By Becca Jennings Despite what some Hollywood producers might say, there’s no prescription for a hit song. There’s also no artistic prescription for a hit show. But every once in a while, the stars align, artistic inspiration strikes, and you create something that audiences just can’t seem to get enough of. To do that twice in a row, is an even more challenging feat. And, … Continue reading Male Harmonies and Females Striking Chords
Joe Casey is not a “chick with a pick” himself, but he performs with four rockin’ women nine times a week in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret. We sat down with him to chat about the development process of Guitar Girls, why he loves Johnny Cash, and his favorite Sarasota haunts. Guitar Girls runs in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret now through April 7. For tickets and more information, click … Continue reading The Lone Wolf
You know the hits, but do you know what inspired them? “JOLENE” Dolly Parton’s famous song, “Jolene,” is so popular that it is still being covered by well-known artists today, including Parton’s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus. Parton claims that she was inspired to write the song by a red-headed clerk at the local bank that she and her husband used when they had just gotten married. … Continue reading The Stories Behind the Songs
by Irene Martinko The female singer-songwriters below have each changed the American musical landscape through their honest, moving, and genuine songs. These women are as much legendary staples of the past as they are energizing cultural influences today. Still the subjects of musicals, plays, films, and tribute concerts, icons like Dolly Parton and Carole King continue to inspire contemporary artists like Taylor Swift and Miranda … Continue reading Where Are They Now?
by Becca Jennings “It’s a man’s world,” Joni Mitchell once said of the music industry. “Men wrote most of the songs for women, and they were mostly tales of seduction. I wrote my own songs. That ended that.” From the front porch swing to sold out stadiums, Guitar Girls, FST’s second Cabaret of the Winter Season, celebrates the greatest female-songwriters of the last century. Shining … Continue reading Four Women. One Man. Six Strings.
by Lydia Baxter “We were poor but we had love. That’s the one thing that Daddy made sure of,” sang Loretta Lynn in her most famous song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” For the most influential female singer-songwriters of all time — including Lynn along with artists like Joni Mitchell, June Carter-Cash, Dolly Parton, and countless others, music not only transformed their lives, their music was their … Continue reading Singin’ It Like the Women Lived It
FST Stage Directions 