Melissa McKinney with Reggie Headen and Aaron Woody Wood

MELISSA MCKINNEY

Melissa McKinney sings from the depths of her soul. When she opens her mouth, I feel like I am connecting to Janis Joplin and Mahala Jackson but yet also like a sound I have never heard before. When I asked her what her influences were, she replied...trauma. You can hear that in each note. However, Melissa chose to channel her trauma into something meaningful and healing and she has done a damn good job at it”

Melissa McKinney is a resident singer/songwriter with LEAF Global Arts. She is the founder of WTF (Women to the Front) music festival, on the board of AVLFest, and is the artist-curator for Black Mountain Blues festival. She is the mother of K. McKinney, also a songwriter and musician, as well as two Great Pyrnees named Dorian and Lydian, a doodly dog named Aeolian, and a cat named Locrian. She recently advanced to the finals of the International Blues Competition in Memphis in the solo/duo category and got to fulfill her dream of playing at the historic Orpheum Theatre.

REGGIE HEADEN

North Carolina native, Reggie Headen leads with soulful vocals and a magnetic presence that commands center stage. He draws inspiration from legends like Betty Carter, Nirvana and Amy Winehouse, channeling the spirit of the past while forging a path toward the future. His music is an intersection of styles and influences, blending the improvisational freedom of jazz with the raw energy of rock and soulful grooves of classic R&B.