Atención Music Spotlight: Lauren Mitchell, A Songbird Amongst Us

By Felecia Ford

From singing the blues alongside legends like Buddy Guy to singing on the Count Basie Orchestra’s Grammy-winning album, “Basie Swings The Blues,” Ohio native Lauren Mitchell has built a career that’s taken her to places most musicians only dream of.

FF: When you were asked to record with the Count Basie Orchestra, did you realize the magnitude of what that invitation would bring?

LM: I immediately understood the gravity of what I had been asked to do. It was the invitation of a lifetime! To be counted among the vocalists who have sung with the Count Basie Orchestra is to be a living part of musical history.

FF: Truly, and that Count Basie Orchestra album you sang on went on to win a Grammy in 2024. Incredible! Felicidades. Where were you when you heard the news?

LM: I was in the music room here in our home in San Miguel! My husband, Jack Joshua, and I were watching the livestream online. I was wearing my pajamas, eating chips & then all of a sudden, when they announced that the album had won in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble category… I cried. I screamed. I jumped up and down and Jack and I hugged about a thousand times!

FF: I bet that was the best feeling EVER! Scotty Barnhart, Director of the Count Basie Orchestra, called you “one of the most important blues artists working today.”

LM: I am honored to know that Scotty heard something in my voice that he felt was worthy of carrying on a small part of the legacy of the Count Basie Orchestra.

FF: Josh Sklair, who spent 25 years working alongside THE Etta James, compared your voice to hers. What a compliment!

LM: To even be thought of in those terms (“like Etta James”) by someone like Josh, who was Etta’s Music Director, guitarist, & producer for 25 years, was one of the most meaningful things anyone has ever said to me. She and I both sing those contralto low-notes—proud of them!

FF: Another noteworthy milestone in your career was working with Grammy Award-winning producer Tony Braunagel.

LM: Tony’s a great guy & he certainly knows how to make a great record. He did that for me with my last album, “Desire.” He introduced me to some super talented folks that I’m still in touch with & he helped me learn how to listen to a song & hear what the song is asking for. Watching the players in the studio helped me learn how to get out of my own way & serve the song, not just myself or my ego.

FF: You are presently recording your next album. What can your listeners look forward to?

LM: Nina Simone once brilliantly said, “It is an artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, to reflect the times.” This album is a way for me to step fully into being an artist and to reflect the times we are living in. I’m excited for my listeners to hear me truly expressing myself in a way I haven’t done before. Also, working with Myles Wakeham at Troubled Clef Studio here in San Miguel de Allende has been a wonderful partnership, because Myles understands that we’re not trying to rush anything. We want to do it RIGHT, & sometimes that means recording one part 20 times until we listen back and all say, “YES! That’s it!”

FF: Can’t wait to hear it!  What’s something you learned from artists you’ve worked with like Buddy Guy?

LM: There are 2 signs backstage at Buddy Guy’s club, Legends, in Chicago. They’re on the back of the stage door and are the very last thing all the performers see before we step on the stage. The one on top says: “Play it from the heart and give them 100% of what you got every time you play.” - Buddy Guy. The one below it says: “Look the part. BE the part.” - Mark Maddox, Legends Booking Agent. I learned these truths early on in my career, and have always refused to show up as less than 100% of what I offer. Ain’t nobody gonna get no half-steppin’ at a Lauren Mitchell show!

FF: I know that’s right! Your next show will be this month for the Little Picassos’ September 12^th fundraiser. What’s that night all about?

LM: It’s about our shared humanity and the way art can connect us all. The Little Picassos program not only helps children learn to express themselves through art, which is valuable in and of itself, but it gives the kids a safe place to go after school.

This is a way I can show my gratitude for the gifts that I have been given, the times art has saved my life and to serve the community with my talent, so we can all take the joyful feelings live music brings back home with us and spread that love to others.

laurenmitchellmusic.com

feleciafordmusic.com