The Queen of the Blues

"My mother was a gospel singer and my father was a gigolo. My momma gave me the gospel and my daddy gave me the blues." - Bettie Mae Fikes

Her message is universal, timely and timelessly trans-generational.

Bettie Mae Fikes, a.k.a 'the voice of Selma', is a celebrated icon of the 1960's civil rights movement, who has since sustained her public activity by frequently performing as a core member of the SNCC Freedom Singers, and more recently, by fronting her own blues group, B.M.F.

Ms Fikes has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival and the Library of Congress. She is a recipient of the Long Walk to Freedom Award, and has recently been inducted into the Smithsonian Institute's 'Museum of Tolerance', in an exhibition honoring women of the Civil Rights Movement.

She remains one of only a few living divas who can legitimately lay claim to the title, 'The Queen of the Blues' and back it up with both, a genuine gift for soul music and relevant historical significance.

"Throughout history there has always been music...I use singing as a spirit force to keep history alive." - Bettie Mae Fikes