Helen Reddy to Play Hobby Center Zilhka Hall, 1/23

In 2013, after a nearly 15 year hiatus from live performances, she dabbled and tested the waters to measure what the reception might be after being gone from the scene for so long. Trepidation aside that was quickly erased by the veritable love fest that occurred between artist and audience. The response equaled her own enjoyment. So much so that she ASKED if she should continue with plans to visit other cities since she was having such a good time! The prospect of one of the 20th century's' true living legends going back out on a live tour was met with rapturous applause and shout outs of ABSOLUTELY YES!

And so, "The Voice" of a generation that literally defined gender empowerment has chosen Houston's own Hobby Center Zilhka Hall as her very first stop in 2014. Her local one night appearance is set for Thursday, January 23 at 8:00 P.M. Houston is one of only a few carefully selected, scheduled stops on a USA national tour. Along with a 4 piece live band, Ms Reddy returns to the live concert milieu for the first time in nearly a decade and a half.

One of the first ever bona fide Australian superstars, Reddy has customized an intimate, eclectic song set sure to please concert goers of all ages. The show's motif of casually addressing the crowd as if they were guests in her own living room is refreshingly simple; chatting spontaneously with a bit of nostalgia, a lot of heartfelt sincerity and delivering what they came to see and hear succeeded beautifully. The international hits...the personal favorites, some self-penned, others written with her in mind. Her vocal prowess remains astonishing; smooth, decisive, unadorned, and amazingly in tact as she delivers them in the same key she sang them in 40 years earlier! The true measure of artistic integrity is; she's making good on her promise to return.

The Australian-born singer/songwriter/actress/author cemented her iconic pop culture status during the turbulent, free spirited era of the early 1970's. Her signature anthem "I AM WOMAN" rendered her the "feminist poster girl" along with her recording hits "DELTA DAWN", "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM", "YOU'RE MY WORLD" and "ANGIE BABY" each of which makes the mere mention of her name synonymous with the consummate, strong, independent and resilient ideal of the female sex. Recognized as a song for the ages, "I AM WOMAN" holds the unique status of being included as required curriculum in Modern American History high school textbooks.

Reddy's resume' puts her in a class of her own. She's had more than a dozen Top 40 hit recordings, 3 within the same calendar year; she was the first Australian ever to win an American Grammy Award and also the first Aussie to host her own one-hour weekly primetime variety show on an American television network. Theatre and film soon followed, having starred in London's West End, Royal Albert Hall, The London Palladium as well as on Broadway and New York Lincoln Center in her one-woman shows. On film, she starred in the Disney classic "Pete's Dragon" and also co-starred in "Airport 1975". Her best selling memoir, "THE WOMAN I AM" was a New York Times Best Seller during the year of its release. Her written words were as riveting, complex and powerful as her stage persona. Reddy made the decision herself to walk away from the limelight, focusing instead on her rich inner life sustained by a strong spiritual faith.

Tickets are available by visiting www.thehobbycenter.org or by calling (713) 315-2400. Tickets range from $62.75 to $102.75. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Zilkha Hall is located at 800 Bagby St.

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