Guess what happened last night

I had an amazing experience last night. I heard and met singer songwriter Ruthie Foster at one of my favorite places, The Freight, in downtown Berkeley! She has a strong, singular voice, as well as being a very skilled guitarist. She makes it look easy. She sings with gusto and soul. She recorded one of my favorite songs, “Set on Freedom.” I taught in the public schools for 14 years and always taught this song, with all its beautiful and gutsy inflections to my students. I hadn’t listened to her recordings yet and so I sang a bit of it to her last night to see if that was the song she recorded on an album that I briefly glanced at, and she told me that I could sing, which was a mighty compliment coming from her, and yes, that was the song!

Ruthie has been nominated for the best blues album Grammy many times and finally won it this year!

I had a front row center seat and had a spiritual experience hearing her sing and witnessing her million dollar smile.

I also really enjoyed her pianist and mandolin player Scottie Miller from Minneapolis. It turns out he taught at a Minneapolis music school Jillian Rae and Josie Just founded called Music Lab. Jillian and Josie are talented musicians and wonderful people I’ve gotten to know through a mutual friend. It’s a small world.

Ruthie is a major talent. If you’re not already familiar with her unique blend of many genres, I recommend checking her out!