NASHVILLE, TN — American roots music artist Ruthie Foster and soul star Peabo Bryson will be headlining concerts this weekend at Nashville’s City Winery. Both have earned multiple Grammy nominations and also been winners in their respective areas. Foster will appear there April 16, while Bryson is playing a pair of shows April 17. Foster’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m., while Bryson’s first show is at 6 p.m., and the second at 9:30 p.m. The City Winery is located at 609 Lafayette Street.
Ruthie Foster’s music adroitly combines elements of gospel, folk, blues, soul, and jazz. Foster comes from a family of gospel singers, and began as a soloist in her hometown choir in Gause, Texas. She got a lot of early experience during her time in the Navy, where she sang in the naval band Pride, and appeared at recruitment drives across the Southeast. After her tour ended, Foster relocated to New York City, becoming a fan favorite while playing at various folk clubs. She landed a deal with Atlantic, but took a leave of absence from recording and performing in the early ‘90s for family reasons. She returned with the 1997 LP “Full Circle,” and has since stayed active with several acclaimed recordings for the Blue Corn label. Foster has earned three Grammy nominations, and her LP “Mileage” won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. She is also a past winner of a US Artists Fellowship Award.
Peabo Bryson began his professional career at an early age, serving as a backup vocalist for the Greenville, South Carolina group Al Freeman and the Upsetters at 14. Things began to explode for him in 1977, when he signed with Capitol Records. Bryson enjoyed tremendous success in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and into the ‘90s, both as a solo performer and in duet settings with Roberta Flack, Angela Bofill, and Regina Belle. He won a pair of Grammy Awards in 1992 for his performance of the song “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion, and in 1993 for “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle. In early 1998, Bryson contributed his voice to “Barney’s Great Adventure: An Original Motion Picture Musical Soundtrack,” with the song “Dream (Twinken’s Tune).”
He’s remained active in theater and operatic productions, most notably the tenor role of “Sportin’ Life” in the Michigan Opera Theater of Detroit’s version of Porgy and Bess. But he’s also continued regularly releasing CDs, the most recent being “Stand For Love,” co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 2018 on their label Perspective Records.
