KATHLEEN WILLIAMSON -

 Kathleen's career as a performing songwriter and song stylist spans over five decades and around the world from Japan to Ireland.  She began with folk and rock bands in her native New York City as a teenager.  In 1974, she moved to Jerome, Arizona, where she began performing solo as well as in an intermittent duos with her renowned mentors, Americana artist(and Jerome resident) the late Katie Lee and jazz guitar legend (and Cottonwood resident)  the late Joe Wolverton. In 1978, she won the prestigious Cailean Deas Singing Pub Competition for her balladeering in Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland.  Through the 1980s, Kathleen was one of Central and Northern Arizona’s most popular solo live musical artists, delighting audiences with her energetic and eclectic performances and songwriting.  

She moved from Jerome to Tucson in 1986 where she obtained doctoral degrees in Law (1988) and Cultural Anthropology (2000). Kathleen also earned an LL.M in Intellectual Property Law (2006) at Cardozo School of Law in NYC.  

Kathleen became a popular fixture in the Tucson music scene where she collaborated extensively with renown blues diva Lisa Otey during the 1990s; they garnered first place in the duo category of the Arizona Blues Showdown. She  composed scores for two of the late Joanna Frueh’s performance art events, “The Glamour of Being Real” (2011-Tucson Pima County Womens' Commission) and “A Short Story About a Big Healing” 2013-Plush, Tucson).  

Currently, Kathleen favors an “amafessional” musical life, performing at house concerts, benefits, and public festivals, as well as jamming in the desert moonlight with friends.  On Sunday mornings, you might catch musical offerings at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson where she brings the spiritual/secular songs of the folk-rock'n'roll genres (from Dylan to the Rolling Stones to Leonard Cohen to Bruce Cockburn to Beatles to Joni Mitchell to David Bowie to Sister Sledge to Curtis Mayfield).  

Kathleen's original CDs include “Love is Best of All” (2003) and “The Sacred Spud” (2005) with jazz, blues, and folk originals. The Tucson Weekly Tucson Music Awards (TAMMIES) has honored Kathleen with Best Songwriter, Best Folk Music, and Best CD categories for both CDs.  KXCI-FM (Tucson) and the Tucson Folk Festival have included Kathleen’s compositions on their compilation CDs.  WBAI-FM’s Amy Goodman has twice featured Kathleen’s live music on Democracy Now! radio and television broadcasts. 

            * “Her ability as a writer and the overall intelligence of pieces like "I Can See the New View" will convince many to keep listening.” Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide

            * The late Katie Lee, American treasure of folk music, wrote, "Kathleen Williamson is better than 95% of the songwriters out there. She tells her stories in the genre they belong in; blues, jazz, folk, rinkytink rhythms; and her words lean on you to listen, which is what storytelling is all about...  The stories are wonderful, but if you can't or won't listen to the words, the music, the true heartbeat music, will grab your ass.” 

            * The late Jonathan Holden, founder of Tucson's Rhythm and Roots Productions:  "Kathleen Williamson is the true heart of American Folk Music.”  

   *  Sing Out Magazine: “Williamson brings a new relevance to the word "eclectic."

            * Greg Haver, owner of Monterey Court venue in Tucson: "Kathleen Williamson takes a no holds barred approach that skewers the status quo."