30 p.m. This heartfelt celebration of early folk, country, gospel, and Western swing music isn’t just a multi-media concert – it’s an exuberant exploration of this singular music genre, “Americana.”

The show, featuring vocalists and instrumentalists Cristina Vane and Brennen Leigh, includes songs made famous by iconic artists like Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Brandi Carlile and more. The upcoming North American tour will take the 5-piece band across 19 states, playing 36 concert dates in the coming months. The Webb Center is proud to be one of only two stops in Arizona.

Early folk, gospel, and Western swing musicians laid the groundwork for Americana, extending back to the founding mothers and fathers of country music, including Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, and the Carter Family. From the mid-20th century through the present day, more singer-songwriter luminaries followed: Bob Dylan, The Band, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, and Emmylou Harris, to name a few.

Audiences can expect to hear songs like “Blowin’ In The Wind” (Joan Baez), “Angel From Montgomery” (Bonnie Raitt), “Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell), “Can The Circle Be Unbroken” (The Carter Family), and more. 

Songwriter, singer, slide guitar and clawhammer banjo player Cristina Vane has an extensive touring history and has provided direct support for musicians Molly Tuttle, Bob Weir, Wynonna Judd, Sam Bush, and Willi Carlisle. 

Vane states, “Americana music has touched my soul deeply, and to be a part of a project that honors the tradition and influence of formidable women in the genre like Bonnie Raitt and Sister Rosetta Tharpe is a total blessing.” She continues, “As a songwriter myself, I am also excited to celebrate the legacy of people like John Prine and Lucinda Williams, who have written some of the best songs out there.” 

Brennen Leigh, an American singer-songwriter, guitar and mandolin player, whose to-the-point storytelling style has elevated her to cult icon status, says, “Women have been a consistent thread running through Americana music from its very start with many helping elevate rural American songwriting to a new level of literature.” Leigh concludes, “These artists have inspired me my entire life, and I’m thrilled to embark on this journey, sharing my personal insights and experience, taken from a lifetime of touring, writing and studying our diverse and expansive genre.” 

Women of Americana will entertain and inspire audiences at a historic moment in our nation’s history. Tickets to the concert are on sale now, with all-in pricing starting at $51 for adults and $9 for youth 18 & under. Families can take advantage of the Webb Center’s new SPARK! program that will subsidize adult ticket prices, discounting them to only $14 – a savings of $37 or more! Seats may be purchased at webbcenter.org, by phone at 928.684.6624, or in person at the Webb Center Box Office located on the second floor of UMB Bank.