Beth Mckee

Beth McKee is the gestalt of all the places she’s settled. From her native Mississippi where she learned the blues firsthand from Malaco Records session players to her immersion in the scenes of Austin, New Orleans, North Carolina, and now Orlando – all their musical terroir is in her sound. Beth McKee’s identity really began when she moved to Austin, Texas where she was recruited by harmonica legend Greg “Fingers” Taylor to join his band on a tour opening for Jimmy Buffett. Afterwards, Beth moved to New Orleans to join the band Evangeline, soon signed by Buffett to his Margaritaville Records label. She released two albums with Evangeline before setting out to make her own mark.

Beth’s solo career has spawned several albums, including a 2010 tribute to Louisiana legend Bobby Charles (I’m That Way). Bobby was so impressed that he invited her to sing with him on his own record Timeless, the last before his death. “Bobby Charles mastered simplicity and universal truth in his songs; Beth was his favorite interpreter of the bared-soul truth his songs communicated,” says Jim Bateman, Charles’ longtime manager. She followed that release with three albums of her own material.

As the founder of Swamp Sistas, McKee mobilizes a growing alliance of over 2,700 creative women (members include legends like Janis Ian and Dorothy Moore and next-gen rising stars like Sarah Shook and E-Turn). Philanthropically, they organize and perform to raise money and awareness for targeted local causes.