Customized promotion and publicity for musicians, labels, events, and more.
about loretta sawyer promotions
Loretta Sawyer Promotions provides music promotion and publicity for artists, record labels and event producers. With offices in Chicago, IL and Lexington, KY, we provide multi-media contacts with extensive national connections. Our focus is primarily on folk, americana, bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, country, rock, and acoustic music, but we also work with other performing arts as well as writers and visual artists.
Loretta Sawyer is a PR/Media specialist and artist promotions agent based in Chicago, Illinois. She brings over 15 years of direct marketing and promotional experience to the music business. Her credits include over 200 published articles in national magazines, association publications and newspapers, including Beat USA, Crossroads, Songwriters Monthly, Bluegrass Now, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Music Profiles, NEA/Today, and many others. She previewed shows for the Alpine Valley Music Theater. She is the former editor of New Accountant, Real Estate News and Chicago Bride Magazines.
Loretta has worked with several national artists and has written liner notes for releases by Karl Shifflett and Big Country and Higher Vision. She has contributed her talents to environmental causes, and her efforts on behalf of land preservation have gained her written acknowledgements from President Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Loretta Sawyer Promotions is also contributing national publicity and promotion for Michael Johnathon's WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour and the national public television broadcast of the Walden Play.
It's A New Year | December 31, 2009
The months leading to the end of the year were very busy. In October, Timothy B. Schmidt of the Eagles came to Chicago, two days before the release of his new solo project Expando. This quiet bass player for The Eagles is a multi-instrumentalist and exceptional songwriter. The show was a mix of folk, acoustic, and rock music, and TBS also served up some Eagles tunes and early works from his Poco days.
It was the start of Halloween weekend when The Wizard came to town. The great Bob Dylan at the Aragon. How magical it was seeing a legend on the stage of a historic Chicago venue and the place where my parents used to dance back in the 40s.
The following week I was on the road to Lexington, Kentucky for The WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour. Country singer Billy Dean was a guest on the show. Billy did some shows with Michael Johnathon and David Gates years ago. And it was during that tour that David Gates (from the 70s band Bread) introduced me to Michael Johnathon when they did a Chicago show for an audience of 15,000. I was writing for BEAT USA Magazine at the time. Years passed and I lost contact with David and his wife JoRita. Talking to Billy he brought me up to date that David is still composing music and living on the west coast.
November 9th Don Henley was in Chicago at the Rosemont Theater bringing with him a full band, including back-up singers. Wearing a suit and tie this was a much more formal performance than his May concert in Florida at the Hollywood Casino. I much preferred the casual-laid back performance of the Florida show.
Bluegrass Music came to Chicago when Chris Jones and The Night Drivers came to Evanston, IL as part of the Bluegrass Legends Concert Series. If you caught the Carrie Underwood Holiday TV Special she did a performance with a band who has the new name of Sons of Sylvia. Years ago when I was doing media at Country Thunder, they were just starting out as The Clark Brothers. I was the only media person that day who signed up to talk with them. Going forward they went on to win The Next Great American Band contest, so keep an eye out for this talented group.
Well, this brings us to the close of 2009. And time for that one song that really tugs at my heart, Old Lang Syne. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
Lo
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Welcome to the new website for Loretta Sawyer Promotions and to my blog “The Lo Down.” Here I will share with you my adventures as I travel down the road of music and life.
Visit often for my updates, check out the great bands listed here, and watch for my pictures.
Lo
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