WHO I AM & WHAT I DO

I'll attempt to make this short and sweet.  I have no intention of going on and on about the trials and tribulations of my personal or professional experiences.  

Music has always been the major driving force in my existence.  I seem to relate everything to a song, and I can't imagine a world without music.

I must admit that my musical training was extremely minimal; I just could not bear the thought of making schoolwork out of something that I felt was very personal to me, nor could I ever bear the thought of someone "hanging" over my shoulder showing me how to do this or that on any instrument.  I've always believed that music is best presented when it comes from the soul, not when it has to detour through a piece of sheet music.

I grew up in a little farm town in New Jersey, Mullica Hill, which at the time was an extremely conservative Quaker-oriented community.  As people from Philadelphia began floating over to our side of the river, the culture took a new turn.  The slick boys in their leather jackets, Philly soul music on the radio, and rushing home from the 2nd grade in time to dance in the living room while watching American Bandstand.

After AB moved to LA, there was Jerry Blavat, there were dance troupes (yes, I belonged to one), that rushed across the stream to the big city to dance on TV. Motown was going strong and merged beautifully with our Philly soul music.

Then came the Beatles, Stones and the rest of the British Invasion; and yes, I loved that too; but I never let go of my soul music roots.

I relocated to sunny Florida in 1974, strapped myself to a "respectable" day job for a while; but when the day job transferred to another town, I decided not to transfer with it, and then I accidentally-on-purpose fell head-first into the music biz.  I've performed virtually all types of popular music since that time, and have enjoyed ALMOST every minute of it.

Although I write a lot of my own music, I have always had the utmost respect and affection for all the great music that has influenced me; and I feel that my style is an "amalgam" of all the styles that I have known and loved to perform. I refuse to be pigeonholed into any one category, and I have a firm belief that all music is related, just as all human beings are related.

Since this is my individual web site, it is geared toward my journey as a solo artist and songwriter.

Below is a synopsis of what you can expect from me as a solo entertainer, including my song lists and demos, instruments, equipment, and my desire to please the audience, regardless of the style of music desired or the type of venue involved.

As an entertainer, I am available for all types of events, including private parties and weddings.

As most of my bookings are made far in advance, please don't hesitate to call for a booking that's taking place "next year."  And don't hesitate to ask for a "themed" performance; remember, I've been doing this a long time and have seen it all, so to speak!

You can expect a prompt reply to any inquiry regarding a booking, I keep on top of these things! Once again, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the "show."

                     GENERAL INFO ABOUT MY LIVE PERFORMANCES

As a solo entertainer, I tailor my performance to your audience. It would be overly burdensome to list my entire repertoire on this web site, so my song list is designed to give you an idea of all the styles that I might perform at any given event.  If you are interested in booking me for your club, party, special event, etc., all you need to do is give me a general idea of what style you would like me to perform, and that's the direction I'll take.  I have always done my best to fulfill requests; as I am an entertainer, first and foremost.

Recently, I formed a duo with a very talented guitarist.  A Florida native, "Cadillac Jack" Shubert now joins me onstage for many of my performances.  We specialize in blues, soul, and classic rock & roll, which is right up my alley, for sure!  See photo below.

I prefer to perform with accompaniment tracks.  It's difficult to get the crowd moving without those bass and drum sounds!  I provide my own sound equipment, unless of course you already have that, then I'll just leave my stuff in the trailer!  I carry around a modest but effective lighting system, if required, 'cause who wants to play in the dark?

If I am booked as a recording artist, I will perform my original tunes mixed with some great standards.  If I am booked in any other capacity, I will play mostly cover tunes and throw in one of my originals here and there.  I display my CD's so that the audience may purchase them if they wish; however, I do not push them on anyone and I do not go on and on about my merchandise.  I feel the display speaks mostly for itself.

I play keyboards, guitar and flute during my vocal performance; and if you're Irish, I've even got a set of pennywhistles.

For many years I have performed a one-girl show which is a tribute to Janis Joplin.  The show is entitled "Pearl," and if you are interested in that sideshow, there is a link below where you can explore that.  

CLICK ON ANY LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION

REPERTOIRE FOR NIGHTCLUBS, PARTIES, SPECIAL EVENTS

REPERTOIRE USED WHEN PERFORMING AS A RECORDING ARTIST

"PEARL, A TRIBUTE TO JANIS JOPLIN"

FOR BOOKING INFORMATION, YOU CAN CONTACT ME DIRECTLY. MY CONTACT INFO IS AS FOLLOWS:

MOBILE PHONE:  407.227.6235

E-MAIL:  joannhudsonmail@aol.com

MAILING ADDRESS:

JoAnn A. Hudson, P.O. BOX 533641, ORLANDO, FL  32853-3641