EMILY BARKER

T his is one show I’ll always remember. Memphis, Tennessee – October 15, 2017. I had been invited to play one of Levitt Shell’s annual Orion series of shows and had jumped at the opportunity to perform the whole of Sweet Kind of Blue with the amazing musicians who recorded the album with me at Sam Phillips Recording Service. I’d asked them if they might be free that night and the answer from all was a resounding yes!

I arrived in Memphis on a warm, sunny October morning, ready for two days of rehearsals. Matt (Ross-Spang, producer of the album) had arranged for us to rehearse at the studio – it felt so good to be back in that room with a group of musicians who had become close friends over the course of two weeks the previous summer.

On the Saturday of the show the weather turned. The temperature dropped dramatically and there was a persistent fine drizzle that settled in and continued for the whole day. The crowd, understandably, was smaller than it might have been on a warmer evening, but nothing could dampen our spirits as the eighty minute set seemed to race by.

I’m so glad we had decided to have the show filmed – a permanent reminder of a very special chapter in my musical life. Memphis, I miss you – and I hope to be able to visit you again soon!

Emily x