Welcome to the Official Web Site of Gaye Adegbalola
Also known as Miz A. and, to her hometown, as Gaye Todd -- hence, Hot Toddy Music ...For many visitors to this site, no introduction is needed - Gaye has performed all over the world individually and as part of the group Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women. However, to briefly introduce Gaye, she is a mother, a Blues Music Award winner and a former Virginia State Teacher of the Year. She now sees herself as a contemporary griot* -- keeping the history alive, delivering messages of empowerment, ministering to the heartbroken, and finding joy in the mundane.
If you want to get to know her better, here's how to get up close and personal:
- To find out who she is and what she's done, visit her bio page. Meet her family. See her hair change over the years.
- To hear what she sounds like and some songs she's written, visit her videos. Check out "Big Ovaries, Baby" (#7). Watch "The Bald Headed Blues (#14)"
- To learn her thoughts on life & love, visit her writings page. What does she think of Ike Turner (Article #10)? What are the lyrics of her original songs on "Gaye Without Shame" (Article #40)?
- To see how she teaches, check out more videos. Yes, songwriting can be taught (#8). Yes, performance can be taught (#9).
- To support & enjoy her, buy her CDs. All of her recordings have been critically acclaimed - visit reviews. Hear for yourself at shop. She can't live on social security alone.
- To really get up close and personal, contact her & book her - as a solo artist, duo, or MIz A & The Freedom Band. She's got so much mojo to give you.
Since Saffire ended in November of 2009 (after 25 years), Gaye and the other Saffire members continue to make music, but in different incarnations. Now, in early 2011, Gaye plans to continue performing and songwriting, but has a few additional dreams for the not-too-distant future: Of course, a new CD is bubbling on the back burner. She plans to write her life stories in anecdotal form. Disliking cold weather, she also dreams of living on a tropic isle. She prays that a 360ยบ love will find her again.
* Griot (gree-oh) = a member of a hereditary caste among the peoples of western Africa whose function is to keep an oral history of the tribe or village and to entertain with stories, poems, songs, dances, etc.
Though not blues, the song you have been listening to is one of Gaye's favorites, "Let It Be Me." This is from her "Gaye Without Shame" CD and is performed with Cleome (www.myspace.com/cleomesmusic).
Latest News
The Public Justice Center Video
This past May, Gaye was a part of the Public Justice Center's (PJC) 25th Anniversary Celebration. PJC is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization in Baltimore, MD, that seeks to enforce and expand the rights of people who suffer injustice because of their poverty or discrimination. The celebration was a show, a full blown production with the common theme of Justice. Many songs were from the front lines of the civil rights and labor movements; others were original creations and all were woven into a script describing the impact and purpose of the PJC.
This video, created byDru Bynum and Jamie Campbell of Shine Creative captures the spirit, energy and message of that magical night.