Recorded live at the Evergreen Stage, Tata Vega recorded her soulful take on the classic song, “Try a Little Tenderness,” along with renowned studio musicians, Maxwell’s Allstars. The song was originally written in 1932 by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods. It was later reproduced by other artists such as Bing Crosby in 1933 and, in perhaps the more widely recognized version, by Otis Redding. The song has been featured in 1964’s Dr. Strangelove 1986’s and Pretty in Pink.
Boyd Matson filmed and shared the recording session featuring Tata Vega on vocals, Bill Canton and Michiko Hill on keys, Hadley Hockensmith on guitar, Abraham Labroiel on bass and Bill Maxwell on drums. This session was recorded at the Evergreen Stage in Burbank, California.
“I filmed this classic song with some of my musician friends, Maxwell’s AllStars, in LA with Tata Vega rocking the vocals,” said Matson. “Tata Vega’s singing is infectious, drawing you into the music and transporting your spirit to some better place … She always pours 100% of her energy and emotions into every song and that commitment is so powerful that you can’t help but be carried along on the musical journey with her.”
Tata Vega is vocalist in the film, theatre and music industries. Having been featured on numerous albums and her own set of solo albums, she has been providing soulful vocals for decades, going back to her time at Motown records in the 1970’s. She has worked on background vocals with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles and Madonna, singing duets with Lou Rawls, Jermaine Jackson, Peter Rivera with Rare Earth and Michael Sembello. She was also featured on the Elton John and Leon Russell album, The Union, in 2010.
In addition to all her work in the music industry, Vega also worked in film, performing the voice of Shug Avery in The Color Purple, being featured on four songs on the 1986 soundtrack album, one of which, "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)", was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Song category.