Cathy Lemons – Blues Singer & Songwriter

Born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Cathy Lemons learned early what it meant to face adversity. By the time she was 13, she had moved fifteen times—living everywhere from Entebbe, Uganda to Kingston, Jamaica—before her mother finally settled the family in Dallas, Texas. There Cathy was swept into the heart of the Texas blues scene, drawing inspiration from legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Anson Funderburgh, and Albert Collins.

Her path into music wasn’t smooth. In her early twenties, Cathy pushed her way into Dallas’s male-dominated blues scene, fronting bands like Killer and the Show Cats and recording her first eight tracks with guitarist Anson Funderburgh. It didn’t take long for her raw, emotive power—and a voice that cut through the noise with grit and soul—to earn her respect.

But behind the spotlight, Cathy’s life unraveled. By the 1980s, she was homeless and addicted, down to one pair of shoes and the clothes on her back. That would have been the end of the story for many—but Cathy clawed her way back. After entering recovery, she not only returned to music, she walked into San Francisco State University in 1990 and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in English Literature. That same defiance and drive fuel every note she sings today.

Cathy permanently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986 where she worked with Mark Hummel, Paris Slim, and opened for Paul Butterfield. Blues legend John Lee Hooker took her under his wing, mentoring her and showing her the ropes of touring life. She went on to form long-running collaborations with Dave Workman and bassist Johnny Ace, releasing acclaimed recordings such as Dark Road and Lemonace—the latter hitting #3 on XM Sirius’s “BB King’s Bluesville Picks.”

In 2013, Cathy teamed up with harmonica player Phil Berkowitz to form San Francisco’s premier male/female touring blues band. Together they’ve blended blues, rock, gospel-soul, and country into a sound that’s won 25 award nominations since 2015, multiple Independent Blues Awards, and international acclaim. They’ve completed numerous national tours, all while consistently charting on Living Blues Radio and Roots Music Report.

Today, Cathy Lemons is more than a blues singer—she’s a survivor, a storyteller, and a fearless voice who turns a hard-lived past into songs that hit straight to the heart. Her music honors the roots of the blues while pushing its boundaries with heart, grit, and unapologetic passion.

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