DOWNTON ABBEY Star Elizabeth McGovern's Band 'Sadie & The Hotheads' Makes U.S. Debut

Elizabeth McGovern is already well known to American audiences for her prolific, versatile acting career, which has won her widespread acclaim for her work in films, on stage and on American and British television. She's currently one of the stars of the public TV phenomenon Downton Abbey, in which her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated work as Lady Cora, Countess of Grantham has further endeared her to viewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

But McGovern's esteemed three-decade acting career is just the tip of the creative iceberg for the Evanston, Illinois native and longtime London resident. Since 2008, McGovern has been deeply engaged in music, performing, recording and writing with her longstanding band Sadie and the Hotheads, which has released three well-received albums and toured successfully in the U.K.

Now, McGovern and her six seasoned British bandmates are preparing to kick off Sadie and the Hotheads' long-awaited first-ever American tour, a ten-date visit that kicks off in Washington, DC on December 4th and wraps up in Hartford, CT on December 14th. (see itinerary below)

"I'm so looking forward to traveling through America with Sadie and the Hotheads," McGovern says. "It's an absolutely fabulous group of musicians, adored in England, and I think America will love them. Also, I get to see America afresh through their eyes. We'll have the NASHVILLE Great: Barry Walsh on piano, because Gretchen Peters is letting us borrow him! Not only will we be thrilled by this new blood but he can tell us where to eat on the road. I literally can't wait to get going! It's going to be a great show."

Critics and fans alike have embraced McGovern's winsome, sultry vocals, offbeat lyrics and uniquely charismatic stage presence, which offers a beguiling combination of girlish enthusiasm and rock 'n' roll abandon. McGovern and company-guitar-playing brothers Steve and Simon Nelson, bassist Ron Knights, keyboardist Nick Lacey, drummer Terl Bryant and backup singer Danica Chapman-deliver a playfully eclectic mix of instrumental textures and stylistic influences, seamlessly incorporating elements of country, blues, big-band jazz, '60s pop, Celtic folk and classic torch songs, while employing a wide variety of instruments including dobro, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, bouzouki, and tin whistle.

Sadie and the Hotheads have toured widely in the U.K. and Europe, appearing twice at the Isle of Wight Festival, playing a string of dates at the Edinburgh FRINGE festival and opening for Sting at the Montreux Jazz Festival. They recently completed a 27-date British tour with Mike Rutherford's reunited Mike and the Mechanics, with McGovern sometimes making a mad dash directly from the Downton set to the stage.

2014 also saw the release of Sadie and the Hotheads' third album, Still Waiting, recorded with Grammy-winning Sting producer Kipper Eldridge and featuring guest appearances by Mike Rutherford and noted NASHVILLE singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters.

With her band's American debut upcoming and a projected live PBS television concert in the works, Elizabeth McGovern is excited to have the opportunity to finally introduce Sadie and the Hotheads to audiences in her home country, and looking forward to connecting with her American fans.

Sadie and the Hotheads 2014 U.S. Itinerary

12/4 Washington DC Lincoln Theatre
12/5 Harrisburg, PA The Sunoco Performance Theater at Whitaker Center
12/6 New York, NY Concert Hall at New York Society for Ethical Culture
12/7 TBD
12/9 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
12/10 Albany, NY LEWIS A. Swyer Theatre at Empire State Plaza PAC
12/11 Newark, NJ Victoria Theater at NJPAC
12/12 Norfolk, CT Infinity Hall Norfolk
12/13 TBD
12/14 Hartford, CT Infinity Hall Hartford

Video: Everybody's Got A Song :

http://www.sadieandthehotheads.com/

Photo Credit: Kirsty Grant