Biography
Kate was born in Hobart,the daughter of jazz trumpeter and vocalist Clem Meehan. She was raised in a household infused with music, hearing Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald one day, and listening to Carole King and Shirley Bassey the next. It was in this environment that Clem started giving Kate her first singing lessons.
Kate’s formal music education commenced at the Sacred Heart College where she received piano lessons as well singing in the choir, and by the time she commenced High School, Kate had added guitar to her arsenal. At sixteen Kate left High School and moved to the mainland where she busked with her guitar around Adelaide for a few years learning the art of performing as a soloist in public. By the time she was twenty Kate had returned to Hobart where she fronted various covers and originals bands, before returning to the mainland, this time Melbourne, for a brief sojourn in front of another covers band.
At twenty four Kate found herself back in Tasmania where she was approached by the Fabulous Blues Cats, a Chicago jump-blues styled band. This is where Kate found her groove. Koko Taylor was discovered, and there was no turning back. Kate learnt her craft as a raunchy blues belter in front of this band playing the midnight to four shift every Friday and Saturday night at the Round Midnight nightclub in Salamanca. In 1998 she recorded her first album as the Kate Meehan Blues Band “Let the Good Times Roll, a CD covering her favourite electric Chicago blues songs. This album opened doors back on the mainland on the blues festival circuit. It was also at this time that Kate heeded advice that she would have to write her own material to get anywhere as a blues singer, and over the next four years Kate released two more albums including her own songs as well as originals by her Texan pen friend, Kathy Murray.
Kate was living in Canberra in 2003 when she met rhythm and blues pianist Skip Landy, a former Blind Freddy alumnus. They have since released two albums of unadorned piano and vocals, one comprising jazz standards, the other recapping Kate’s original blues repertoire. As Kate Meehan and Skip Landy, they are now constantly performing around Australia and New Zealand. In 2007 Kate teamed up with Peter Gelling in order to collaborate on a forthcoming album, My Sister’s Shoes.
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