Page 79 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2012

as a belter of the 12-bar blues. When I think of a belter, I
think of the voice of the legendary Bessie Smith. When she
sang W.C. Handy’s “St Louis Blues,” she distinguished it with
characteristics of an expressive vocal style, which involved a
loud, spirited degree of pitch and bending of notes depending
on which bar she was singing. As an example, she placed
more emphasis the second time.
One thing is for sure — it is not voice lessons that one
needs to sing the blues, it is simply what you are feeling inside
and bringing it out with your voice.

Author Teeny Tucker is an award-winning singer/songwriter who’s
performed with many great blues voices. As a child she found
her voice in church. She began her professional music career
in 1996, not long after an encouraging standing ovation at the
Apollo Theater in New
York. An ambassador for
the blues and its voice, she
has developed a series of
YouTube videos on how
to incorporate vocal runs,
vocal expression and
vocal dynamics. Find more
information and her touring
Author Teeny Tucker shares her blues voice schedule at
Photo by Robert Hughes www.teenytucker.com.

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