KEY WEST

'The Voice' star coming to Key West

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By CLAUDIA MILLER

L'Attitudes Contributor

Posted - Friday, August 31, 2012 11:01 AM EDT

L'Attitudes Contributor

Beverly McClellan performs at Pearl's Womankind Fundraiser Sept. 6.

Vocal powerhouse, Beverly McClellan, who rose to fame as a finalist on NBC's "The Voice," will headline the 13th Annual Pearl's Cocktail Party and WomanKind Fundraiser with her unique brand of blues, rock and folk on Thursday, September 6 in Key West during Womenfest.

This performance will be a bit of a homecoming for McClellan, who toured clubs and bars in South Florida for over 20 years and did shows at Pearl's before catching America's attention with her rousing rendition of "Piece of My Heart" during the first round of "The Voice."

Her solid stage presence and unique look - a bald head and multiple tattoos -created additional buzz and was fodder for much water cooler talk the next day. She also caught the attention of industry veteran, Christina Aguilera, who became her coach throughout the season.

Pearl's owner, Heather Carruthers, said that she was thrilled to see McClellan make it so far on "The Voice" but thought that she should have won.

"People loved her when she performed here before "The Voice," and I always wondered why she didn't have a bigger career," Carruthers said. "She is an incredible musician and a very talented instrumentalist with a fabulous voice. She also has that ability to genuinely deliver a song with truly honest performances."

After the television show wrapped, McClellan went on to tour with B.B. King and is now on a hectic North American and European tour with guitar virtuoso, Steve Vai. She also collaborated with Vai on the traditional gospel and blues song, "John the Revelator," which is on his 16th solo album, The Story of Light. Vai's interpretation samples the 1930 recording by Blind Willie Johnson with McClellan providing the stirring vocals.

In a phone interview from Asheville, NC where she was slated to play at the Orange Peel later that night, McClellan said that she's excited to come back to Key West both to perform and relax.

"I lived in Fort Lauderdale, so I would come down to Key West quite a bit," she said. "I'm really looking forward to relaxing with my friends. They are coming down from Ft. Lauderdale, and it's going to be awesome. I'm going to make sure to see the beautiful sunset."

She also anticipated that many of her early fans, who she stays in touch with through Twitter and Facebook, will come down for the show.

Ticket sales are limited to 250 people for the fundraiser at the historic Key West hotel, and McClellan said she liked the idea of playing at the more intimate venue. She enjoys inviting the crowd to come sit up on stage with her during performances.

"The stage will be in a pool setting outside, so it's going to be really cool-quaint," she said. "I like having people sit near me on the stage when I perform. It feels more personal. I think people like being right next to the artist, singing and playing right near their faces. I feed off the energy of the crowd."

At the concert, she'll be performing many of the songs from her debut international release and fifth album, "Fear Nothing," which features Etta James' band. She wrote ten of the songs on the album, while the final track is a cover of Blind Willie Johnson's "Nobody's Fault but Mine," inspired by Nina Simone's version.

"I'll also play my favorite covers," she said. "I love me some Etta James. It can go anywhere from Journey to Johnny Cash. For those who don't know, they're definitely not going to walk out of there without singing the blues. Those who do know will be sitting up on the front row."

After her brief respite in Key West, McClellan will be back on tour with Vai, and at the end of October they will head overseas to venues like Finland, Estonia and Lithuania.

"It's crazy," she said. "I could only dream of going on tour like this before "The Voice," and now I'm still continuing to go full force. I've never left the United States, so this will definitely be an experience. Steve Vai is an amazing guitarist. There's no one else that can play like him."

Proceeds from the event at Pearl's will benefit Womankind, a local non-profit that was formed in 2001 to provide accessible and affordable women's primary, gynecologic and mental health care regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic level.

"I believe that the work that Womankind does is important--women's health is important," Carruthers said. "Women tend to worry more about taking care of their loved ones than themselves. Women still make less money than men, even for the same work."

Hosted by comedian Christine O'Leary, Pearl's Cocktail Party and Womankind Fundraiser is from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 525 United Street. The event is all-welcome, and guests will receive free beer, wine, Pearl's punch and hearty hors d'oeuvres. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased in advance at pearlskeywest.com.

McClellan will also perform at a girls-only pool party on Saturday, September 8. Call 305-292-1450 for more information.