Toshi Reagon

Toshi Reagon

In some ways, singer TOSHI REAGON is a throwback to classic R & B artists, like Stevie Wonder or Prince, or old school rock group like Led Zeppelin; she can take any style, update it, and make it her own with incredible ease. Despite (or because of) her genre-bending, Toshi fits comfortably on a stage at Carnegie Hall, or in a dirty rock club. Toshi is an artist who's known for energetic performances and a exemplary gift for writing engaging songs that provoke listeners to think and have fun at the same time.
A seasoned live performer, Toshi jumped into the spotlight when she dropped out of college after Lenny Kravitz tapped her to open for him on his first world tour. And Toshi hasn't stopped earning the respect of musicians, the praise of critics and the love of fans since then. Just ask Elvis Costello, who was hooked after one high-energy evening in NYC-he even invited Toshi and her band, BIGLovely, to back him up on a "Late Show with David Letterman" appearance.
Most people would just tell you that to truly understand how Toshi can seamlessly transcend all of these genres, you have to check her out live. She has earned countless rave reviews in the years that she has been performing. The New Yorker said "...her live shows shower retro funk, urban blues, and folk on the audience with evangelical fervor. To hear her is to believe."
Toshi can (and will) show up anywhere with anyone, whether a Central Park Summerstage benefit/Joni Mitchell tribute with artists like Vernon Reid and Chaka Kahn, a tribute to Prince (in which she tore up the stage with her smokin' verison of the classic 1999), the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Blood On The Tracks Concert in NYC celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Bob Dylan album "Blood On The Tracks". She has also shared the stage with numerous musicians including Nona Hendryx, Pete Seeger, Chocolate Genius, Dar Williams and Ani Difranco. Whether playing solo or with her band, her fusion of styles and forms draws listeners in, embraces them and sets them off in a rapturous, hand-raising, foot-stomping delight. Toshi often leaves the stage with the audience clapping and screaming for more.