Bettye LaVette

Bettye LaVette is a soul singer whose unmistakable voice and fearless interpretations have carried her through more than six decades of recording and performance. Raised on Detroit soul, blues, country and R&B, she made her first record at 16 and later built a reputation for reshaping familiar songs in her own emotionally direct style. Her albums range from I've Got My Own Hell to Raise to Things Have Changed, her reimagining of Bob Dylan songs, and Blackbirds, a tribute to influential women singers including Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. LaVette makes each song feel newly lived-in, drawing listeners into the story behind the melody.