MINNESOTA-BASED musician, Chastity Brown, returns to the UK this September for a live tour calling in at Newcastle’s Cluny 2 on September 27.

‘Back-Road Highways’, her 2013 album, gained critical acclaim and was a favourite among reviewers’ end of year lists. The album’s lead track, After You was featured in the BBC/HBO film, "Mary & Martha" starring Hilary Swank.

Her mother grew up in a large Irish family in Boston and her father was an African American jazz/blues musician. Chastity was born in the north-easterly state of New Hampshire, moving to Union City in Tennessee when she was seven years old. Growing up near Memphis, just an earshot away from Appalachia, she was influenced by Roots music from an early age.

Chastity’s style is a mix of Gospel, Roots & Soul, Jazz, Blues & Country, with a hint of Leadbelly, Nina Simone, Bonnie Raitt and Roberta Flack. Her back-line includes guitarist Robert Mulrennan, percussionist Greg Schutte, keyboardist deVon Gray (Heiruspecs) and bass player Jef Sundquist (Hildur Victoria).

Chastity says: “Learning about Leadbelly’s influence on Woody Guthrie opened up a whole new world to me, prior to this knowledge I felt alone in the music I was creating. I did not know how to reconcile my storytelling impulse with my Soul-inflected vocal upbringing.”

Saturday September 27 at Cluny 2 - Newcastle
Website: thecluny.com
Telephone: 0191-230-4474