Folk legend Anne Hills — a Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award winner and one of the most decorated voices in American folk music — brings a rare local performance to downtown La Grange on Friday, April 24, at Wesley's Place, 100 W. Cossitt Ave.
The show runs 7:00–9:00 p.m. CDT, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for ages 18 and under, and free for children 10 and under. The event is all ages.
Hills is no stranger to the intimate listening room tucked inside the First United Methodist Church Chapel — she appears in Wesley's Place's own "Hall of Fame" of past performers on the venue's website. This time around, she'll perform original songs alongside covers of fellow folk artists Tom Paxton and David Massengill, according to the venue.
The Chicago Reader's Steve Krakow, writing in his Secret History of Chicago Music series, described Hills this way: "Her high, angelic voice is as delicate and strong as a silk thread." That reputation was built over decades: Hills moved to Chicago in 1976, helped found Hogeye Music — a cornerstone of the regional folk scene — and went on to record more than 20 solo albums and collaborations. She has performed alongside Paxton and the late Bob Gibson as part of the group Best of Friends.
Her accolades include the 2012 Posi Music Award in Social Justice and the Kerrville Music Foundation's Outstanding Female Vocalist of the Year.
For downtown La Grange, a ticketed Friday-night show of this profile means foot traffic along the Cossitt corridor on a spring evening. Wesley's Place — which bills itself as the only family-friendly live music venue in La Grange — draws attendees who park free in street spots and the nearby garage before and after the show, a consistent benefit for neighboring restaurants and retailers.
Tickets and full event details are available at wesleysplacemusic.com.