Betty Joplin

July 26, 2006

Last summer The Suttons Bay JazzFest was cancelled because festival organizers had two headliners pull out for various health reasons. Left without that “big name” the committee felt that it was best to put the festival on hold for one year and come back with bang this year.
They are back and with a major headliner in Bob James. The festival will be held Saturday, July 29 starting at 1 p.m. at the Suttons Bay Marina Park and will feature the Interlochen Arts Camp High School Jazz Band, The Betty Joplin Quartet, The Epsilon Jass Band and The Harry Goldson Quintet with The Bob James Quintet closing out the day.
While jazz is the focus, festival organizer Piper Goldson believes a “taste of local offerings” is important element to the ambience of the day.
“Not only are we presenting several wonderful jazz musicians we are also presenting some of the best our area offers in wine and foods,” said Goldson. “Since the inception we have been offering only wines from the Leelanau Peninsula at the festival.”
While Bob James is an international star in the world of jazz (hip-hop too) and the festival’s main attraction Goldson said that the others on the bill make for a full day of great jazz enjoyment.
“It is wonderful for us to have Bob James here. While he lives in Northern Michigan, he has been touring overseas and this will be his only appearance in Michigan this year,” said Goldson. “We are very pleased with the line up we have put together.”

DREAMS ON HOLD
Of note is Lansing-based Betty Joplin. The Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist is out touring in support of her 2005 release “Visions of the Moment.” Joplin, who has worked with many legends including the late Arthur Pysrock, has overcome several hurdles to build a successful career in the music industry.
She got her start at the age of three playing the piano and singing. By the time she was four she was performing at area churches in her home town of Jackson, Michigan. By age seven, the church appointed her pianist for church services as well as for the church choir. She continued to do so until age 17 when she got married. By the age of 19, she had three children and was divorced(she later had one more child). Finding herself as a single mom she had to put her dreams of a career as vocalist on hold. That all changed one day when her kids became teenagers and a couple of her music friends convinced her to go to a nightclub with them at Lake



James (a resort) in Indiana where they were performing.
“They convinced me to get up on stage and perform with them,” said Joplin. “It all came back to me at that moment. I knew this was what I was meant to do, but I had kids to raise.”

IN DEMAND
The audience loved her and when she didn’t return with her friends the next weekend there was disappointment from many who had returned in hopes of hearing her voice. With so much demand for her, the nightclub owner offered her a job singing on the weekends. Receiving the blessing of her children she accepted and her career as a professional began.
During the 1980s she was touring clubs and dinner theaters when Arthur Prysock heard her sing and asked Joplin to join him on his new album. She recorded “A Rockin’ Good Way” in 1985 with Prysock and the song became a hit on the R&B charts earning Joplin a Grammy nomination.
Despite her success with Prysock it would be 10 years before she landed her own recording deal. In 1996 she was signed by Lake Street Records and released “Blinded By Love.” The CD was praised by critics and led Joplin on a worldwide tour. One of her biggest fans is the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin.
“I have heard Betty sing several times,” said Franklin. “She possesses a wonderful range and puts her own signature on the songs she sings. Her voice really draws you into the songs and into the moment.”
Joplin’s current CD “Visions of the Moment,” is a collection of songs that best expresses how she has arrived in her current “moment” of life. The CD features several jazz and R&B covers, including a jazzy/bluesy version of Bill Withers’ “Use Me.” She closes the CD out with Andre Crouch’s hit, “Through It All,” explaining that all she has been through in life (including losing her oldest son in a car accident) that her “solution” and “testimony” lies within the lyrics of the song.

The Suttons Bay Jazzfest takes place this Saturday. A $10 savings is offered for advance purchase at selected area music and bookstores as well as the Tamarack Gallery in Omena, Leelanau Coffee in Glen Arbor, and the Visitors Center in Traverse City. For additional information visit www.leelanau.com/jazzfest or call 231-271-4444.