How many vocalists can boast of alongside such jazz and R&B legends as Miles Davis, Etta James, Smokey Robinson, and the Crusaders, and also of having recorded duets with country-rock stars like Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton and Willie Nelson?
Probably nobody besides Candler Park’s own Francine Reed. A Chicago native, Reed adopted Atlanta as her hometown in the 1990s. With that move, she instantly became the city’s preeminent jazz and blues vocalist, performing with visiting artists or headlining at the city’s major venues.
Every year, Reed leaves town for the summer to perform and record on the West Coast. Fall Fest music honcho Mark Clement has invited Reed to perform at Fall Fest for several years. But, Reed says, her schedule never allowed her to commit to it. This year she had an opening.
So, while Reed's already performed at other venues since her return to Atlanta earlier this month, a Candler Park Fall Fest audience welcomes her back at a headline performance, 8 pm, Saturday, Oct. 23.
Candler Park Movie Nights are FREE and take place in Candler Park at dusk. Movie night is produced by Friends of Candler Park and funded by CPNO.