With her group The Luanne Crosby Band, Luanne entertained in popular Boston area rock clubs throughout the early eighties and in 1984 moved to Germany, formed a 5-piece band, and went on to become a popular fixture on the national scene there. Luanne Crosby and Lifeline performed Luanne’s originals that combined folk, blues, rock, funk, jazz and pop into a musically challenging but ultimately accessible sound.
Luanne Crosby has performed her original music for many years, beginning as a young teen, solo on acoustic guitar, and later, belting out her blues/rock originals in local bars, with her Stratocaster slung over her shoulder. A songwriter who writes in many different styles and genres, she is difficult to categorize – but that is part of what makes her such an interesting and exciting artist.
Returning to the States four years later she took a short hiatus from performing after the birth of her daughter. However she quickly began gigging again, this time with a blues/rock band The Persuaders which performed covers by artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Bonnie Raitt, as well as some of Luanne’s originals. Although this kept her hand in the performing arena, she felt the need to be working on the many originals that did not fit into the band’s song list. So in the summer of 1999, she began working on her first CD.
Luanne’s clear, powerful, yet bluesy voice acts as the perfect vehicle for delivering her songs of love and hope which contain an emotional depth that rings true and moves beyond cliché.
After completion of the rhythm tracks with her bassist and drummer, she invited two members of her German band for a working vacation in the U.S. They added guitar, keyboard and a little magic to the project. Other guest musicians included classically trained and highly talented oboe player, Natalie Twigg, who is featured on one of the cuts, as well as various musicians she admired and with whom she had played with over the years. The result is a collection entitled Fearlessly Falling, 10 tunes culled from the hundreds she has written, those that are particularly personal and autobiographical.
Luanne's CD, The Younger Set, is a collection of music for kids, most of which she wrote when her daughter was a young child. This is a CD that both kids and parents love - something that has lots of humor and fun along with emotional depth. Luanne's songs never underestimate children's capacity for understanding and connecting with the world around them.
Luanne's second CD, completed in 2009, is quite a departure from her first. Ceremonies and Celebrations; Songs for the Rituals of Life, is a modest recording she made in collaboration with her friend, neighbor and fellow musician Tom Duval. Feeling that these songs, written over the years for events such as a baby's birth, a friend's death, a child's graduation, could stand on the strength of the emotional expression rather than needing a more sophisticated musical approach, Luanne played guitar (or piano) and sang, as Tom recorded all the tracks in his small home studio. Tom then added vocal and instrumental arrangements, contributing back-up harmonies, guitar lines, keyboard parts, drums and bass.
The resulting work is one that captures the essence of Luanne's belief in the strength of human connection and the power of music to help us share with each other life's most important moments.
Luanne currently resides in Westborough, Massachusetts. Her orignal music can be streamed on Spotify, Amazon and most other streaming services. Songs can be downloaded (for free) by clicking the CD tab on the Home page. Contributions are accepted via Venmo or Zelle.
If you're interested in having Luanne play for you in person, click on Personal Performances from the menu bar for more information.
