Bettie
Black has a sound born from the post punk movement – echoing artists
like PJ Harvey, X, Gang of Four and Wire.
“My earliest memory was this little green radio I had. I memorized every
song I heard.”
Bettie Black recalls growing up in the California
suburbs.
“I must’ve been 3 or 4 years old listening to
everything coming out of my mom’s car radio; lots of soul, disco,
whatever; it got my attention.”
After moving to the Haight Ashbury in the 80’s,
Bettie began jamming with a lot of musicians from the vast wealth of local
bands.
“They liked my ideas and began encouraging me to
write my own songs so one night I stayed up all night and by the morning
had my first song. I was so excited; this opened the floodgates and songs
just started pouring out of me.”
After a particularly transformative experience at
a 1990 Iggy Pop show, Bettie realized her destiny.
“Iggy had the wild self expression I always
wanted for myself. I knew there and then that music was the only thing for
me.”
Her fascination of the theatrics of rock and roll
led Bettie to pursue a degree in drama and performance at San Francisco
State University. After graduation, she fronted several acclaimed bands in
the San Francisco club scene such as Glow and Runaway Bunny. This led to
her first record. Since then, she has continued to write new and
innovative material, drawing from her daily experiences.
With
churning guitars and driving bass and drums, Bettie’s music provides a
large and relentless backdrop to the undeniable and universal heartache of
healing the human condition. The darkness of the music is punctuated by
the ultimate confidence and strength of her words. There is no mistaking
her voice. It’s a clear and present, unbridled understanding of the
struggle of the human spirit.
“I am happiest when I’m writing and playing.
It’s who I am. I will never stop.”
Bettie Black is preparing for her second CD for
release in 2006.
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