Vocalist Bettye LaVette Enjoys Raising a Little Hell

R&B vocalist Bettye LaVette has been performing professionally since the1960s, appearing on Broadway and recording critically acclaimed works for Atlantic Records and Motown, but it wasn’t until the 2000s that she received her dues.

LaVette’s resurgence began with a French record collector, Gilles Petard, who discovered and released material that LaVette had recorded for Atlantic. Therecords blew people away, leading to new solo output from LaVette – an album entitled “A Woman Like Me,” which was released by Blues Express in 2003. In 2004, as a result of that album, LaVette found herself festooned with accolades,most notably the prestigious W.C. Handy Award for “Comeback Blues Album of the Year.”

She’s since signed to Anti- Records and released “I’ve Got My Own Hellto Raise,” an acclaimed collection of songs written by female singer-songwriters. Last year, LaVette celebrated the release of “Scene of the Crime,” a well-received collaboration with the Drive- By Truckers. In January,she’ll head back to the studio to record the follow-up.

Early last month, the Tribune talked to LaVette over the phone about her appearance at the Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival; at the time, she waswatching the Democratic National Convention. “I don’t pay any attention to music,” she said. “I like politics.”

Tribune: I’m sure the answer to this question is long, but I’m curious.You’ve been a performer for such a long time; what is the most important thing you’ve learned?

LaVette: Baby, do you know how many things you learn in a 50- year period? Andthey become important when the situation becomes important. God, I didn’t just break into show business, this is my 47th year (laughs). You can’t narrow it down like that, there’s no one important thing except stay healthy.

Well, what about your early years? What advice do you have for young artists? Anything you wish you had done differently?

I probably should have learned to play an instrument, that’s probably theonly thing. Maybe not wasted as much time. I think one thing you learn as you get older is that all you want on your deathbed is more time, so you probably regret anything that you wasted.

From the beginning of your career until now, how do you think your audience has changed?

Well, my fan base changed every five years when I came back. If you’ve readanything about my career, you automatically know how my fan base has changed. I had a career in 1962, I had one in 1965, I had one in 1969, my career has changed. The question that you’re asking me don’t apply to me, I wasn’t astar.

Well, I guess what I was getting at – When “I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise” came out, I remember feeling like a new generation of bloggers – somehipsters, some people who wouldn’t normally listen to soul – suddenly started discovering your music. With this latest career revival, do you feel like you’ve reached a completely new sort of audience?

I’ve certainly reached new audiences because there’s a new group of curious people. They weren’t even here last time I was here… You’re speaking to me as if my career is broadening, and it’s not. It just cametogether for the first time five years ago. It’s not broadening in the sense of broadening, it’s like suddenly I’ve been brought down to young people listening to rhythm and blues – I don’t believe in the word `soul’ music- and they’re such a curious group, they’re listening to I think a broader range of music than say 10 or 15 years ago, and they seem to be changing quickly. The more good stuff they hear and see, the more good stuff they want tohear and see. That’s what it seems like to me.

Do you accredit that to the Internet?

Oh, I accredit everything to the Internet. I accredit everything that’shappening today to the Internet – it’s just the fastest thing that’s ever happened. It’s a whole new group of people, they aren’t really connected to anything, they’re trying to be connected, so they gather all the footprintsand handprints and put them together.

With your upcoming release, do you feel like there’s more pressure on you now than there was a few years ago to deliver an album that lives up to yourlast one.

No, I’m just going to do the same thing I did the other time – find 10 songs that I can sing and sing them (laughs). It is not brain surgery, Chuck, itis just not brain surgery. There have been a myriad of songs written over the 62 years that I’ve lived. I could easily find 10 songs, there are just so many good songs out there.

They just need to be interpreted by different singers. I think lots of singers should interpret lots of different songs because there are many good ones out there. I am not very artsy, so I usually leave it up Andrew Kaulkin -he’s the president of Anti – to come up with the kind of idea, and I find the things that fit into that idea. Chris Boeckmann is a freelance music reporter. He can be reached at chrisboeckmann@gmail.com

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