Happening inside The Stage Door at 224 Putnam Street in Marietta.
Doors open at 6:30 pm.

This project is made possible through the Central Appalachia Living Traditions Folk & Traditional Arts Experiences program of Mid Atlantic Arts. 

From Lady D: 

I am Lady D! They call me W.Va’s First Lady of Soul. From the age of three, singing is all that I ever wanted to do. So, that’s what I did. Like many little black girls, my first public singing experience was at church. I sang in the gospel choir from the age of seven till I graduated high school. Fun fact: I also sang in a community choir as a teenager that was directed by none other than Bishop T.D. Jakes. I went from the gospel choir to an R&B band and then marriage. This accounted for a major gap in my singing career. Almost twenty years later, I went back to college and got a bachelor’s degree in Communications. I started my own band and it’s been on ever since.

In 2003, I debuted my original one-woman stage play called “The Lady and the Empress” based on the life and music of blues legend, Bessie Smith. I recorded the soundtrack for that show, called “Nobody’s Bizness.” After having formed my band, MI$$ION, we went on to perform private parties and events. I recorded five more cds: MY TURN – 2006, SHE’S NOBODY – 2012, LADY D’S ROCK ‘N’ BLUES SAMPLER – 2012, REFLECTIONS – 2014 and DISTURBING MY PEACE – 2020. Did I mention that a few years back, my original song “Go Higher” was chosen as the best Obama Inaugural Song and Lady D and MI$$ION were invited to play at the Obama For Change Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C. in January 2009.

This, now 21 year career has included some other highlights and lows. Being the opening act for the O’Jays was very cool. I’ve performed up and down the eastern seaboard and with some notables such as blues great, Johnny Rawls and monster blues organist, Bruce Katz. I wrote a book of poetry called “Appalachian BluesSpeak” and I discovered the visual arts and began expressing myself through painting on fabric and canvas. I’ve organized my own jazz & blues festivals and hosted a blues radio show for six years.

2020 was the year of the major shift in my writing and consciousness and I released my newest studio album, “Disturbing My Peace.” This reflection of the events and collective emotional trauma that took place in that year is all laid bare in Disturbing My Peace. Now comes … re-invention.

About Bob Thompson:

Moving to West Virginia in the mid-’60s to attend then West Virginia State College, pianist Bob Thompson is perhaps the state’s best-loved musician and ambassador of jazz. He has touched many people’s lives both as an entertainer and a teacher.

Growing up in NY, he sang in street corner doo-wop bands and originally attended WVSC on a scholarship to study trumpet and music education. After switching to piano, he quickly became a staple on the local scene with bands like the Modern Jazz Interpreters and Joi.

After some independent releases, he signed to Capitol Records subsidiary Intima and later to the Ichiban label. Two of his albums climbed into the Top 25 in Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart while four of his releases made their way into the Top 10 on the Radio and Records jazz chart. Those nationally released works furthered his reputation significantly.

In the meantime, he performed in Brazil, South Africa and Scandinavia. Appearances on BET, as the house pianist on the NPR show Mountain Stage, and several tours abroad have made Thompson a visible presence in the jazz world for more than 40 years. In addition, for the past decade Thompson’s annual holiday jazz show Joy to the World has become a regular feature of Public Radio International’s holiday programming.

The CALT Sessions (An Appalachian Music Series)

Grammy Winners, WV Music Hall of Fame Inductees, and regional heroes will join us this summer for this entertaining and informative new series made possible by Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) and the Mid Atlantic Arts! 

The artists will discuss how Appalachian traditional music and culture have influenced their contemporary works. All the artists will be performing and taking questions from attendees. 

The series will take place inside The Stage Door at 224 Putnam Street in Marietta, in a close, intimate environment. The events will be free to the public, but you must have a ticket. Tickets will be released online two days before each event.