Patience plays

For Toni Lynn Washington, Good Things come to those who wait

by Don Fluckinger

Toni Lynn Washington has performed all her life. At sixtysomething, the Boston blues singer with the dusky voice is finally getting the recognition she's earned as she hits the road promoting the release of Good Things, her third Tone-Cool album.

While the rest of the country is just waking up to her smooth blues style, Worcester clubgoers know Washington well. "Gilrein's was one of the first places that hired us, first time out," she says, referring to her Tone-Cool debut, Blues at Midnight, in 1995. And as a gift to her supporters she's chosen the club to host a release party this Friday for her new CD.

Most of the shows in Washington's packed summer schedule take place in New England, but there are some festival dates as far away as the Frederickton Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in New Brunswick, Canada. Later, Washington and the band will go to Europe, where audiences adore American blues.

"We do have a few dates on the books in Paris and in London," Washington says. "I'd just like to go wherever the call comes. I have friends in the business who travel overseas, and they have a great time doing that. So I'd like to do that, and I'd like to do the home-front scene, and as many festivals as I can."

It's amazing that such a talented vocalist could go through life largely undiscovered. Married to a Navy man, Washington devoted much of her life to family. Relocating several times, she never was able to establish more than regional popularity -- although at one point she recorded an album with members of Earth, Wind and Fire that was never released, and performed with them on Steve Allen's television show.

But since the '80s, she's been in New England enjoying a Tina Turner-esque renaissance. Part of that is due to her 11-year partnership with keyboardist/bandleader Bruce Bears who's created solid arrangements tailored to her soul style. Bears, guitarist Tim Gearan, and saxman Paul Ahlstrand have provided continuity in sound and production, and it all comes together on Good Things with its tight performances and production from veteran producer Bobby B. Keyes.

Washington honed her soulful instincts in the church choir in her hometown of Southern Pines, North Carolina. When her family lived briefly in Boston, her mother took the underage Washington to sing in South End clubs. But it was in New Orleans that the 18-year-old Washington got her first break, bursting onto the national scene in the early 1960s. Teaming up with pianist/producer Edward Frank, Washington released "Dear Diary," which hit the Top 50 just as soul was just approaching its peak and the first-generation greats were perfecting their stage presence. Her chart success thrust her on the touring scene, affording her the opportunity to open for and hobnob with the likes of Sam and Dave and the late Jackie Wilson, who influenced her as a performer.

"[Jackie Wilson] had such energy," she says. "He would really give his all -- he poured his soul out to the audience. It was just, from the start to the finish, a power-packed show with Jackie Wilson. And he was a very nice man, very encouraging."

While she doesn't perform "Dear Diary" anymore ("I've kind of outgrown the lyrics," she says), she does sing two other tunes she wrote and performed with Frank back then, "Satisfaction" and "Good Things Come to Those Who Wait." Both appear on Good Things, which also features a number of covers, including "Alright, Okay, You Win," written by the late Joe Williams. Although she always liked that song, Washington says, it was a coincidence of bad timing that Williams died while they were recording it. Although it wasn't intended as a tribute to one of the pillars of the blues world, it worked out that way.

Now that she's put together a string of CDs with the same band and has established a following with that band, blues fandom is finally waking up to Washington. The industry also is taking notice; the National Association of Independent Recording Merchandisers (NAIRD) nominated her for an Indie Award, and she's also been nominated for a W.C. Handy award, both in the contemporary blues female artist of the year category.

"I feel very fortunate," she says. "I have paid a lot of dues, and I'm very happy that we've reached this level. I do believe that we have a very, very long ways to go, because I don't think we're as widely embraced as some other stars. I think we're on our way. We've had a lot of calls [from] people [through]out the country that want us to perform. It's getting better and better and better for us."

Toni Lynn Washington plays at 10 p.m. on April 7 at Gilrein's. Tickets are $6. Call 791-2583.