Angela Strehli

Angela Strehli, born November 22, 1945, in Lubbock, Texas, ranks among the most capable singers and songwriters in her field while also serving as a historian of Texas blues, an impresario, and a dedicated supporter of the music. She emerged from the same circle of hippie folksingers that produced leading Americana songwriters such as Jimmie Dale Gilmore and her brother Al Strehli. Growing up in Lubbock, she drew inspiration from the fusion of blues, country, and rock & roll aired on West Texas radio in the early 1960s, first taking up harmonica and bass before committing to vocals full time. Though her recorded output stays limited, she devotes much of each year to concerts throughout Europe as well as the United States and Canada.

Now living in San Francisco, she appears at her strongest on Soul Shake (1987, Antone's Records), Dreams Come True with Lou Ann Barton and Marcia Ball (Antone's, 1990), and Blonde and Blue (1993, Rounder Records). Of those releases, Blonde and Blue most clearly displays her gifts as a vocalist and composer of strong material. An eager student and precise historian of the blues, Strehli also helped shape the Austin blues community together with club-owner Clifford Antone and musicians like Kim Wilson and the Vaughan brothers, later returning in 1998 with Deja Blue.