Arietta Ward & The Voices of Greatness
Arietta Ward from Portland, Oregon, has been christened “The First Daughter of Funk and R & B” and “The Rip City Soul Funk Diva.” In this episode we present Arietta and her friends (The Voices of Greatness) performing Gospel music.
Gospel has it’s roots in the black oral traditions often incorporating repetitive calls and responses in it’s songs. Gospel shares a heritage with work songs, blues, negro spirituals and more recently Soul and R&B. Arietta’s performance comes from a space of sacredness and healing. She is very much focused on content and the responsibility that she believes every artist has.
We recorded this live performance at the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines in July 2019. Arietta was joined on stage by vocalists MaryEtta Callier, Toni Hill, Nafisaria Mathews and Amy LeSage. James Shelton was on keyboards and Tyrone Hendrix on drums.
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