Lui Collins returns to the me&thee as part of its Folk Legacy Month

NEW ENGLAND TREASURE, LUI COLLINS, AT ME&THEE

Lui Collins, a true New England treasure, returns to the me&thee stage as part of its Folk Legacy Month. Her renditions of songs like “Baptism of Fire” and “Blessing” are engrained in folk music history. Jakals, a Boston-based duo with wonderful harmonies open the show. The me & thee coffeehouse at the Unitarian Universalist Church on 28 Mugford Street in Marblehead. The show begins at 8:00 p.m.

Folk singer/songwriter Lui Collins has been performing, writing and recording for over 40 years, earning international acclaim for her music. Her music ranges from original and traditional folk songs to bossa nova in the original Brazilian Portuguese. She’s made 16 recordings of her own and has sung and played guitar or banjo on others’ projects as well. She’s shared the stage with such folk-world notables as Tom Rush, Bonnie Raitt, Dave Van Ronk, Stan Rogers, John Gorka, and Anais Mitchell, and has recorded with Johnny Cunningham, David Darling, and Rani Arbo, among others.

Lui has been hailed by the Boston Herald as a “folksinger for our times” and by the Boston Globe as “one of New England’s first and brightest stars.” She was voted third most popular performer at the Champlain Valley Festival in 1992, along with Pete Seeger and French Canadian band La Bottine Souriante. Renowned guitarist Dave van Ronk called her “one of the best guitarist-arrangers I have heard in years.” And Canadian folk icon Stan Rogers quipped, “Lui sings my songs better than I do.” Yet another accolade comes from Andrew Calhoun of Watrbug Records who says” Lui Collins sings the way people did a great long time ago, before most of us forgot how to breathe.”

Besides her concerts, Collins is involved in teaching and early elementary music curriculum development. In 2003 she founded “Lui Collins’ Upside-Up Music” for families with young children. Lui has also collaborated on projects with noted fantasy / children’s author, Jane Yolen.

Jakals open the show on February 17. They are a Boston-based, indie-folk band fronted by Katie Solomon on vocals and Jack Lewis on guitar. Jack and Katie have been playing together since 2013. They have been developing their sound ever since and have gone on to write their own original songs. They released an album entitled Quiet Pleas under the name Jack and Katie. They’ve been playing shows in the greater Boston area for the past two years and are in the process of recording a new album.

Folk Legacy Month at the me&thee coffeehouse is supported in part by a grant from the Marblehead Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

The door charge for this show is $20. Tickets are available at the me & thee website at www.meandthee.org. Tickets are also available in Marblehead at both the Spirit of ’76 Bookstore and Arnould’s Gallery. As at all me & thee coffeehouse events, refreshments are available, including homemade pastries, coffee, and teas. The me & thee has a handicapped-accessible entrance, is a smoke-free environment, and is easily reached by MBTA bus.

The me & thee is one of the oldest continually running acoustic coffeehouses in New England, and probably the country. The me & thee has been and will always be a volunteer, non-profit organization sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead. For information and directions, call 781-631-8987 and check the website www.meandthee.org.

Next concert: Friday, February 24: A Tribute to Bob Dylan with Danielle Miraglia, Ryan Fitzsimmons, Greg Klyma and Patrick Coman.