BIOGRAPHY
Bette Stuy is the 21st century Bessie Smith!
In May 2012, Bette was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame. Often compared to such singing pioneers as Ma Rainey, Sippie Wallace, and Big Mama Thornton, Bette’s true grit and growl ignites passion among Blues fans the world over.
Bette and her extraordinary band combine Blues classics with unforgettable original songs to provide an amazing live experience.
Coming out of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Bette surely has paid her dues. From performing at some of the dingiest clubs in the middle of nowhere to some of the swankiest, Bette has always maintained the same level of focus and integrity for the music she loves. While performing in Los Angles several years ago, Bette’s voice drew the attention of one the biggest names in show business: Ray Charles. Introduced to Bette by their mutual voice teacher Seth Riggs, Mr. Charles took a keen interest in her original song “Stay Free” and invited Bette to collaborate with him shortly before his passing. Another instance occurred when a head film editor at DreamWorks Studios named Michael Andrews was so impressed with Bette’s performance from a show that he volunteered to produce a video of her next outing at the prestigious B.B. King’s in Hollywood.
Bette’s remarkable singing career has taken her around the globe, from Amsterdam where she has performed on the popular Dutch radio show with Rob Stenders (Yorin FM) to British Columbia, Canada, where she toured throughout Canada with the all-girls group Soul Patrol. And then to the Caribbean Islands as a back-up singer with Arrow performing his hit song “Hot Hot Hot" to Barcelona, Spain.
Most recently, Bette has been invited to perform as a special guest star at a handful of Blues festivals in Belgium and France in late 2012.
While in Los Angeles Bette formed a band with two of the areas most regarded touring musicians--Barry White’s (and now Human Nature) guitarist Chris Clermont and Air Supply’s bassist Larry Antonino. Together, they performed at an array of notable Los Angeles clubs including The Viper Room, The Knitting Factory and The Vine Street Lounge, always bringing down the house in the process.
Bette has also recorded tracks with some of the industry’s heaviest hitting producers, including Kashif, who has produced chart toppers for Whitney Houston, George Benson, and Dionne Warwick. Additionally, Bette has recorded original songs at Sean “Puffy” Combs’ Daddy’s House in New York and at Paramount Recording Studios with Macy Gray’s chief engineer Mike Melnick in Los Angeles.
Today Bette can be seen electrifying crowds at a wide range of notable New York clubs, including The Knitting Factory, Terra Blues, and The Groove (where Chaka Kahn made her debut years earlier). In her spare time, Bette volunteers at “God’s Love We Deliver”, a charitable organization that provides food to New York City’s less fortunate, plays her guitar, and writes provocative and inspirational songs about her relationships.
This lady’s destined for greatness!
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