Shelley King’s August

Is a Celebration of Austin

The Singer/Songwriter

Has Two Residencies This Month:

Guest DJing on SunRadio

And Performing with Her Band

At the Continental Club

   

AUSTIN, Texas  — Shelley King is celebrating her love for the Live Music Capital of the World and her homebase of thirty-something years — Austin. Dubbed “Austin music royalty” by Houston Press, the singer/songwriter is not just part of this thriving music scene, but she holds a special place in its music community. After spending much of the year touring in support of her 10th album release, Madam Mystic, the award-winning powerhouse has landed back home for a few weeks. And this month, she’s been invited to two special residencies at two iconic Austin spots: SunRadio and the Continental Club.

First up is her Monday night residency as a guest DJ on SunRadio’s “Artist in Residence” where they feature a local musician as guest DJ for one show a week every Monday in August at 7 p.m. CT. “It’s exciting to play an hour of whatever I want,” says King, whose vocals were described by Rolling Stone as “roof-rattling.” “I have some pretty cool playlists with a heavy leaning on local and Texas artists but branching out some. We have so many incredible Texas artists who deserve to be heard.”

Out of all the incredible talent to choose from, King decided to kick off every show with a song by one of her all-time favorites, Willie Nelson. Her first playlist in the series also included music by Gary Clark Jr., Spoon, Delbert McClinton, the Subdudes, Levon Helm, and two of her frequent touring mates, Carolyn Wonderland and Marcia Ball, among others.

“I was lucky to get to sing with Willie [Nelson] and Levon [Helm] once,” recalls King. “Both were pinnacle moments in my music career. Both were also moments that I shared with my longtime music partner Carolyn Wonderland. The night we sang with Willie, we had opened the show for him. It was the final show at the Backyard, a live music venue in Austin. Poodie, Willie’s long time stage manager, had led us out on stage to sing with Willie on his gospel segment. I had my arm in a sling because I had broken my shoulder. I didn’t want the sling in photos with Willie, so I ditched it behind the drum kit as we were walking out on stage. I just told myself to be careful and not move that arm too much.”

While she made it through the show, afterwards panic set in as Nelson walked over for a hug. “As he approached us, I knew I would need to raise that broken shoulder to accept his hug. Magically my arm floated up and I hugged Willie and even kissed his cheek. From that moment on, my shoulder markedly improved. Considerably less pain and full range of motion returned in days! I am not kidding. Ask all my friends! Willie deserves sainthood,” laughs King.

Her time with Helm was also memorable. “When I got to sing with Levon it was the final song of one of his ‘Midnight Rambles’ and it was the song, ‘The Weight.’ I had been in Carolyn Wonderland’s band opening the show that night. On the finale, Levon’s band leader, Larry Campbell, called both Carolyn and me to the stage. What a thrill it was to stand next to Levon who was seated at his drum kit singing, ‘Take a load off Annie’ or was it ‘Fanny’? Actually, it was written both ways on the lyric sheet on stage. Guess we’ll never know for sure. I told Levon that we might be cousins since we are both from Arkansas. A big smile grew across his face, and he chuckled and said, ‘We might be! We might be!’”

King also has a few themed shows for her SunRadio residency this month as well. “I just had a show dedicated to the full moon, and a next week’s show will be dedicated to the women of Texas music, Ladies Night, on August 26,” adds King.

On Tuesdays, King and Wonderland have a residency performing as a duo at the famed Continental Club in Austin for the month of August as well. Filling out the rest of her week are various performances with her own band, as well as more shows with Wonderland on the Walter Trout bill and as a trio with Wonderland and Cindy Cashdollar in the Fall.

The first woman to be designated an Official State Musician of Texas, King takes her place in Austin’s high music society seriously by giving back to the city that gave her so much. Last year, King was awarded a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts Rural Tours Initiative. The grant offers the opportunity to take live music to underserved areas of Texas. This year, King is expanding the non-profit she co-founded, HOME (Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers), to include aid for creating security for aging Austin area musicians.