South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Presents Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music

(South Milwaukee, WI) – South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center is proud to present Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music from Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt to Alison Krauss and Brandi Carlile, with Cristina Vane & Brennen Leigh on Sunday, March 1 at 4:00 pm. This show is part of our 2025-2026 Performing Arts Series.

Coinciding with the United States’ upcoming semiquincentennial, Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music, produced by Eli Wolf, features vocalists and instrumentalists Cristina Vane and Brennen Leigh. The performance includes songs made famous by iconic artists like Brandi Carlile, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Emmy Lou Harris, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton and more. Titles include:

• “Blowin’ In The Wind”
• “Angel From Montgomery”
• “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road” (Lucinda Williams)
• “Can The Circle Be Unbroken” (The Carter Family)
• “Mule Skinner Blues”

“Mule Skinner Blues” and Its Wisconsin Connection

“Mule Skinner Blues,” written by Jimmie Rodgers, has Wisconsin roots from 1960. The Fendermen were an American rockabilly duo, composed of Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey, active in the early 1960s. Jim Sundquist (born in Niagara, Wisconsin and later settled in Minnesota) and Phil Humphrey (from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, later in Stoughton, Wisconsin) met as students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the late 1950s under the direction of William Dreger, a music store owner in Middleton, Wisconsin. The duo had one hit single, “Mule Skinner Blues,” released in 1960. The song was originally recorded in the basement of Middleton Music on an aluminum disc. The song hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1960, and No. 2 in Canada. “Mule Skinner Blues” was the first song by a Minnesota band to reach the charts. The Fendermen toured with Johnny Cash and many others across the US.

About Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music

Early folk, gospel, and western swing musicians laid the groundwork for Americana, extending back to the founding mothers and fathers of country music, including Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, and the Carter Family. From the mid-20th century through the present day, more singer-songwriter luminaries followed: Bob Dylan, The Band, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, and Brandi Carlile. Women of Americana is a heartfelt celebration that isn’t just a concert—it’s an exuberant exploration of this expansive and singular American genre that planted the roots of American music.

Songwriter, singer, slide guitar and clawhammer banjo player Cristina Vane has a breadth and depth of serious musical skill. Cristina’s half American, half Guatemalan heritage is as unique as her sound. She is a product of a merging of numerous worlds – her classic rock, 90s indie, and heavier roots with her passion for pre-war blues, old time fiddle banjo music, country and bluegrass. She has an extensive touring history and has provided direct support for Molly Tuttle, Bob Weir, Wynonna Judd, Sam Bush, Nikki Lane, Arlo McKinley and Willi Carlisle, just to name a few. She has been mentioned in Rolling Stone Country and NPR and was featured in the Bank of America ad for Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary. She says, “Americana music has touched my soul deeply, and to be a part of a project that honors the tradition and influence of formidable women in the genre like Bonnie Raitt and Sister Rosetta Tharpe is a total blessing.” Cristina continues, “As a songwriter myself, I am also excited to celebrate the legacy of people like John Prine and Lucinda Williams, who have written some of the best songs out there.”

Brennen Leigh, an American songwriter, guitar player, mandolin player and singer whose to-the-point storytelling style has elevated her to cult icon status in Europe, Scandinavia, the United States, South America and the United Kingdom. Her songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Charley Crockett and many others. She says, “Women have been a consistent thread running through Americana Music from its very start, from the original Carter Family (Maybelle Carter invented the style all modern guitar playing is based on) to folks like Lucinda Williams, who elevated rural American songwriting to a new level of literature.” Brennen concludes, “These artists have inspired me my entire life, and I’m thrilled to embark on this journey, sharing my personal insights and experience, taken from a lifetime of touring, writing and studying our diverse and expansive genre.” As renowned for her musicianship as she is for her writing, it’s easy to see how Leigh caught the ear of greats like Guy Clark and David Olney, who described her writing as “tender, violent, sentimental, foolish and wise, she is always Brennen. Confident and at ease with herself, without being a jerk about it.”

Eli Wolf is a producer, executive producer, A&R person, and music executive. Eli began his career at Blue Note Records, where he was mentored by Bruce Lundvall. In his 20-plus years in the music business, Eli has A&R-ed and produced a wide array of artists spanning diverse genres, including singer-songwriter, alternative, country, Americana, R&B, pop, hip-hop, indie rock, jazz, world, classical, and film soundtrack. Career milestones include working closely with Grammy-winning artist Norah Jones since the beginning of her career; conceptualizing, executive producing, and A&R-ing Al Green’s Grammy-winning album Lay it Down; signing and producing Grammy-winning hip-hop/jazz crossover artist Robert Glasper; and signing and A&R-ing singer-songwriter Amos Lee. Eli produced Norah Jones’s album, Day Breaks, which charted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and has, to date, sold over one million albums worldwide. Additional career highlights include projects with Grammy-winning artists Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, The Roots, Anita Baker, Wynton Marsalis, Angelique Kidjo and Brittany Howard.

TICKETS

Click here to purchase tickets. Tickets are $51-67 with discounts for seniors and students. To purchase tickets, visit southmilwaukeepac.org 24/7 or call (414) 766-5049 Mon-Fri from 10 am to 2 pm. The box office is closed on Fridays in the summer and when school is closed during the school year. Sign up for email notifications at southmilwaukeepac.org.

ABOUT SMPAC

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center (SMPAC) is a public school affiliated, professionally-managed facility that has been providing the greater Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin communities with creative, innovative, and diverse performing arts for more than 20 years.

Past performances on our stage include:

• The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra
• SistaStrings
• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
• The Texas Tenors
• A.J. Croce
• The Violent Femmes
• Jesse Cook
• Flamenco Vivo Carlotta Santana
• Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles
• Soweto Gospel Choir
• Tessa Lark
• Edgar Meyer
• Josh Roman
• The Mark O’Connor Band
• Celtic Nights
• Tommy Emmanuel
• The Vienna Boys Choir
• The World of Musicals
• Cirque Alfonse
• The Official Blues Brothers Revue
• John McGivern
• Lindsey Buckingham
• George Watsky
• Turtle Island Quartet
• Step Afrika!
• Cantus
• Donny McCaslin
• Robert Glasper
• The Zombies
• Jean Luc Ponty
• Jon Anderson
• Arlo Guthrie
• The Red Green Show
• The Boston Brass
• Slim Goodbody
• George Winston
• Mutts Gone Nuts
• Legends Roundtable to Honor Da Crusher
• Ex Fabula
• and many, many more.

The SMPAC Performing Arts Series and other programming is sponsored in part by the Ken Cook Co., Bucyrus Club & Event Center, Skyline Catering, Cousins Subs (South Milwaukee), Courtyard by Marriott (Milwaukee Airport), Steren McDonald’s Restaurants, Max A Sass & Sons Funeral & Cremation Service, Schlossmann Subaru City, Molthen-Bell Funerals Cremations, Cudahy Dental, South Milwaukee Downtown Market, South Milwaukee Fire Department, South Milwaukee LIONS Club and Parkway Floral. Performances are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center is located inside of the South Milwaukee School District’s 6-12 grade campus, located at 901 15th Avenue in the city of South Milwaukee. We are conveniently located between College and Rawson Avenues, which are easily accessible from I-94 and 794. Complimentary parking is available in the northwest parking lot and on 15th Avenue. For all SMPAC events, patrons should enter door #9 on the northwest side of the building. For tickets and more information, visit southmilwaukeepac.org or call (414) 766-5049.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.