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<\/a>In 1966, my Methodist minister father was transferred to Caldwell, Texas to serve an old church there in town. Caldwell has a large Czech population that was referred to by the local WASP population as Bo hunks, generally a mildly derogatory term for Bohemian. The more aggressively derogatory names were saved for the population of black folk that lived across the tracks. 1966 was the first year of enforced school integration in Texas and my father found himself trying to be the voice of reason in a small maelstrom of racial and cultural clashes in this little East Texas town.<\/p>\nAbout 25 miles away, in Gause, Texas lived a two year old Ruthie Foster. By the time our family moved from Caldwell to Houston in 1969, Ruthie had developed a stutter. So, in a time of rampant prejudice and antagonism this five year old child found herself ridiculed further still. Her Big Mama (grandmother) spent extra time with her having her recite passages over and over again, with attention to pronunciation and diction, until she could overcome the stutter. Big Mama being a stalwart member of the church\u2019s \u201cAmen Corner\u201d, brought Ruthie to church with her to recite these passages for the congregation. Her participation in church evolved into becoming a part of the gospel chorus and from there, she learned no limitations could hold her back from becoming a major vocal artist, recognized for talent and achievement by no less than poet laureate, Maya Angelou.<\/p>\n
This was the Ruthie Foster that stepped up onto the stage Friday night in Tomball\u2019s quaint venue and introduced her percussionist, Samantha Banks. The evening started out with some gospel blues as Ruthie kicked off \u201cUp Above My Head (I Hear Music in the Air)\u201d, warming up her vocal range. Then it was on to some mellow soul with \u201cAnother Rain Song\u201d. That one was followed up with \u201cSinging the Blues\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms. Foster put on her finger picks for \u201cSmall Town Blues\u201d which she proclaimed suitable for front porch singing as opposed to those more private songs relegated to the back porch in that same small town. She followed that up with a Mississippi John Hurt song from the upcoming release, \u201cJoy Comes Back\u201d called \u201cRichland Woman Blues\u201d. That song featured Samantha Banks playing the spoons like Bill Robinson tap dancing.<\/p>\n
Ruthie moved from the blues (although she never gets too far from the blues) to the folk scene with a trio of songs by local lady songwriters. There was Patti Griffin\u2019s, \u201cWhen It Don\u2019t Come Easy\u201d, followed by Lucinda Williams\u2019, \u201cFruits of my Labor\u201d and Terri Hendrix\u2019s \u201cHole in My Pocket\u201d, which made a great sing-a-long.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>From the world of Texas folk, the audience was transported to a small East Texas black church as Ruthie Foster described the congregation sitting in the pews, working the cardboard hand fans while a slight breeze would waft through the raised stained glass windows, all the while accompanied by Samantha on the tambourine. That set the stage for her to break into Son House\u2019s traditional gospel, \u201cPeople Grinning in Your Face\u201d, performed a Capella.<\/p>\n