Love is Best of All won the 2003 TAMMIES Award (Tucson Area Music Awards) for Best CD and Best Songwriter.
Kathleen Williamson was awarded a 2004 nad 2005 ASCAPLUS award by the American Society of Composers and Publishers. The ASCAPLUS is a cash award granted by ASCAP to support and encourage writers of serious music. The award is made by an independent panel of music scholars and professionals. It is based on the unique prestige value of each writer's catalog of original compositions and works performed substantially in media not typically surveyed by ASCAP. Kathleen extends a wholehearted thank you to ASCAP. Visit www.kathleenwilliamson.com or www.sonicbids.com for more info.
Bio: In November 2002, rock/folk/jazz performing songwriter Kathleen Williamson released her critically acclaimed and award winning debut CD in Europe and in the United States. Co-produced by Lisa Otey, love is best of all (Owl's Nest ), heralds a diverse but integrated variety of "post-modem" (a kathleenism) Americana styles consisting of heartfelt original songs. The styles range from what she calls "blues for post-modems" to "Zen-Irish" to US/Mex border country "pinkgrass" to "Raga&Roll" (coined by Pete Fine) to "fem-hop" to a straight on bossa nova with japanese pillow book lyrical imagery, and more; all employed to construct her moving ballads and shuck-jive dance tunes. Kathleen presents excellently produced arrangements, intelligent and humorous lyrics, and compelling grooves. Although a powerful live performer, who takes total control of a crowd with just her vocals and acoustic guitar, for xlove is best of allx Kathleen gathered her favorite Tucson musicians to obtain the perfect musical theatre for each of these songs.
love is best of all won the 2003 TAMMIES Best CD. Kathleen also earned 2003 TAMMIES BEST SONGWRITER AND 2003 TAMMIES BEST UP-AND-COMING ARTIST. She also earned the runner-up best vocalist, right behind co-producer and guest artist Lisa Otey, who took 2003 TAMMIES BEST VOCALIST, BEST KEYBOARDIST, AND BEST LOUNGE ACT. Lisa also earned the 2003 TAMMIES HALL OF FAME. Kathleen & Lisa, as a duo, are also the CHAMPIONS of statewide 2003 ARIZONA BLUES SHOWDOWN held at the Rythym Room in Phoenix in September and participated in the International Blues Showdown in Memphis in January 2004.
Kathleen began her music career in the late 60's in her native New York City, forming high school basement rock and roll bands, playing open mikes in Greenwich Village, and writing songs of love and protest. She was heavily influenced by contemporary folk, soul, jazz, and rock music. In 1974, Kathleen took her guitar to Jerome, Arizona, where she was further influenced by her mentor and friend, the renowned folk indie pioneer Katie Lee. In 1978, Kathleen toured Ireland for five months and won the prestigious Cailean Deas Balladeering Competition in Westport, Mayo. Later that year, she joined forces with the late legendary Joe Wolverton, jazz guitar virtuoso and teacher of Les Paul. Alongside her own successful solo act, she worked regularly with Joe until 1986, touring in Japan, Guam, Hong Kong, Korea, and Samoa. During the late 70s through the latter part of the 80s, Kathleen was one of the most popular solo performing acts in Central and Northern Arizona, where she regularly packed the larger venues with attentive audiences. Kathleen headlined the first Annual Guam Jazz Festival in 1983 and also was a headliner for the first Tucson Folk Festival in 1986. In the late 80's and through the 90's, she relocated to Tucson and earned doctorates in law and cultural anthropology.
Since 2000, Kathleen increased her performances both here and in Europe. Her recent performances as a solo and/or with Owl's Nest Recording Artist and founder Lisa Otey include fine listening regional eateries such as Janos Restaurant and Cushing St. Pub in Tucson and Charly's Pub in Flagstaff, as well as regional and international appearances, including the Tucson Folk Festival, the Tucson Blues Festival, the Tucson Acoustic Blues Showcase, the Benson Blues Festival, Silver City Blues Festival, the Café Central in Madrid, the Edmonton Jazz Society, the Jazz en Artois, Blues Sur Seine, and Cognac Blues Passion festivals in France, and the Boogie & Blues Night at Schouwburg De Meerse in Hoofddorp, Netherlands.
Kathleen and Lisa's dramatic performance of their original song "I Can See the New View," which is on "love is best of all," is one of the fine selections also included in KXCI-FM Tucson Folk Festival Collection CD released in May 2003. Info at www.kxci.org.
Kathleen Williamson was awarded a 2004 ASCAPLUS award by the American Society of Composers and Publishers. The ASCAPLUS is a cash award granted by ASCAP to support and encourage writers of serious music. The award is made by an independent panel of music scholars and professionals. It is based on the unique prestige value of each writer's catalog of original compositions and works performed substantially in media not typically surveyed by ASCAP. Kathleen extends a wholehearted thank you to ASCAP.
"My Hometown," one of Kathleen's original songs, about the production of war in Tucson and its export to Iraq as experienced by a television watcher empathizing with the suffering of both desert environments and cultures, has been included in a new KXCI-FM CD compilation titled "One Song at a Time." You can purchase this excellent CD, recorded live in KXCI's Studio B and which includes songs by Kevin Pakulis, Nancy McCallion, Michelle Shocked and many fine songwriters, by contacting KXCI at www.kxci.org. (Release party will be on Oct 21 2004 at THE Plush, see below). "My Hometown," was also recently featured on Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!" which is broadcast on over 200 television and radio stations across the United States and Canada. www.democracynow.org. Visit KXCI.ORG for info on the compilation "One Song at a Time" featuring Kathleen and many other artists, including Kevin Pakulis, Michelle Shocked, Joey Burns, Calexico, Nancy McCallion, Namoli Brennett. Kathleen's "My Hometown" is one of the songs featured on the new compilation CD. (see below).
"Love is Best of All" musicians include:
* Nashville Hall of Famer Hal Rugg on pedal steel and dobro. He has returned to Tucson after 40 years of recording and playing with everyone from Patsy Cline to k.d.lang.
Lisa Otey, Tucson's award-winning favorite chanteuse and blues sister, who also co-produced the CD and has six of her own CDs with Owl's Nest Productions
* Ed Delucia, one of Tucson's prominent jazz and blues guitarists.
* Ed Friedland, a nationally respected bass player who writes for Bass Player magazine
* Jon Westfall, the piston and showman of versatile drummers, who regularly plays with Lisa Otey and has his own band, Urban Rhythm Trio
* Pete Fine: a great guitarist who turned to sitar several years ago
* Todd Hammes: one of Tucson's top drummers, who is also a devoted and innovative player of tabla
* The Flying Rosanno Triplets: of Craw-Daddy-O fame, appear on this CD playing sousaphone, clarinet, and trumpet
* The Tucson Symphony Orchestra String Quartet
* Gillian DeLear, borrowed from the Betty Diamond band for drums, percussion, and synth
* Steve Grams, bass player for the Fluffingtons, and Grams and Krieger fame on several bass tracks
* Nancy McCAllion, of the internationally reknown "Mollys" on penny whistle
* Danny Krieger, contributes his salty tenor background vocals to the song "An Hour to Maggie"
* Linda Ackermann on accordion and her daughter, Elise Ackermann on violin
* and the beat goes on!!! Karin Hendricks, Moniq Tijerano, and Diane Polakowski add background vocals.
* Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Tucson's finest, Jim Brady Recording Studios.
* Co produced by Kathleen Williamson and Lisa Otey. Album is a digipack, six page full color, with lyrics.