On Saturday, June 8, the KCBS hosts its 3rd annual Celebrating Women in Blues showcase, in which we spotlight some of the excellent women making blues music today. Women in Blues is one of our signature annual events and we’re very proud of the partnership we’ve built with BB’s Lawnside BBQ to make this happen.
Lauren Anderson Band
Lauren Anderson is a very soulful blues rocker, originally from Chicago, who has had a passion for singing throughout her entire life. Growing up in a household that was rich in music, her influences were widely varied from artists such as Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, The Pointer Sisters, Eva Cassidy, Etta James, Joss Stone, Jason Mraz, Black Eyed Peas, Christina Aguilera, and so many more.
Despite these modern musical influences, Lauren was classically trained throughout her early life. She started with classical piano lessons at age 8, and was an active member of several choirs, and began taking classical voice lessons in high school. She eventually took her love of singing to the Quad Cities and obtained a bachelor’s degree in music with an emphasis on voice at Augustine College. Initially, her plan was to become an opera singer, but quickly realized that rock and soul were more her style. Having listened to the voices around her, telling her that music and the arts were difficult fields to have a career, she followed the safe path in life, ensuring she had a back-up plan while working on her music and performing. This led her to the University of Kansas to complete her master’s degree in music therapy. She worked for several years in a pediatric unit and a school for at-risk youth in Kansas City. But, even with a steady job, she found that her music passion wouldn’t die easily. So, despite her love of working as a music therapist, she was ready to face the challenge of making music performance her career.
In 2012, Lauren began performing solo gigs around Kansas City, and eventually put together a full band. She released her first official EP “Do & Hope” in 2014.Lauren released her first full-length CD “Truly Me” in 2015. She recorded two singles in the legendary Ocean Way Nashville Studios in 2016, and shortly thereafter, made the leap into becoming a full-time musician, and moved to Nashville in 2017.
Since moving to Nashville, Lauren has continued to tour and release new music. Her album, “Love on the Rocks,” was released in 2021 and debuted at #14 on the Billboard Blues chart, #4 on the Roots Music Report, and #21 on the MACC Blues Charts.
Lauren has opened for Beth Hart, Ana Popovic, and Mike Zito. Zito was also a featured artist on her second album, on the song, “Back to Chicago.” She just released her third full length album, “Burn it all Down” featuring Albert Castiglia on the track “Zombie Blues” and John Salaway on “Hit the Spot.”
Lauren is living her best life musically and we are happy that she’s sharing it with us.
Join us for the Celebrating Women in Blues showcase at BB’s Lawnside BBQ on Saturday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m.