MUSIC

Anderson Fair presents Ann Armstrong and Steve Hughes.

Ann Armstrong (pictured) is right up there with the great musical exports of Texas. She plays guitar - sometimes sweetly as an early bluebonnet, sometimes prickly as an Octillo cactus. She sings like a steam-powered nightingale and writes songs from a depth of experience.

Ann and her side-kick and musical cohort, hubby Steve Hughes, have one thing that sets them apart from much of the new talent emerging from the Lone Star State: Ann and Steve have been entertaining audiences with her kick-ass blend of Texas blues, folk and rock, for over 20 years. From New York to Austin, from Dallas to Phoenix, Ann and her hard-driven Texas sound have developed a committed following.

Ann and Steve as a team, and their mutual love for music and lyrics with content, started more years ago than either care to comment on. Through the years they've shared billings with Albert Collins, Jerry Jeff Walker, Hot Tuna, Arlo Guthrie, Guy Clark, Taj Mahal, Richard Thompson and many more. Their recent venues have included the Benson & Hedges Blues Festival, the South by Southwest Convention, and the internationally acclaimed Kerrville Folk Festival, and they were the winners of the 1990 Best Blues Act in the Dallas Observer readers poll.

"Some argue that with Michelle Shocked, Sara Hickman, Two Nice Girls, Alison Rogers and others, there are just too many good female singer/songwriters coming out of Texas. Well, as I add Ann Armstrong to the pack, suffice it to say that this bunch makes for a much more interesting musical trend than, say, garage-metal bands from New Jersey," states the Dallas Times Herald music critic. Arizona' s New Times claims that Armstrong is " . . . considered to be . . . the premier vocalist of Texas."

Ann Armstrong's music runs the gamut from love songs to deep blues. If you're looking for a peg on which to hang the music of Ann Armstrong and her band, here's a clue - you'll need more than one.", says the San Antonio Express-News. Austin American - Statesman says "her talents, both as a songwriter and blues performer, are deep and diverse.

Her constant companion and musical partner Steve Hughes spices up the proceedings with fine harmonica and flute work.

If you haven't caught her act (check out her blazing bottle-neck guitar work), you're way behind the times in keeping up with the Texas blues scene."