A regional favorite, country singer Suzy Bogguss returns to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College with "An Evening with Suzy Bogguss," at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.
Walking the line between critical acclaim and commercial success, Suzy Bogguss remains one of the rare artists who continues to please fans and critics alike with her vocal style, musicianship and meaningful lyrics. One of the most acclaimed female country singers of the late '80s and '90s, she blends songs of substance and depth with mass-market appeal and balances country tradition with a contemporary mainstream sensibility.
Known for connecting with her audiences, Bogguss set out on the coffeehouse and club circuit following her graduation from Illinois State University with an art degree, and after five years of touring in a van, she settled in Nashville. A 1986 tape made to sell at Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park impressed Capitol Records, which signed her. She reached the Top 15 in 1989 with "Cross My Broken Heart" and won the Academy of Country Music's Top Female Vocalist - the beginning of a long career replete with continual awards and Top 10 hits.
Branching out to other genres, Bogguss released an album of original music in 2007 that landed fourth on the jazz charts. Her folk music roots have shown through in her frequent appearances on public radio's "A Prairie Home Companion;" in the Grammy earned for her work on Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster; and in her critically-acclaimed album and book project from 2011, American Folk Songbook.
In 2014 Bogguss returned to her more traditional country roots, releasing an album featuring Merle Haggard songs entitled Lucky, which reinterprets classics like "The Bottle Let Me Down," "Silver Wings" and "Today I Started Loving You Again" from a female point of view. She has also returned to spending as much time as she likes with her fans, both at shows and on social media.
"I get to have that relationship with my fans after the show, and I really love that," said Bogguss to the Nashville Ledger. "I think that that was the way that I was always supposed to do it. I'm the troubadour girl; I like to go out and work."
Learn more about the development and production of Lucky, and view additional Suzy Bogguss music videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/suzybogguss.
Tickets for "An Evening with Suzy Bogguss" are $25 and $35, available online at www.durangoconcerts.com, or call 247-7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at Eighth Street and Main Avenue in downtown Durango.
