Rosalie Sorrels

Grammy-nominated folk legend Rosalie Sorrels returns to Outpost, this time in a tribute to her dear departed friend— humorist, activist and radical raconteur, Bruce “Utah” Phillips. Her latest CD, Strangers in Another Country: The Songs of Bruce “Utah” Phillips is a celebration of Phillips’ timeless body of work which features his lesser known songs with performances by special guests Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Peggy Seeger, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. A legendary singer, songwriter and storyteller, Sorrels has been described as having “one of the most wonderful voices in American music, an instrument as mellow and finely aged as an antique viola.” She began her career as a folklorist in the 1950’s, but at the age of 19, left her home state of Idaho, got married, had five kids and became a housewife for 14 years. When her marriage ended, she decided to go on the road and travel the country as a folksinger, taking her five children with her. She played coffeehouses, clubs, universities and folk festivals throughout the U.S. and in Canada, England and Europe, winning international and national acclaim along the way. Her life has been full with adventure, and her music has been described as recalling “the dark depth of Marianne Faithful, as much as the bright twang of Patsy Cline.” Sorrels has recorded over 20 albums, has written three books, and is an outspoken hero for the folk counter-culture. In honor of her role as a creator of and collaborator in the American culture of the second half of the twentieth century the University of California at Santa Cruz has set up a Rosalie Sorrels Archive as part of its Beat Generation Archives. The University of Idaho, meanwhile, awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree in 2000. In 2001 the Boise Peace Quilt Project presented Sorrels with a peace quilt, adding her name to the distinguished list of workers for peace and justice who have been presented with quilts. Now 70+ years old and in “semi-retirement,” Sorrels lives in a cabin built by her father in the mountains outside of Boise, Idaho.

$22/$17 Members & Students. Available in advance, by phone or in person, at the Outpost Performance Space (268-0044)