Birmingham fans eager to see Patty Griffin at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center have a special treat in store — she’ll be joined by friend and special musical guest Buddy Miller.
See Griffin and Miller perform together for one night only at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $59, $52, $39; student tickets are $20. To purchase tickets or for more information call 205-975-2787 or visit the center online at www.AlysStephens.org.
Straight off the acclaimed tour with Robert Plant and Band of Joy, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Griffin will bring her signature folk sound for an unforgettable evening. Miller will back Griffin on guitar and vocals as she performs songs, both new and old, in an acoustic setting. Miller may even step forward and sing a couple of his own tunes during the set.
With an Irish-American father and French-Canadian mother, Griffin says she grew up in a house filled with music: Her mother would sing as she did housework, and her grandmother’s family sang on their porch at night. At 16 she bought herself a used guitar and started writing music and never stopped. She began opening for Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris, and prominent artists including Bette Midler and Martina McBride began recording her songs. In 2000, Griffin appeared on an “Austin City Limits” show with Harris, Miller and his wife Julie and Dave Matthews, who was so moved when she sang “Top of the World” that he quickly signed her to his artist-friendly label, ATO Records. Griffin scored her Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album for her latest release “Downtown Church.”
Miller is band leader for Band of Joy and a member of the Majestic Silver Strings, a super-group of string geniuses that includes Bill Frissell, Marc Ribot and Greg Leisz. He recently recorded with actor Jeff Bridges, John Fogerty, Willie Nelson and Levon Helm and with one of his favorite groups, 3 Girls & Their Buddy, with Harris, Colvin and Griffin. Miller has produced records with Plant, Solomon Burke, Harris and Griffin and just finished recording a new project with Carolina Chocolate Drops. A songwriter in his spare time, his songs have been recorded by Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack, Dixie Chicks and more and have been featured on TV series such as “True Blood” and “Sons of Guns.”