Patrice Pike

Soon after she wrote and sang Sister Seven's top 10 Billboard hit "Know What You Mean". Rolling Stone Magazine called her "Tina Turner, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin, and Robert Plant all rolled up into a tiny but explosive package."

She was on the fast track to stardom and then, before it ever fully materialized, it evaporated. The band lost its label affiliation in the much publicized Arista shakeup that culminated in the firing of music industry legend Clive Davis.

They disbanded in 2000. Even as the band was flaming out, Pike was already in the process of being re-energized as a songwriter and performer.

Her solo material has taken an increasingly narrative turn, while her sound has moved steadily in the direction of R&B. Over the past decade she has independently released five acclaimed solo records, showcasing her socially astute, literate lyrics alongside her powerful vocals.

She has toured relentlessly, both in the U.S. and overseas, building an impressive grassroots fan base. In 2007 she became the youngest member of the Austin/Texas Music Hall of Fame, inducted alongside Lucinda Williams.

The resilient Pike has been able to adapt repeatedly to a rapidly changing music landscape that bears no resemblance to the one she entered in her teens. She continues to grow and evolve as both a songwriter and a performer, as evidenced by her well received new CD "Live and Then Some! Brushwood Lounge Volume 2 ·

She is currently producing arguably the finest work of her career even as she confronts the uncertainty of an industry in steep decline. In retrospect, Pike is filled with gratitude for the challenges that have refined her values, strengthened her humanity, and shaped her way of being in the world.

Long a respected social and environmental activist, she is the co-founder and executive director of the Grace Foundation of Texas, an organization that provides services for young adult survivors of homelessness.

An accomplished snowboarder and avid runner and surfer, she continues to travel the globe extensively. She has a disciplined meditation practice, and is currently working towards her Yoga teaching certification. In short, she leads a rich, full, varied, exciting, rewarding life that looks absolutely nothing like what she was aiming for when she embarked on her journey in music. If you listen, you can hear each of these strands in her lyrics and in that arresting voice.

Twenty years in, she's much more than one of the most dynamic live performers in the world, she's an artist of substance with a compelling life story that is only beginning to unfold. Whatever the next chapter may bring, Pike will no doubt do what she has always strived to do?respond with integrity and grace