We are privileged to host two Houston Legends at The Big Easy…
“Whatever the context, Smith infuses her music with the kind of passionate intensity that she first experienced while singing and playing the tambourine in church. In short, her performances are consistently both inspired and inspiring.That’s probably the quality that first attracted the attention of one of the great rock groups of the 1970s and ’80s, the West Coast-based ensemble known as War. Fans will recall that band as the source of major hits such as “The World Is a Ghetto,” “Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” and “Low Rider.” What some may not realize, however, is that Tweed Smith is the only female ever to be a member.
“War is the group I did my major recording and touring with, from ’79 through ’81,” she proudly notes. In addition to her role as featured vocalist during nationwide concert tours and several major television appearances, Smith sang on three War albums (to which she also contributed several tunes as co-author). “They added me in celebration of their second decade of recording,” she says. “And I was like a gift to the band.”
“It’s always been a passion for me, music. It’s always been that way. I think I was born to be a musician.”
Born in 1953 into a family with five brothers and four sisters, Leonard grew up with music all around him. Like many Black families during the Great Migration, Leonard’s mother and father journeyed from their home in Arkansas to Gary, Indiana to raise their family and find more economic opportunity. Music was one way they remained connected to their southern roots, and they shared this passion with their children. He recalls, “When we moved into our first house, the first thing my mom bought was a piano. Everybody would play on it, even if they didn’t know how. The house was always full of music.”
Leonard and his siblings spent their formative years singing in traveling gospel choirs, which he credits as the foundation of his musical style. To him, “When you really listen, all that early gospel music is just the blues with different words put to it.” Around the age of six, Leonard’s father gave him his first guitar and he hasn’t stopped playing since. “I just can’t imagine not having a guitar,” he tells me. “Even if I never played in a club again, I can’t imagine not playing music. It’s part of me, I couldn’t be a whole person without it.”
Tweed Smith & Leonard “Lowdown” Brown appear Friday, November 4th.