Welcome to the Official Website of Cathy Ponton King

"If you love American music, then this book cannot be missed and deserves a place in your book library"

from Vincente Zumel, Blues DJ and harmonica player
and now Author in Spain.

There's a section included on Cathy Ponton King

BLUESERAS, ROCKERAS, SOULERAS ...

365 Reseñas Discográficas: Un Disco Para Cada Día Del Año

By Vicente Zúmel

(In Spanish)
Editorial Lenoir
Año 2020
22 €

It is a tribute and homage to all women who, with their musical art, contribute to spread African-American music

Some of the women who are mentioned in the book pages are well known, some other ones are less known, but they all love what they play and give the best of themselves to perform and sing the blues and American music with passion and commitment.

Here comes a book totally devoted to the great work that 365 women have done and do in blues music.

You can order it asking directly to the publisher at:

https://www.lenoir.es/blues/2958-blueseras-rockeras-souleras.html

Happy to have this new song on CD baby for sale; sharing proceeds with CANCER CAN ROCK.

Great organization that pays for artists facing cancer to go in the studio. I love the way this turned out. It's very hopeful and a song about resilience. The musicians were the top notch guys in DC and beyond. Jim Ebert, produced and did keyboards and even sang some. My husband Jeff, a producer in his own right, was also there for arrangements and backup vocals.

I hope people go find this on CD Baby and purchase and be inspired. 1st time I've tried a download only single......

Happy to share this news, with you, my friends and loved ones and music folks out there.....

New song available on CD Baby.com. Thank Jim Ebert producer ... from Cancer Can Rock. Great band "NO FRICTION, NO FIRE" Proceeds donated to CCR. Buddy Speir, Mike Melchione, guitars (wow).Eric Scott, bass, Andy Hamburger, drums. Sean Russell the magic at CUE in Falls Church. Great artwork from CINDY KUNST - if you look closely, you'll see a HEART that formed in nature - in the embers.

Jeff's eye caught that and we flipped the image to put the heart on top.

We always play and record with heart.

Buy a copy, dazzle for the ears. I wrote this song about overcoming and resilience. BEAT CANCER!

TO PURCHASE: PURCHASE CD through SOULSPEECH@HOTMAIL.COM

CURTIS POPE, ANTOINE SANFUENTES, MIKE MELCHIONE, CATHY PONTON KING
JOHN PREVITI, RON HOLLOWAY, SAM PALADINO

Photo Credit: Larry Benicewicz

Bobby Parker with the Cathy Ponton Band

Sorrow for the loss of a great guitarist and BLUES GUITAR LEGEND BOBBY PARKER, my friend (who just did a show with my band Oct. 5th at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club) who died suddenly of a heart attack at the end of October - He has gone to rhythm and blues heaven.

Not enough words to express my appreciation for his kindness and generosity to me, and respect for his great accomplishments. The photo of myself with Bobby Parker's band was at Adams Morgan Day, a huge street festival in Washington. He was kind to sit in with my band on several occasions and including our theatre show Oct. 5th.

God Bless and rest you Bobby Parker!

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Cathy Ponton King
The Crux
Independent Release
By Tony Del Rey

Surely Cathy Ponton King has heard the whispers of the blues purists: she’s a jack-of-all-trades, but a master at none. Just because the singer’s affinity for Memphis soul, New Orleans jazz and old-fashioned balladry outweighs her enthusiasm for the standard-issue I-IV-V blues leitmotif is no reason to hate on her. Especially when King’s latest disc, The Crux, impresses so thoroughly with its dazzling array of guitar sounds, vigorous horn breaks and King’s own high quivering vocal soprano - it’s bound to leave purists clucking their tongues.

The lush sound-scape emanates from the line-up of “trophy friends” she’s called in to provide the album with its sheen of sound. The well-sought-after rhythm section includes (at times) legendary bassist, Butch Warren, and features guitar luminaries Ronnie Earl and James Thackery. They infuse each track with a modicum of compressed energy – the kind formed by holding back rather than cutting loose. But cut loose, they do.

The quick-tempo, boogie-woogie hum of “I’m Just A Woman” has a wired feel, while the laid-back groove of “Bridges That You Burned” finds its charged brilliance in Ron Halloway’s saxophone clarion call. Even a relaxed chug-along like King’s elementary “Blues Companion,” can’t help but build to a propulsive swing as it heads to the fade.

Serving as the album’s fulcrum, however, are its ballads. The trio of gems that King bequeaths to her listeners is unabashedly ripe with feeling. “Cerulean Blues,” “Tattoo On My Heart,” and “Sweet Change To My Heart,” all bear the scars of King’s anguish, the suffering blood that flows within those who have found love, only to lose it.

Nowhere does emotion run deeper than on “Tattoo,” where King’s gorgeous leap to falsetto at the song’s refrain, “It’s four o’clock in the morning,” carries with it all the despair that one heart can stand. Who hasn’t been there?

Clearly, The Crux deserves to be applauded as much for its emotional resonance as its stellar musicianship. The effort King has put forth stands on its own merit as a living, breathing entity. The only “crux” involved in the matter is the concept of a blues album built on pure expression of feeling rather than a fusillade of fast wrist-work. And that’s something to cluck over.

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New EP/CD - "QUARTET / DUET"

Produced by Jeff King
Recorded, Engineered, & Mastered by Scott Shuman
at Shuman Recording - Falls Church, VA

* * * * * * *

$10 plus $2 postage and handling

TO PURCHASE CD: Click here!

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"QUARTET / DUET"

It's two original songs I wrote and invited some fantastic singers in to harmonize with me. 1st song is with my great singing girlfriends, Sista Pat, Mary Ann Redmond, and Caz Gardiner. It's four women testifying the blues.

"That's When a Woman Calls the Blues by Name"

Second song is me in a duet with the great Joe Triplett - for years his smooth soulful voice led the Rossyln Mountain Boys. It is called, "FAMOUS LAST WORDS" - Gut wrenching country/blues with soulful piano by Bill Starks.

~ Cathy ~

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Cathy Ponton King CD "The Crux"

"The Crux" is a collection of 10 new original blues and ballads by Cathy Ponton King featuring guests Ronnie Earl and Jimmy Thackery on guitar - Butch Warren on bass - Ron Holloway on sax - Bill Starks on keyboards - John Previti on bass - Antoine Sanfuentes on drums - Dan Hovey, Mike Lessin and Jason Byrd, Dave Chappell on additional guitar - Tom Corradino on accordian - Bruce Swaim, Christ Battistone and John Jensen - horn section - Production and arrangements by Jeff King Mix - Mastering and production Scott Shuman |Shuman Recording | Falls Church, Virginia.

TO PURCHASE CD: Click here!

CATHY PONTON KING

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REVIEW: The Crux

BALTIMORE BLUES SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2012

FAIRFAX VA based singer and guitarist Cathy Ponton King has been flying beneath the radar for well over
two decades despite a heavy work schedule (a longtime fixture at Madams Organ and now Flanangans
Harp & Fiddle in Bethesda, Md). Perhaps in the past this lack of public perception could be blamed upon a
paucity of significant recorded output -- her first CD, LOVIN YOU RIGHT came but in 1993, her
"message in a bottle", which actually proved durable and had a long shelf life. But now there should
be no more excuses for her lack of renown in the blues community after having released the acclaimed
UNDERTOW in 2007 and the brand new THE CRUX, the latter especially, which should go a long way to
rectify this recognition issue. Maybe she's not quite yet a household name locally but King has absolutely
no problem being the featured artist on the airwaves in far off Australia or Argentina and furthermore,
doesn't have to twist arms to engage blues legends such as (in this case) guitarists Ronnie Earl and Jimmy
Thackery, sax stalwart Ron Holloway, and ex-Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk bassist Butch Warren, all whogenerously contributed their time to see this project through to its fruition. And yet another feather in Ms.
King's cap is her ability to both attract and maintain a great supporting cast of musicians, including erstwhile
Danny Gatton and Big Joe Maher bassist, John Previti, drummer of five years, Antoine Sanfuentes (whose day
job is NBC news DC bureau Chief) and the virtuoso pianist Bill Starks, a treasured member of King's group for
over 20 years. (READ MORE)

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CD RELEASE PARTY APRIL 6TH AT THE STATE THEATRE:

Jimmy Thackery
Photo by Alan Grossman

Ronnie Earl
Photo by Tom Hazelrinw

Ron Holloway

Butch Warren
Photo by Antoine Sanfuentes

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Scott Shuman receiving his Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Recording

Mix and Mastering and Additional recording at
Schuman Recording and Front Row Digital TV - Falls Church Va.

A big thanks to BAARN FM for playing Cathy Ponton King in the Netherlands! Love you Madly!

Many thanks to Ms Irene R Barret for featuring me way down under on Cairns FM 89.1 - Made my day! - CK

Visit the Cairns FM 89.1 Website!