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Victor Wainwright and Vanessa Collier
2019 Grammy Nominee and 7X Blues Music Award winner Victor Wainwright is selling out venues throughout North America. With five Blues Music Piano Awards, Band of the Year, and the coveted BB King Entertainer of the Year Award, Victor Wainwright is at the top of his game on the heels of his newest released album, Memphis Loud. Garnering media accolades across the world with his latest studio work - The Train creates a robust sonic landscape exploring the Joys and Mysteries of Life, Love, and Music!
“I cannot wait to perform at Reading Blues Festival! I have a fantastic evening planned, filled with joyous music and uplifting spirit! With impeccable atmosphere and terrific sound, this festival is truly a treasure and a WONDERFUL place to celebrate the treasure that is LIVE MUSIC! We cannot do this without you, so I welcome and invite you personally to help us along with our efforts of keeping Piano Roots, Boogie, and Blues music alive! We will not let you down!”
"...Electrifin' boogie-woogie at warp speed, a piano-pounding ministry powerful enough to raise the dead and scald the living with righteous piano fervor." "Wainwright's roaring like a conductor with a snootful of cinders, his piano rocking so hard it's about to know the train off the tracks." - No Depression Magazine
"Not just Loud, but Memphis Loud, the latest sermon of boisterous, big-hearted Americana from Victor Wainwright and The Train is an absolute showstopper that shakes, rattles and rolls until it's completely out of breath." - Elmore Magazine
“Savannah, GA native Victor Wainwright is all about boogie woogie piano, deep soul, and a voice that recalls Dr. John at his best. He is a blues star, a tremendous player.” -Chicago Blues Guide
“Victor Wainwright is a world champion piano player, two times over! Not only is Victor one of the greatest blues piano players in the business, he’s also a world-class entertainer and vocalist.” – Blues Revue Magazine
https://victorwainwright.com/(opens in a new tab)
If you haven’t been fortunate enough to meet Vanessa and witness one of her head-turning, fiery, and passionate performances, you should definitely make sure you do. As a master musician and multi-instrumentalist, Vanessa Collier, weaves funk, soul, rock, and blues into every powerful performance and she is downright impressive. With soulful vocals, searing saxophone, and witty songwriting, Vanessa is blazing a trail, racking up an impressive arsenal of honours, and has already singled herself out as an artist of distinction and one we would all do well to watch.
Vanessa has won 3 Blues Music Awards - two for “Horn Player of the Year” in 2019 and 2020 and one in 2022 for “Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year”!! She has been nominated for twelve Blues Music Awards since 2017, which puts her in elite company with artists such as Beth Hart, Samantha Fish, Shemekia Copeland, Ruthie Foster, Trombone Shorty, Al Basile, and Jimmy Carpenter. She was nominated for three BMSs in 2024 -- "Horn Player of the Year," "Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year," and "BB King Entertainer of the Year!"
As for Collier, she says she’s happy performing on stages across the world, hoping that she can make a difference with fans and followers along the way. “I am driven to do this because I find it a total form of expression and connection,” she explains. “I love connecting with an audience and feeling their energy and I hope to inspire people to follow their dreams and passions, to find what brings them joy, and then to pursue it doggedly.” Vanessa also takes that message to young people as she runs clinics across the country and is active with Blues in the Schools programs. At a recent Blues in the School program, Vanessa invited a stage full of elementary and middle school-aged kids up to dance around her while she performed a blues shuffle. Watching the joy on the faces of Vanessa, the kids, and everyone in the auditorium, it is no wonder why Vanessa has become awe-inspiring to all who meet her. On top of talent and hard work, Vanessa shares an incredible heart and a strong purpose. To borrow from the words of an article in Blues Blast Magazine, "Vanessa is an important part of the future of the blues, and it would be cool to support her journey."
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Berks Arts
Berks Arts is a nonprofit organization based in Reading, Pa. whose mission is to Inspire, Engage, and Unite communities through the arts.