Cathy Richardson Band
Whether performing solo, with Jefferson Starship, or her own band, seeing GRAMMY Nominee and four-time DIY Music Award-Winner Cathy Richardson sing is an experience that is difficult to explain. Critics have described the effect in ways such as: witnessing a space shuttle launch, a force of nature, kinetic, unleashing a tsunami from her iron-lungs, haunting, stunning, breath-taking power, unbelievably powerful, or simply stated, WOW. Some have even gone so far as to dub her the "best female voice in rock today."
Singer, songwriter, musician and producer Cathy Richardson independently released and sold over 50,000 copies of her seven solo albums and relentlessly pummeled the Midwest circuit for years. Over the last three decades, her career has taken a few colorful turns that steered her out of the local scene and into the International spotlight, smack in the middle of the rock n' roll history that inspired her to rock.
Richardson's real life rock n' roll persona led to her discovery for the role of Janis Joplin in the original Off Broadway cast of the show Love, Janis where she channeled the late music legend to rave reviews in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Arizona. The San Francisco Chronicle said, "when Richardson pours her magnificent, flexible voice into one of Joplin's signature numbers... the experience is more real than any live recording ever captured." In 2007, she toured the US with Janis' original band members Big Brother and the Holding Co. on the Summer of Love 40th Anniversary Tour.
Headlining that tour was the legendary classic rock band Jefferson Starship, led by founding member and Rock Hall Inductee Paul Kantner, who took note of Richardson's show stealing performances with Big Brother and, consequently, asked her to join them the following year. Richardson has been the front woman for Jefferson Starship since then and continues to tour, write and record with the band to this day.
Richardson's true love is creating and playing her own ever-evolving music with her namesake band. Her penchant for experimentation and genre hopping leads to an exciting live show that keeps die hards coming back for more and wins over new converts with each performance. Richardson's powerhouse vocals and psychedelic musical exploration combined with strong writing and pop sensibility create an unforgettable live show that makes her band a stand out in the scene. Cathy’s band features ace musicians and highlights jamband superstars Anne Harris on fiddle (Otis Taylor Band) and world class guitarist Jude Gold (JGB, Jefferson Starship).
Richardson's catalog of cleverly-crafted tunes have caught the attention of radio programmers, DIY Music Award judges and music critics calling her, among other things, "one of the most interesting and inspirational singer/songwriter that I've heard. This music is simply amazing and as off the wall and unpredictable as anything I could imagine."
- Michael Allison (The Global Muse)
