Alabama Shakes Set to Make Tanglewood Debut with Mavis Staples
Alabama Shakes will be joined by special guest Mavis Staples, the 86-year-old gospel singer and civil rights activist.
Grammy Award-winning roots rock band Alabama Shakes will make their Tanglewood debut this Labor Day Weekend, performing as part of the summer music festival's Popular Artist Series on Saturday, September 5 at 7 p.m.
The Athens, AL-raised band, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, and bassist Zac Cockrell exploded onto the scene in 2012 with their debut album Boys & Girls, which entered Billboard's Independent Albums chart at No. 1. Boys & Girls earned the band multiple Grammy nominations and was hailed as one of the year's best albums by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, which also named lead single “Hold On” the #1 Best Song of 2012. Their 2015 follow up CD, Sound & Color, earned the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, and the single “Don't Wanna Fight” won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. Cockrell, Fogg, and Howard have reunited in the studio and released a new single “Another Life” last year.
Alabama Shakes will be joined by special guest Mavis Staples. The 86-year-old gospel singer and civil rights activist made her Tanglewood debut in 2016 and performed in the venue's 2021 July 4 celebration with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. Inducted into several halls of fame (blues, rock, and gospel), a Kennedy Center Honoree, and a winner of multiple Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), Staples has collaborated with major figures from Bob Dylan to Prince, Aretha Franklin, and Willie Nelson, as well as countless stars from subsequent generations. She released her 15th solo album, Sad and Beautiful World, last year.
