Sammy Rae & The Friends have been bringing the heat with a blend of jazz, soul, rock and pop for almost a decade. Rae, who grew up in Derby, Conn., was playing shows as a young teen, and after dropping out of college in New York City, she scored a residency at the Cotton Club in Harlem.
It was here that she’d meet the friends who’d become her bandmates. For the next several years, the group played out a lot, earning a well-deserved reputation for their live shows. They intentionally took their time before heading into the studio to record their official debut, Something for Everybody.
Today, you’ll hear their live show from the stage of World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Enjoy!
This episode of World Cafe was produced by Will Loftus. The web story was created by Miguel Perez. Our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our senior producer is Kimberly Junod.