Christy Howard is a Blues vocalist and songwriter based in Detroit, Michigan. Her voice is sultry and smooth, unlike the typical growling or raspy Blues singer. Her music is Chicago Style-Blues and Blues-Rock, often with a distinct Country or Southern-Rock flavor. She draws on her long career in the seedy music business for her lyrics, which deal with cheating, mistreating, gambling, drinking, and other debauchery familiar in the Blues. Onstage, she's Memphis Minnie meets Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks. Christy Howard is southern attitude meets big city cool! Christy's songwriting partner is husband-guitarist Jeff Howard, whom she often performs with as an acoustic duo. They won the 2006 Detroit Blues Challenge and competed in the 2007 IBC in Memphis, TN. Christy is anticipating the release of her third album, "I Crossed The Tracks" in Sept. 2008. Four songs from that album are previewed here and include a special guest appearance by Chicago Bluesman Jim Kahr.
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We have a new CD out with 13 original Chicago Style-Blues and Blues-Rock. We have guest appearances from John Lee Hooker's former guitarist, Chicago bluesman Jim Kahr and Detroit's Billy Davis, formerly with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.
Christy Howard
Christy Howard (Jones) is the daughter of a traveling Southern Baptist pastor/missionary, and grew up in the small town of Clifton, Tennessee. She was a child prodigy who started singing and playing church music on piano by ear at age six. When she was ten, her family moved to the delta country of Shelby, Mississippi where local black plantation workers introduced her to the blues. Christy says they would tell her, "Girl, just look out there at the road and pretend your dog just got run over by a car. Then you'll be singing the blues." By age thirteen, Christy was lead singer for a gospel group (the Royalaires) in Detroit, Michigan. After her family moved back to Tennessee, she started singing country music and fronted her own band. She recorded radio commercials for Sears, was lead singer in a remake of the Hee Haw show, and recorded a demo for Don Gibson in Nashville. Christy continued to sing with country bands when she moved back to Detroit, but developed a strong interest in female Rock and Blues vlocalists. The Christy Howard Band came into being after Christy met and married lead guitarist, Jeff Howard. Jeff says, "I met Christy when she moved into the apartment a few doors down. I was walking down the sidewalk carrying my guitar on my way to a gig with the late Butler Twins. She didn't sing at all then. We were married for two years before she sang a note. Boy was I surprised!" Christy and Jeff write the band's original material including nine songs on Christy's debut CD entitled "Party Girl" which was released on Oct. 11, 2006. Anyone who has seen her perform live will agree, "Party Girl" is a fitting description of Christy Howard herself!