DIG DEEPER Series: BARBARA STANT / The Solid Set
Saturday June 26
Dig Deeper presents Barbara Stant backed by the Solid Set
First NYC show in 46 years!
Opening set by the Ex Caminos
$10 adv / $15 doors
The last time there was a World’s Fair in New York City, 1964, was the last time Virginia soul star Barbara Stant performed live in New York. It was also the last time she forgot where she parked in New York. Not only did she and her teenage singing partners forget the car, but with 46 years of time now passed, they almost forgot they ever did that show.
At the age of 10, Barbara got her start on the gospel circuit in her hometown of Norfolk before she and her friends first snuck over to the practice space used by local label Shiptown to watch the other artists practice. On that visit, she met label owner Noah Biggs who took a shine to her from the first note she sang in demo.
She initially sang backing vocals for the Idets before Biggs decided she would be better off as a solo artist, and labelmate Ida Sands gave her the stage name “Stant”. “You know, Ida never told me where she came up with that – it’s kind of a mystery.”
Even though she toured with Joe Simon, Barbara Mason, Al Green, and even went as far as Hawaii to do a show with the Isley Brothers, the name “Barbara Stant” still might be a mystery to anyone who isn’t a soul or funk DJ – she recorded a total of about 6 records, all for local label Shiptown, none of which is available on iTunes or Amazon.
But over the course of that short history, she recorded an incredibly diverse catalog from the organ funk of “Baby I love you” which rightly became an early favorite on the UK deep funk scene, to the uptempo 70s soul “You’ve got to try again” that DJs have recently been fighting over on eBay (driving the price over $600), to the to string-laden low- slung funk masterpiece “Shadow of your footsteps”, to the aching war dirge “That man of mine”.
It was almost exactly a year ago when Dig Deeper hosted our last Virginia artist, Lenis Guess – coincidently, he recorded several of Barbara’s records. We are so excited to have Virginia soul back at Dig Deeper! We promise not to let her lose her car this time – and I know none of us will forget this show.
Barbara Stant will be backed by the Solid Set. Opening the night will be 9-piece soul revivalists the Ex Caminos. Before and after the live sets, Dig Deeper DJs Mr. Robinson and DJ Honky spin soul and funk 45s for the dancefloor – joined by Virginia soul collector Troy of the Scorpio Brothers.