Katie Webster (January 11, 1936 – September 5, 1999), born Kathryn Jewel Thorne, was an American boogie-woogie pianist.

Career

Webster was initially best known as a session musician behind Louisiana musicians on the Excello and Goldband record labels, such as Lightnin' Slim and Lonesome Sundown. She also played piano with Otis Redding in the 1960s, but after his death went into semi-retirement.

Katie Webster

In the 1980s she was repeatedly booked for European tours and recorded albums for the German record label, Ornament Records, with Gary Wiggins and Chris Rannenberg - The International Blues Duo. She cut You Know That's Right with the band Hot Links, and the album that established her in the United States; The Swamp Boogie Queen with guest spots by Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray. Two-Fisted Mama! was released in 1989. She performed at both the San Francisco Blues Festival and Long Beach Blues Festival.

Katie Webster

Webster suffered a stroke in 1993 while touring Greece but returned to performing the following year. She died from heart failure in League City, Texas, in September 1999.

Katie Webster

See also

List of swamp blues musicians

List of Louisiana blues musicians

New Orleans rhythm and blues

Music of Louisiana

Swamp blues

List of New Orleans blues musicians

Louisiana blues

References

External links

Biography at Alligator.com

1936 births

1999 deaths

American blues singers

American blues pianists

American blues drummers

Boogie-woogie pianists

Musicians from Houston

Blues musicians from New Orleans

Swamp blues musicians

Louisiana blues musicians

20th-century American women pianists

20th-century American pianists

Singers from Louisiana

20th-century American women singers

Singers from Texas

Alligator Records artists

20th-century American singers