Toni Price's 2003 release of Born to be Blue is in keeping with the trend in her recent music that defies categorization. In fact, one could argue that there should be a new genre of music called "Toni Price." She explores a range of blues, R&B, rock, country, folk and sultry and swinging jazz.

Produced with Derek O?Brien, Born To Be Blue features guitarist James Burton and songs by Dr. John (a previously unrecorded number), Walter Hyatt, Oscar nominee Gwil Owen and even Mel Torme. Antone's Records bills it as a warm and intimate collection. Why, just looking at the cover gives me a warm and intimate feeling! Long-time fans will notice the missing sound of Champ Hood in Toni's band, but her current line-up is absolutely flawless.

Midnight Pumpkin, released in 2001, captures the magic of her live Tuesday night groove at the Continental Club to perfection. The songs span the decades and the music genres and features two songs by Austin singer/songwriter Shelley King and new numbers by Price's steadfast songwriting cohort, Gwil Owen. Playing and singing on Midnight Pumpkin are Roscoe Beck, James Burton, Jon Dee Graham, Dave Grisson, Ian McLagen, Malford Milligan, Derek O'Brien and Casper Rawls. There are swing tunes guaranteed to make you dance, low down, sad rumbles, soulful shouting and Blaze Foley's "Darlin." This is another genre-busting, eclectic tour-de-force from Toni Price.

Released in 1999, Toni's album Low Down and Up on Antone's records was a hit from day one. A reviewer from the Tennessean called it, "a slow dance romance in a balmy, Hill Country breeze." Low Down and Up lets listeners get a glimpse of a Toni Price not clearly seen before. The majority of the album is filled with the blue/country work associated with her, but she also comes on hot and sultry with a jazzy "Comes Love" and, on "Rusty Old Red River" she seems to have opened a vein and poured out her whole heart.

She recorded Sol Power at club in Texas's remote Alpine. The album is an acoustic live set from the Railroad Blues club - which musicians have long loved for its resonant wood construction - in the tiny town in Texas's picturesque southwestern desert lands. The big skies and wide open spaces inspired the band to, as Toni says, "take it to the limit."

Sol Power features Price and her totally acoustic stage band of three noted Austin players: Champ Hood (veteran of Uncle Walt's Band with the late Walter Hyatt) on acoustic guitar and fiddle, "Scrappy" Jud Newcomb (Loose Diamonds) on acoustic guitar, and Casper Rawls (LeRoi Brothers) on acoustic guitars.

"There we are," Toni says. "We're naked. It's our real thing. It's live. It's true. And it's beautiful."

Toni Price's first album, Swim Away, and her second album, Hey, received praise from both fans and critics. One reviewer commented that she comes on like Patsy Cline on a Harley. She's often compared with Bonnie Raitt, too. She's won numerous awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year (1994, 95, 96 & 97), Album of the Year (Hey) Song of the Year (Tumbleweed) and Blues Artist of the Year.

Gwil Owen, an old friend from Toni's Nashville days, has been a mainstay in her music. Owen has written half of Toni's recorded material. His songs are perfect for her voice and soulful delivery. Or maybe it's that her voice is perfect for his songs.

Toni fills the Continental Club every Tuesday evening with shoulder to shoulder fans, some of whom have seen her perform hundreds of times. Inside the dim regions of the Continental, surrounded by posters of herself and dozens of other blues greats, she takes a chair at center stage and sets off on a two hour excursion through rock, country, blues, mountain music, torch songs, and jazzy scat. Her popularity in Austin is a strong part of the foundation bearing Austin up as the live music capital of the world.

A gig at Antone's Blues Club at SXSW in 1989 brought Toni to Austin for the first time. Austin won her over immediately. "It wasn't until I came to Austin that I realized that I wasn't alone in the universe," she says. "I came to understand that I had compadres here - musicians, and audiences - people who wanted and needed real music. I'd been through all the styles, all the gymnastics, without realizing that I was really supposed to just go out and sing - sing songs that had meaning to me."

Toni Price has always approached her music on her own terms, refusing to go on tour, refusing to give up her cherished Tuesday night gig at the Continental Club, even refusing to stand up while she sings. Her casual and relaxed front porch style of delivery don't take any power from her bluesy vocals. In fact, she claims that sitting down to sing actually enhances her vocals because she can "really crunch."

Winner MusicAustin's Austin's Best Albums Award for 1999.

Winner MusicAustin's Austin's Best Albums Award for 2001

For contact information, albums and show dates, visit the Toni Price Home Page. You can also get her albums on amazon.com.