An In Depth Interview with Bette Stuy
BETTE STUY is among the most genuine female voices to come out of Blues in a long while. Elmore Magazine calls Bette “The real, raw deal just like Etta James and Koko Taylor before her.”
The fact is Bette’s got the grit and the growl, the strut and the swagger that is rapidly exciting fans around the U.S. and world. In 2012, Bette was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame. Bette’s recently released EP “Introducing Bette Stuy: This is Neo-Blues” has received exuberant interest and praise.
Already her EP, featuring tracks “Enigma” and “Black Dog Blues” is playing on AMA reported radio stations across the country– from Iowa to Alabama, Oregon to Maine. At present, Bette has picked up radio play in over 20 stations and the number is growing quickly.
Bette and her band– the Brooklynites– unique style of “Neo-Blues”, like Neo-Soul or Neo-Swing, is the next generation of Blues—Blues music that combines other sounds and styles that surround us—Soul, Funk, Gospel, Jazz and Rock n Roll.
Even her name, Bette Stuy—hailing straight out of Bedford-Stuyvesant (or Bed-Stuy) Brooklyn—is a playful take on what she stands for: tough, true and tenacious.
Bette has been busy on the international front of late. Wherever Bette performs standing ovations follow. In November 2012, Bette performed at the 12th Annual Boogie Woogie Festival in Brussels; The Blues Kitchen in London; Blues Sklep in Prague, Czech Republic; and a slew of well-received shows in New York City, including Terra Blues, the Knitting Factory, and the 9th Annual Big Eyed Blues Festival in Brooklyn.
In Fall 2016, Bette will be touring the American south with stops in New Orleans, Austin, Dallas, Memphis, Nashville, Hilton Head, Atlanta and others cities.
Bette’s remarkable singing career has taken her around the globe—from the Netherlands, performing on the popular Dutch radio show with Rob Stenders (Yorin FM) to Canada touring with the all-girls group Soul Patrol; from the Caribbean Islands as a back-up singer for legendary Soca star Arrow (performing his hit “Hot Hot Hot”) to Flamenco-style shows in Barcelona, Spain.
As a gifted writer, Bette has penned dozens of songs that mesmerize and inspire, while honoring a classic iconic Blues and Soul sensibility.
While singing in Los Angeles several years ago, Bette’s voice drew the attention of one the biggest names in show business—Ray Charles. Introduced to her by their mutual voice teacher Seth Riggs, Mr. Charles took a keen interest in Bette’s original song “Stay Free” and invited her to collaborate with him shortly before his untimely passing.
As AudioFuzz.com put it, “Bette Stuy sings the blues better than anyone I’ve heard since Janis Joplin, Big Mama Thornton, and Nina Simone…I can feel her pain. This is great blues. Bessie Smith would be so impressed.”
In her spare time, Bette works with non-profit organizations (e.g. God’s Love We Deliver, Job Path) that assist New York City’s disadvantaged, plays guitar, and writes provocative and deeply felt poems, which often turn into her original, soulful recordings.
