Legendary Idaho folk singer Rosalie Sorrels returns to the Wood River Valley Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. Together with a gathering of friends, she will perform for a night of music and storytelling. A live CD will be made of the event called "Way Out in Idaho: Rosalie Sorrels and Friends."
Known as The Travelin' Lady for one of her signature songs, she was nominated in 2004 for her first Grammy for the album "My Last Go Round."
Born 72 years ago, Sorrels lives in a log cabin her father built at Grimes Creek, not far from Boise. For over four decades, Sorrels has been a part of the traditional folk music scene. She's played with everyone from Mimi and Richard Fariña and Dave Van Ronk to Christine Lavin, Terre Roche and Louden Wainwright III, as well as her frequent musical partner, Bruce "Utah" Phillips.
In the 1970s, she played at the Leadville Espresso in Ketchum, which was owned by her friend Millie Wiggins. Coincidentally, her grandfather, Robert Stanton Stringfellow, used to preach in the same building when it was Ketchum's only church. Over the years, she's returned often to the Wood River Valley.
She played the Newport Folk Festival in 1966. The University of California at Santa Cruz has a Rosalie Sorrels Archive in its Beat Generation Archives. One of her biggest influences in the early years, singer-songwriter and activist Malvina Reynolds, called her a "rollicking anti-hero, a first rate poet-songwriter and a genius storyteller."
In 1990, Sorrels won an award from the World Folk Music Association, named for one of folk music's most beloved practitioners, the late Kate Wolf. Sorrels has recorded over 20 albums and written three books, including "Way Out in Idaho."
Sorrels' guests for the concert on Saturday include songwriter, Academy Award-nominated documentary producer, music producer, and performer Roma Baran on farfisa bass, glass harmonica, accordion and percussion; Barbara Higbie, Grammy Award-nominated composer, singer, fiddle player and pianist, who incorporates jazz, folk, classical, African, Brazilian and Celtic influences into her work. and Montana State University professor Greg Keeler, a poet, cartoonist and writer and performer of satirical songs of social and political comment. Keeler is also the author of musical comedies and a book about a friendship.
Also performing are The Divas of Boise, a group of powerful voiced women: Rocci Johnson, Kathy Miller, Carrie Padilla, Kerry Rourke, Rebecca Scott, Debbie Sager, Margaret Montrose Stigers. Sirah Storm and Mary Magill Weaver.
Present also will be Ben Burdick, composer, music producer, guitar and music theory teacher, adjunct faculty at Boise State University and performer on traditional and fretless guitars; Bill Liles, bass player with a number of groups in the Boise area, including the Rocci Johnson Band, Suns of the Beach and as back-up at the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest in Weiser, and Scott Ruesser, drummer, at home with jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, fusion, rock and more.
The celebration of music, storytelling and friends is presented by Idaho Public Television in association with Idaho singer-songwriter Rosalie Sorrels and begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available from the Liberty Theatre, or The Company of Fools box office at 578-9122; Tickets cost $15.
Idaho PTV will tape the live performance for a program, "Rosalie Sorrels: Way out in Idaho," which also will feature interviews with Sorrels and others.
Rosalie Sorrels
