- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
Best Singer: Keeshea Pratt
Keeshea Pratt had almost given up on music. A transplant from Mississippi, she said she considered herself too old to compete with music’s up and comers until getting a fresh start in Houston. Less than two years ago she put together a blues band, one with a sound big enough to uphold her colossal and expressive voice. How good is her voice? It’s the linchpin of an act that advanced from Houston, after mere months as a band, to represent the city at the 2018 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. It’s so good it bested vocalists from more than 200 global acts in the 34th annual blues competition. Combined with a sizzling stage presence that can recall Anita Baker’s sultriness one moment and Tina Turner’s fervor the next, Pratt possesses a winning formula.
One of her IBC competitors was Oregon’s Rae Gordon, an award-winning blues singer in her own right. Recently she visited Houston and broke down Pratt’s power to an attentive audience.
"I was there watching her steal the show from every single person in all the world," Gordon said. "You guys should be proud, Houston proud. She won against the world."
Readers' Choice: Kam Franklin
facebook.com/kamfranklin
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.
