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They call her "Little Rachel" because
she is only five feet tall, but this petite package packs quite a
punch! Little Rachel exploded on to the 1950's rockin' scene in 2000,
alongside her sister Caroline, as the exuberant Austin, Texas-based
rockabilly duo, "The Casey Sisters". They released two albums
on the Swedish label, Tail Records, that quickly earned them a great
deal of critical acclaim from 1950's enthusiasts for their strong
female harmonies, versatility, and authentic 1950's sound. However,
their popularity truly soared after live performances at some of the
largest and most well-known rockabilly festivals worldwide, including
"Viva Las Vegas" (Las Vegas, NV), "Rockabilly Rebel
Weekender" (Indianapolis, IN), "Oneida Rockin' 50's Fest
I" (Green Bay, WI), "Rockabilly Rave" (Camber Sands,
UK), and "Screamin' Festival" (Calella, Spain). "The
Casey Sisters" firmly established themselves as a force to be
reckoned with- either on their several tours in Europe, with their
wild, energetic stage shows (that often included dancing on top of
table tops and bars), or by playing at home in Texas with some of
the best musicians the genre has to offer. After
four years of riding high with "The Casey Sisters", Little
Rachel decided it was time to return to the blues roots of her hometown
of Kansas City. She left Austin in pursuit of recording a solo 1950's-style
Rhythm and Blues album, to pay homage to some of her favorite artists
such as Little Richard, Etta James, Wynona Carr, Little Willie John
and Big Mama Thornton. She spent a year researching, writing songs,
and learning enough guitar to teach her songs to musicians she would
select for her hand-picked all-star band. The much-awaited debut
is "'Cause I Feel Good", a power-packed and soulful collection
of 14 songs: 11 originals penned by Little Rachel or the amazing
Swedish song-writer- her Tail labelmate- Eva Eastwood, and 3 strong
cover songs from the 1950's era. She is backed by some of Austin's
finest- Tjarko Jeen on guitar (Ronnie Dawson, The Tinstars, Bevis),
Beau Sample on upright bass (Cave Catt Sammy), Damien Llanes on
percussion (Nick Curran and the Nitelifes, Dave Biller Trio), Matt
Farrell on piano (Nick Curran and the Nitelifes; Gary Clark, Jr.),
and Dan Torosian (Marcia Ball) on baritone and tenor saxophones.
It was engineered and produced by retro sound specialist Billy Horton
at the prestigious Fort Horton Studios.
The energy, versatility, and authentic
1950's sound that "Casey Sisters" fans associate with
Little Rachel is multiplied by her great passion for the R&B
genre. It is evident that this is what she was made to do, and she
is quickly earning a new fan base that crosses over from not only
1950's music fans, but fans of blues and soul as well. Since the
release of "'Cause I Feel Good", critics have been raving.
Little Rachel has been featured in numerous publications worldwide
including "Blue Suede News" (U.S.), "Blues News"
(Finland), "Blues & Rhythm"(U.K.), "UK Rock!"
(U.K.), "Big Beat" (Finland), "Jumpin' From 6 to
6" (France), "RUTA 66" (Spain), and "American
Music Magazine" (Sweden). Before releasing her debut album,
she had already been booked for several major festivals and attracted
the attention of numerous record labels. A second CD, recorded with
Spanish jump blues combo "The Lazy Jumpers", is scheduled
to be released on El Toro records in 2006, as well as a second pressing
of "'Cause I Feel Good". Whether she is crooning a soulful,
bluesy ballad or wailling out a frantic rock 'n' roller, she embodies
that sound that rock 'n' roll was founded on. Though petite, she
owns the stage with a commanding presence and a sexy sass. If you
have not had the chance to witness it, you will soon. Little Rachel
is out to make a big impression!
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