Napa, CA - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, considered one of the top swing and jump blues bands in the country, perform at the Napa Valley Opera House on Saturday, June 30 at 8 p.m. The sultry vocals of chanteuse Lavay and her all star eight-piece band feature some of the finest musicians available, consisting of four horns, guitar, piano, bass and drums. Tickets are $35 and $30.

Smith, vocalist and bandleader of the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, grew up in Southern California and the Philippines. She has become known as a modern day Jazz and Blues diva with a singing style influenced by Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith and Little Esther Phillips. Her enticing stage style is a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page.

Lavay approaches her material from the standpoint of an independent woman, combining world-class singing and musicianship with contemporary and provocative lyrics. Lavay’s musical stance is echoed in her real life role as owner of her own record label, Fat Note Records. Her debut smash hit CD, “One Hour Mama,” received widespread critical acclaim and has sold over 40,000 copies in the United States. Her glamorous stage presence and high musical standards ensure that this diva will continue to be a best-selling independent phenomenon.

Smith’s eight-piece band features an array of talented musicians. The all-star ensemble has performed and recorded with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Jay McShann, Johnny Otis, Wynton Marsalis, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Big Mama Thornton, Taj Mahal and Little Esther Phillips to name a few.

The band first performed in 1989 and immediately began attracting crowds thanks to Lavay’s big, bluesy voice, exciting stage personality and glamorous approach. According to Fox TV, the band has become “a San Francisco Institution.” In 1998, the reader’s of San Francisco’s two major newspapers, the Chronicle and the Examiner, voted Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers the “Best Band” in their annual reader’s poll.

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers perform over 250 shows a year, including extensive touring throughout the United States and Canada. They have performed at many prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Ottawa Jazz Festival, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The Kansas City Jazz & Blues Festival, The San Francisco Blues Festival, The Toronto Jazz Festival and The Playboy Jazz Festival.

WHO: Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
WHAT: Swing and Jump Blues
WHEN: Saturday, June 30, 8 PM
COST: $35/$30
WHERE: Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
PUBLIC INFO: (707)-226-7372, www.NVOH.ORG
CONTACT: Teri Stevens, teri@nvoh.org, 707-603-2338