Toshi Reagon

The genre-bending Toshi Reagon has gained the respect of musicians, critics, and fans worldwide, evoking the sounds of artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Led Zeppelin. She has performed at Central Park’s SummerStage in a Joni Mitchell tribute and benefit with Vernon Reid and Chaka Kahn; at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in a tribute to Prince; and in a concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks in New York City.

Reagon has also shared the stage with Nona Hendryx, Pete Seeger, Chocolate Genius, Dar Williams, and Ani DiFranco, among many others, playing solo or with her band, BIG Lovely. She and BIG Lovely were also invited by Elvis Costello to perform with him on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Washington, DC, Reagon is daughter of Sweet Honey In The Rock’s founding member, Bernice Johnson Reagon. Both her mother and father belonged to SNCC’s (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) The Freedom Singers—a folk group that sprung out of the Civil Rights Movement, touring the US and teaching people about civil rights through song. Reagon and her mother have collaborated on many projects, including the production of many Sweet Honey recordings. Their latest project is The Temptation of St. Anthony, a musical theater work based on a tale by Gustave Flaubert, directed by Robert Wilson with music and a libretto by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Toshi wrote its instrumental arrangements and currently serves as the production’s musical director. She and BIG Lovely have been touring with this show since 2003.

Toshi Reagon is a recipient of the 2004 NYFA award for Music Composition.