Samirah Evans

Samirah Evans is a professional vocalist, recording artist and voice instructor. She is currently an Artist Associate in Jazz Voice at Williams College, a voice faculty member at the Vermont Jazz Center, an associate artist for The Performance Project, and teaches private vocal lessons in her home studio.  

In Brattleboro, Evans founded a musical mentoring program called “Sam’s Set and Shed”, bringing established artists and their protégés into a jam session setting with area musicians. She is also the founder of the NOLABratts, a classic New Orleans R&B choir that performs under her direction. And for several years, Evans participated in the BrattRock festival, serving as a vocal coach for young participants and as a judge for up-and-coming artists during their band contests.  

Evans’s career as a vocalist started in New Orleans. She was a fixture at the most prestigious Crescent City venues and performed fifteen consecutive years at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Evans was also a long-time participant in the Blues Schoolhouse program sponsored by the International House of Blues, which taught students the history of the blues through narration, music performance, and audience participation.  

During her career, Evans has toured North and South America, Europe and Asia, sharing stages with a multitude of New Orleans notables and legendary artists, including James Brown, B.B. King, Dr. John, Levon Helm, Aaron & Charles Neville, Bob Dorough, Irma Thomas, Sheila Jordan, and Trombone Shorty.  

Hurricane Katrina caused Evans to relocate to her husband’s hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont. She assembled her band, Samirah Evans and Her Handsome Devils, which cultivated a large following in New England. They toured in support of the 2011 CD “Hot  Club: Live at the Vermont Jazz Center”, her third release, resulting in her maintaining a solid performance schedule to date.