Toshi Reagon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Toshi Reagon
Reagon at the Holland Festival, 2018
Background information
Born	(1964-01-27) January 27, 1964 (age 61) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Washington, D.C.
Genres	Folk, blues, gospel, rock, funk, women's music
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1978–present
Parents	Cordell Hull Reagon (father) Bernice Johnson Reagon (mother)

Toshi Reagon is an American musician, born on January 27, 1964. She is known for her unique blend of folk, blues, gospel, rock, and funk music. Toshi is also a talented composer, a curator (someone who organizes events or collections), and a producer.

Early Life and Musical Roots

Toshi Reagon was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She grew up in Washington, D.C. with her parents, Bernice Johnson Reagon and Cordell Hull Reagon, and her younger brother. Her parents were musicians who were very active in the civil rights movement.

Her mother, Bernice Johnson Reagon, started the all-woman singing group Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1973. This group had a big impact on Toshi. Her father, Cordell Hull Reagon, was a leader in the civil rights movement in Albany, Georgia. He was also a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Both of her parents were part of a civil rights music group called The Freedom Singers.

Toshi Reagon was also inspired by 1970s rock and roll bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Kiss. She also loved classic Blues musicians such as Big Mama Thornton, Howlin' Wolf, and Big Bill Broonzy.

Toshi Reagon's Music Career

Starting Out and Collaborations

Toshi Reagon began performing when she was 17 years old. In 1990, famous musician Lenny Kravitz asked her to open for him on his first world tour. Since then, she has shared the stage with many other artists. These include Ani DiFranco, Elvis Costello, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Toshi's first album, Justice, was released in 1990. She has released many solo albums since then. Her most recent album, SpiritLand, came out in December 2018.

BIGLovely Band

Toshi Reagon's band, BIGLovely, has been performing together since September 1996. The name BIGLovely came from a sweet nickname her girlfriend used for her. The band includes talented musicians like Judith Casselberry on acoustic guitar and vocals. Robert "Chicken" Burke plays the drums, and Fred Cass, Jr. plays the bass. Adam Widoff plays the electric guitar, and Catherine Russell plays the mandolin and sings. Other musicians sometimes join the band as substitutes.

The Parable of the Sower Opera

Toshi Reagon created a special rock-opera called Parable of the Sower. It is based on a novel by the author Octavia Butler. This opera first premiered (was performed for the first time) in Abu Dhabi in 2017. Soon after, it was performed in the United States.

Toshi Reagon and her mother, Bernice Johnson Reagon, created and wrote the opera. Eric Ting directed it. The performance included more than 20 singers, actors, and musicians. Toshi Reagon has always been a big fan of Octavia Butler's books. She felt that the themes in Butler's work, like Afrofuturism and similar political situations, made it a perfect story for an opera.

Toshi explained that they had to make the opera different from the book because the book is very long. They wanted to focus on the idea of two communities. One is the community you are born into, and the other is a new community you find. The opera starts with a comfortable, known community. Then, the audience experiences how things can become uncomfortable. This shows how fragile people can be when they resist change.

Reagon's "congregational opera" was first performed in 2015. It was shown at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival. It was also performed at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi in 2017.

Discography

Awards and Recognition

Toshi Reagon has received several awards for her work:

• 2021 Religion and the Arts Award by the American Academy of Religion
• 2021 The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts
• 2021 The APAP Award of Merit for Achievement in the Performing Arts
• 2015 Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow
• 2009 Out Music Award
• 2007 Black Lily Award for Outstanding Performance
• 2004 New York Foundation for the Arts award for music composition

Personal Life

Toshi Reagon is the goddaughter of the famous folk singer Pete Seeger. She was named after his wife, Toshi Seeger.

Reagon lives in Brooklyn, New York with her partner and their adopted daughter.

See also

In Spanish: Toshi Reagon para niños