Passim Presents an Evening With
Bettye LaVette
Passim is honored to welcome the incomparable Bettye LaVette—“one of the great soul interpreters of her generation”—for an intimate evening of songs and stories from her extraordinary 64‑year career. Joined by Etienne Stadwijk on keyboards, LaVette strips each song to its emotional core, reshaping familiar material with the raw honesty and fearless artistry that have defined her since her first Atlantic Records single in 1962. A pioneer of soul music’s earliest era and still creating vital work today, LaVette brings her unmatched storytelling, wry humor, and unmistakable voice to Arrow Street Arts for a rare, up‑close performance. This is a chance to experience a true American original—an artist who, as producer Steve Jordan says, “makes every song her own.”
The Songs, The Stories, The Great Lady Of Soul
An intimate evening with Bettye LaVette, accompanied by Etienne Stadwijk on keyboards.
Bettye LaVette was hailed by the New York Times as “one of the great soul interpreters of her generation”. She is a song stylist. Her gift is being able to take a song from any genre and making it completely her own. To quote the late, great George Jones, "Bettye is truly a 'singer's singer'."
These intimate shows feature Bettye performing songs and telling stories from throughout her 64 year career. Hearing Bettye in this setting, stripped down to just her voice and keyboards, is a very captivating experience.
Her career began in 1962, at 16 years old, in Detroit, Michigan. Her first single, My Man-He's A Lovin' Man, was on Atlantic Records. Throughout the 60s and 70s, she recorded for several major labels, but was never able to "break through". She also appeared in the Broadway Musical Bubbling Brown Sugar alongside Honi Coles and Cab Calloway.
Since her resurgence in 2000, she has received the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Award, won several Blues Music Awards, was inducted into both The Blues Hall Of Fame and The R&B Hall Of Fame, received the Legacy Award from the Americana Music Association, and has received 7 Grammy Nominations.
According to Steve Jordan, who produced her last three albums: “When Bettye gets a hold of a song, it becomes her song. It’s like she wrote it. Bettye LaVette is like a combination of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Miles Davis."
Now, at 80 years old and in her 64th year in show business, she is one of very few of her peers who were recording during the birth of soul music in the 1960s and is still performing and creating vital recordings today. She is a shining example of what perseverance and determination can bring.
Passim Presents at Arrow Street Arts
This show is possible through a new partnership between Arrow Street Arts and Club Passim. Passim Presents at Arrow Street Arts joins the legendary music listening room Club Passim and the new state-of-the-art venue Arrow Street Arts for a series of concerts bringing folk music to a wider audience.
"We are thrilled to launch Passim Presents at Arrow Street Arts in partnership with another visionary nonprofit that believes deeply in artists and community,” said Michael Busack, Executive Director of Passim. “For more than six decades—from Club 47 to Passim today—our mission has been to create exceptional, intimate musical experiences that foster meaningful connections between artists and audiences. This partnership allows us to carry that tradition forward in an exciting new way."
“Passim is legendary—not just for what happens on stage, but for building a nurturing community where artists thrive,” said David Altshuler, founder of Arrow Street Arts. “Combining their six decades of curatorial expertise with our state-of-the-art production capabilities, we can offer audiences an experience that honors the intimacy of folk music while delivering the sonic and visual experience these artists deserve.”