Linda Lee Hopkins

You already know Linda Lee Hopkins… without really knowing her.

Because in 2002 she led The beat goes on, DJ Bob Sinclar's house hit; because she directed Gospel pour 100 voix, an XXL choir that filled Bercy several times.

It's a big difference, in keeping with the way she embraces music : it's about emotions and feeling, not labels. It's a deep love that goes back to the American North Carolinian's childhood. When her father's amateur gospel group rehearsed at home, when the microphone was a hairbrush in front of a mirror reflecting a little girl imitating Aretha, Otis and Michael. As a young adult, winning a singing competition at a club in Pennsylvania gave her confidence. Linda was gifted at embodying the songs and taking the audience with her. Word of mouth opened doors for her. Several groups fell under her spell and recruited her in the seventies, until she formed her own group in 1980.

And then she was hired by a musical that ran one performance after another in Atlantic City. This was followed by a few years on the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin before a guardian angel rescued her from a nightlife that was beginning to burn her wings. Off to Paris.

In June 1991, Linda Lee Hopkins set down her bags, and for good. A godsend for France, its studios and touring artists. Nino Ferrer, Bernard Lavilliers, Gloria Gaynor, Percy Sledge, Ray Charles and many others called on Linda's expertise. Like Ben l'Oncle Soul in 2013 for Hallelujah!!! (J'ai tant besoin de toi), the lead single from his second album, À Coup de Rêves. Ben knew that this treasure of a voice deserved a new spotlight. He introduced her to his great guitarist accomplice Christophe Lardeau. The agreement was crystal clear, naturally fruitful, and the compositions were deep and meaningful. For the first time, Linda had her own album. Drawing on the rich roots of Afro-American music and her own personal experience, 'Spirit & Soul' encapsulates all the vitality of a hidden gem that we are finally really discovering. With a repertoire like this, the forthcoming concerts promise to be a particularly intense encounter.