DETROIT’S QUEEN OF THE BLUES THORNETTA DAVIS
2023 BLUES MUSIC AWARD WINNER FOR SOUL/BLUES ARTIST FEMALE
2024 BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINEE
2022 BMA NOMINEE CONTEMPORARY BLUES FEMALE, INSTRUMENTALIST VOCALS
2021 JUS’ BLUES FOUNDATION HONOREE- THE DENISE LASALLE RECORDING OF EXCELLENCE AWARD
2018 $25,000 KRESGE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT
International singer, songwriter and Independent recording artist, was awarded by the Detroit Blues Society “Living Lifetime Achievement Award” and awarded a star on the Canada South Blues Museum “Walk of Fame”. In 2015 Thornetta was crowned “DETROIT’S QUEEN OF THE BLUES” in a ceremony by the Detroit Blues Society, with proclamations from the City of Detroit, County of Wayne and the State of Michigan. Thornetta has performed with and opened for Bob Seger, Blues Legends such as B.B. King, Sir Mac Rice, Ray Charles, Etta James, KoKo Taylor, Johnny Johnson, Bonnie Raitt and more. Thornetta released her first solo album SUNDAY MORNING MUSIC in 1996 on the label Subpop featuring the late keyboardist Eddie Harsh from the Black Crowes, Big Chief.
Thornetta is a ten time Blues Music Award Nominee including 2024 for best Soul/Blues Artist female and the Winner of the 2023 BLUES MUSIC AWARDS for Best Soul/Blues Artist Female. Thornetta is also winner of over 30 Detroit Music Awards. Thornetta received six 2018 DMA’s and has also won eight 2017 Detroit Music Awards for her latest album Honest Woman which include Outstanding Record Producer, Outstanding Blues Recording, Outstanding Blues Vocalist and Outstanding Live Performance. As winner of the 2017 Blues Blast Magazine Music Awards for “Best Soul/Blues Album, Big City Rhythm & Blues Magazine “Coolest Blues Song” Thornetta has garnered international attention by winning 2017 1st place in the INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION (ISC) for “Best Blues Song” (I BELIEVE EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT) and also receiving the prestigious French 2018 La Academie du Jazz Award for “Best Blues Album” for HONEST WOMAN.
Down Beat Magazine 2018 Monterey Jazz Fest performance review
“The follow-up at the Garden Stage on Saturday blew the crowd away. In her first time performing at Monterey, Detroit’s Queen of the Blues, Thornetta Davis, sang with no-nonsense sass, fearless in her missives against lovers, as she preached the Blues”
Monterey Jazz Festival Features Highly Charged Performances https://downbeat.com/?/news/detail/monterey-jazz-festival-features-highly
Blues Music Magazine, Editors Top Picks 2016 Art Tipaldi and Don Wilcox
Roots Music Reports, Duane Verh, “5 stars” Detroit Diva Thornetta Davis sets a very high bar for urban blues releases this young year…
Elmore Magazine, Jim Hynes “Thornetta is a Blues singer, Soul singer or Gospel singer it doesn’t matter She’s got it. She’s a Queen, and an honest woman.”
American Blues Scene Barry Kerzner “Honest Woman is what a great album is supposed to be”
Living Blues Magazine, David Whiteis “Davis conveys intense emotion without overkill…”
Blues Matters Magazine (United Kingdom) Davis tells compelling stories…inspirational vocals…
Soul Bag Magazine (France), Jacques Perin “A winning return!”
Blues Magazine (Netherlands) Walter Vanheuckelom “Honest Woman” is an excellent and varied album.
Blues Music Magazine, Editors Top Picks 2016 Art Tipaldi and Don Wilcox
Roots Music Reports, Duane Verh, “5 stars” Detroit Diva Thornetta Davis sets a very high bar for urban blues releases this young year…
Elmore Magazine, Jim Hynes “She’s got it. She’s a Queen, and an honest woman.”
American Blues Scene Barry Kerzner “Honest Woman is what a great album is supposed to be”
Living Blues Magazine, David Whiteis “Davis conveys intense emotion without overkill…”
Blues Matters Magazine (United Kingdom) Davis tells compelling stories…inspirational vocals…
Soul Bag Magazine (France), Jacques Perin “A winning return!”
Blues Magazine (Netherlands) Walter Vanheuckelom “Honest Woman” is an excellent and varied album.
Here’s a few of Thornetta’s accomplishments.
2015 CROWNED DETROIT’S QUEEN OF THE BLUES
Detroit’s Queen of the Blues Thornetta Davis performs August 23, 2015 at the Ladies of Blues event at the Hastings Street Ballroom/Tangent Gallery
2018 Kresge Artist Fellowship in Film & Music Award Recipient
2018– WINNER OF 6 DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS
2018- RECEIVED 1ST PLACE AWARD FOR 2017 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION FOR “BEST BLUES SONG” I BELIEVE EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT FROM THE ALBUM HONEST WOMAN
2018 – RECEIVED WINNER OF 2017 L’ ACADEMIE DU JAZZ AWARD FOR “PRIX BLUES ALBUM”
2019 UMBRIA JAZZ
THORNETTA PERFORMS W/ THE LEGENDARY SINGER/SONGWRITER SIR MACK RICE AND DON WAS
SIR MACK RICE WITH THORNETTA DAVIS “Respect Yourself”
THORNETTA AS BESSIE SMITH IN SATIN DOLL PRODUCTION
https://youtu.be/jrpyPjHFzKI?si=jdU7oP5xNr1qKanx
2019 – CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL 2018 – PERFORMED AT MONTERAY JAZZ FEST
2017- WINNER OF 2017 BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE MUSIC AWARDS FOR “BEST SOUL BLUES ALBUM”
2017- WINNER OF 8 DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS FOR HER CD HONEST WOMAN
2017- NOMINATED FOR 2 BLUES FOUNDATION BLUES MUSIC AWARDS FOR HER CD HONEST WOMAN FOR “BEST BLUES SONG AND “BEST EMERGING ARTIST ALBUM”
2016- COMPLETED THE PRODUCTION OF HER CD “HONEST WOMAN”
2016- PERFORMED FOR ON THE PBS GALA “DETROIT PERFORMS” https://youtu.be/F8COv6EXskY
2016- PERFORMED THE #1 SONG WITH GRAMMY AWARD WINNING PRODUCER DON WAS ON THE DETROIT’S 100 BEST SONGS @ THE CONCERT OF COLORS
OCT-2015- PERFORMED AT THE APHRODITE WOMEN’S TRAINING CONFERENCE IN LOS ANGELES, CA WITH MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
SEP-2015 APPEARED ON BACKSTAGE PASS http://video.wkar.org/video/2365677406/
AUG-2015- CROWNED “DETROIT’S QUEEN OF THE BLUES” BY THE DETROIT BLUE SOCIETY WITH PROCLAMATIONS FROM THE CITY OF DETROIT, WAYNE COUNTY AND THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
MAY 2015 – AWARDED BEST BLUES/R&B VOCALIST AT THE DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS
2014- THORNETTA WAS FEATURED AS SPECIAL GUEST IN A PBS “AMERICAN MUSIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION” DOCUMENTARY ABOUT BLUES MUSIC HISTORIAN COREY HARRIS.
July 2014 -Thornetta Produced and Performed Her show AT ORCHESTRA HALL for the Concert of Colors w/ The Detroit Symphony Orchestra conducted by Grammy Award winning John McLaughlin Williams.
2013 – “SPIRIT OF DETROIT AWARD” RECIPIENT FOR PLOWSHARES THEATRE PRODUCTION OF “THE DIVA PROJECT”
2013 – PERFORMED IN THE PLOWSHARES PRODUCTION “THE DIVA PROJECT” WHICH PAID TRIBUTE TO LEGENDARY WOMEN SINGERS, PAST AND PRESENT.
2013 – PERFORMED THE USA AND CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM ON INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION FOR THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC
2012- OPENED FOR THE KING OF THE BLUES B.B.KNG AT THE FOX THEATRE DETROIT
2012- INDUCTED INTO THE CANADA SOUTH BLUES HALL OF FAME MUSEUM
2011- PERFORMED IN THE PLOWSHARES THEATRE PRODUCTIONS OF
“JAZZ BIRTH OF THE COOL”
2009 – AWARDED BEST BLUES VOCALIST AT THE “DETROIT BLACK MUSIC AWARDS”
2009- RECIPIENT OF DETROIT BLUES SOCIETY LIVING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
2008 – RELEASED SELF PRODUCED CD “REMEMBER LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY”
2007 – Performed on Bob Seger’s CD “Face the Promise” ALSO PERFORMED WITH BOB SEGER ON “THE VIEW” AND “DAVID LETTERMAN”
2007- PERFORMED BACKGROUND ON Kid Rock’s triple platinum album “Rock and Roll Jesus”
2006 – PERFORMED IN THE LUCERN SWITZERLAND BLUES FEST AS APART OF THE DETROIT BLUES LEGENDS LINEUP.
2006- Appeared with Kid Rock during the Super Bowl week on “Jimmie Kimmel Live”.
2005 – PERFORMED HER FIRST 3 WEEK CONCERT TOUR IN ITALY
2003 – Performed background on Kid Rock his self titled CD “KID ROCK”
2002 – WON DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS FOR “BEST BLUES RECORDING “THORNETTA DAVIS COVERED LIVE @ THE MUSIC MENU”
2001-2002 – Chosen to sing and act in the Michigan State Lottery commercials “BACK PAIR PAYOUT” and “FRONT PAIR PAYOUT”
2001-2002- Thornetta was chosen to SING AND ACT IN the DETROIT PISTONS “GOING TO WORK AD CAMPAIGN
2001- Thornetta’s powerful singing voice has been heard on the hit television show “Xena Warrior Princess”.
2001 Her Cadillac commercial aired for the first time during the Academy Awards
2001 – Thornetta performed on the soundtrack for the film “Osmosis Jones” SONG PRODUCED BY KID ROCK FILM starring Bill Murray.
2001- PRODUCED AND RELEASED 2ND SOLO ALBUM “THORNETTA DAVIS COVERED LIVE @ THE MUSIC MENU” WHICH WON BEST BLUES ALBUM 2001 “DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS”
1999 – WON THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM AT PINE NOB IN THE SARAH MCLACHLAN LILITH FAIR WITH BONNIE RAITT, AND MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
1997- THE SONG “CRY” FROM HER CD “SUNDAY MORNING MUSIC” WAS FEATURED ON THE FIRST SEASON OF HBO HIT SERIES “THE SOPRANOS”
1996 – RELEASED MY FIRST SOLO ALBUM “SUNDAY MORNING MUSIC” ON THE SEATTLE BASED LABEL SUB POP
1995 – RECORDED WITH Sub pop recording artist “alternative rock band “Big Chief” on the album “Mack Avenue Scull Game”
1991 – Thornetta performed background vocals for Bob Seger on his album “The Fire Inside”
1991- RECORDED WITH Little Steven VanZandt OF (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S BAND) WHEN HE produced THE U.S. debut of Nigerian reggae artist Majek Fashek, on THE ALBUM “Spirit of Love”
1992 – OPENED FOR AND PERFORMED WITH BONNIE RAITT AT THE ANN ARBOR BLUES AND JAZZ FESTIVAL
1991- WON THE FIRST OF OVER 25 “DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS” FOR BEST BLUES VOCALIST
1987- BECAME THE LEAD SINGER IN “ THE CHISEL BROTHERS FEATURING THORNETTA DAVIS” BAND
