Multiple award-winning vocalist JANIVA MAGNESS is among the premier blues and R&B singers in the world today - and she kicks off her summer tour here at the Uncle. Originally from Detroit and now based in L.A., hers is a voice that’s simply made for the blues and her new release is further proof of that. But the real revelation here is the original material – it’s hard to believe that she hasn’t been writing her own songs for years. Although Stronger For It, her third for Alligator Records, includes re-imaginings of great songs by other artists (killer versions of Tom Waits/Kathleen Brennan’s “Make It Rain,” Ike Turner’s “You Got What You Wanted,” Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Whoop and Holler,” and Buddy and Julie Miller’s “Dirty Water,”), the real standouts are her own compositions.

A charismatic performer known for her electrifying live shows, Magness is a gutsy and dynamic musical powerhouse. Last year, she was nominated for four 2011 Blues Music Awards: B.B. King Entertainer of the Year; Album of the Year (The Devil Is An Angel Too); Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year (The Devil Is An Angel Too). She won the coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award in 2009 (and is only the second woman to ever to do so, Koko Taylor being the first) and for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year, an honor she also received in 2006 and 2007. Through her passionate vocals and now through her own original songs, Magness, with Stronger For It, delivers the most moving and intimate album of her career. This is Janiva's third trip to Louisville and we're pretty proud and happy to host her at the Unc!