BY JAN SWOOPE
Award-winning singer-songwriter Tish Hinojosa will bridge cultures and musical genres in a solo acoustic performance at the Columbus Arts Council’s Omnova Theater Wednesday, April 25, at 7 p.m.
Columbus marks the second stop on a three month cross-country tour for the former A&M recording artist, who relocated from Austin, Texas, to Hamburg, Germany, after meeting her husband, Andreas Sedlmair, there while on tour in 2004.
“I’m excited about getting to Mississippi,” said the singer by phone from Austin Thursday. Her two grown children still live in the Texas music mecca. “And this will be my husband’s first trip to the Southeast; I’m looking forward to showing him the country.”
Hinojosa describes this visit to the U.S. as something of an ambassadorial tour, filled with solo shows, rich in audience interaction. Her first German-produced record will be out later this year. She hopes to return after its release, to tour with her band.
The artist has a fairly recent connection to one of Mississippi’s own revered musicians — Louisville native Carl Jackson.
Hinojosa’s “Love Is On Our Side,” sung by Val Storey, is included in Jackson’s acclaimed collaboration, “Mark Twain: Words and Music.”
Hispanic influence
Born the youngest of 13 in San Antonio, Hinojosa grew up playing and singing any and everything that had “floated around her ears,” from traditional pop Mexican songs wafting from the family’s kitchen radio to folk and popular hits. She has since recorded 15 albums, with songs in English and Spanish.
“About a third of my music is in Spanish, so the show will include some Spanish songs, a little bit of traditional Latino music, some pop, country and old-style Americana,” she said.
Hinojosa is a past winner of the NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors) Indie Folk Album of the Year. She is a member of the renowned Kerrville Folk Festival’s Hall of Fame, having won Female Vocalist awards, a Texas Album of the Year award , and multiple Community Service Awards from the festival.
Proud of her roots, Hinojosa is also a recipient of a Las Primera award from MANA, the largest organization for Latina women. She’s also performed at The White House.
Her TV resumé includes repeat appearances on “Austin City Limits,” as well as performing on “Good Morning America,” The Nashville Network, MTV and VH1.
Many of her songs, she said, tell stories. Some convey social messages. But all are from the heart.
She is, as one writer summarized, “a strong, poetic, sensual voice whose songs distill the elements of folk music and her Hispanic roots to create an intensely authentic and personal sound.”
Beverly Norris, coordinator of the arts council show, said, “We’re proud to have someone of Tish’s caliber in the Golden Triangle. She’s a musician’s musician, which is why she’s worked with artists like Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger, Flaco Jimenez, Nanci Griffith, Linda Ronstadt and Los Lobos.”
How to go
Tickets are $10 in advance at the Columbus Arts Council’s Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St., until 5 p.m. April 25. Tickets are $12 at the door. For more information, contact the CAC at 662-328-2787 or go to columbus-arts.com.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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