Photo by Michael Brosilow
Katie Deal in 'Country Sunshine'
Katie Deal in 'Country Sunshine'
It’s a whole lotta country lighting up the stage at the Rep’s Stackner Cabaret with Country Sunshine: The Legendary Ladies of Nashville with Katie Deal. And the Ladies definitely rule in this highly entertaining homage to many of country music’s great singers and songwriters.
Katie Deal performs many of country’s classic hits with an upbeat, down-home southern appeal as well as providing colorful anecdotes about female artists who paved the way for others. They’re all “front and center, past to present: Patsy Cline, Dottie West, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette to Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Shania Twain.
The list is endless and thankfully so. It’s a musical delight and fascinating historical insight into women coming into their own as talented and respected artists.
Deal’s voice is full of country torch and twang, strong yet emotive as she glides through a trilogy of Cline’s most recognizable hits: “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces” and her signature song, “Crazy.” And the back stories add much to the music.
When country star Dottie West fell on hard times, Cline hired her to handle her wardrobe backstage. And when Cline was hospitalized, she invited a young girl to visit her bedside after hearing her sing one of Cline’s songs on the radio. Thus began years of friendship and another great singer songwriter was “born”: Loretta Lynn.
While the 50-minute first act covers many of the classic singers, the second act gives Deal and the band a chance to move freely back and forth between eras. “Ring of Fire” instantly conjures up Johnny Cash. But it was written by his wife, June Carter Cash, and hearing it from a female perspective gives it a completely different spin. Even a heartfelt contemporary ballad like the cover of Lee Ann Rimes’ “How Do I live” or the upbeat “This Kiss” (Faith Hill) show just how far women in country music have come.
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And the five-piece band backing Deal does a stellar job (yes, there are men in this band!). Johnny Rogers on piano and vocals; Terry Smirl, drums, and veteran local mainstays Jeff Hamann on bass and Bob Monagle on guitars, including some powerful slide guitar. Kristin Doty provides backing vocals.
And what a perfect way to end the show with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” First made mainstream popular by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (all men) lyrics rewritten by A.P. Carter (yes, that Carter Family) based on a 1907 Gospel hymn written by a ... woman! (Ada. R. Habershon).
It’s a woman’s world, at least for the two hours and 10 minutes (with one intermission). And while so many of-these talented artists travelled a long and winding road to get there, their legacy lives on, basking in the limelight of Country Sunshine.
Country Sunshine: The Legendary Ladies of Nashville with Katie Deal runs through October 29 at the Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. Recommended for ages 12 and up. For more information call the Rep Ticket Office at: 414-224-9490 or visit: www.MilwaukeeRep.com
