A popular performer who’s lovingly referred to as the queen of Virginia gospel music, Cora Harvey Armstrong makes every day feel like Sunday. Her songwriting is inspired by her poet grandfather while her mother’s turntable, stacked with Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward Singers records, influenced her musical style. Fifty years later, Harvey continues to keep her roots close to home as an ordained minister with a selection of uplifting, spiritual classics in her back pocket.
Related stories
More than okay
Sunny War is on the phone, and there’s a long pause. It’s not unexpected—not even awkward at this point. Pauses are more common than flowing conversation with the experimental singer-songwriter. But this pause is different. This time, War’s answering a question about her mental health, and the pause is alarming. So, too, is her eventual […]
Honest and direct
Ben Sloan’s second book of poems, Then On Out Into a Cloudless Sky, is a collection of work that speaks to various themes and eras, highlighting the far-ranging interests of its author. As an object, the book is a delight, an elegant pamphlet with a cover that captures the bright blue of sky and a […]
Kinky Boots
Feathers are flying and there’s glitter galore at Live Arts’ Kinky Boots. The heart-warming musical sees an unlikely partnership blossom between Charlie Price, owner of a failing shoe factory, and Lola, a fabulous drag queen in need of a pair of sturdy stilettos. Xavier Taylor dons a sky-high wig for the role of Lola opposite […]
