Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster

One black, one white. One from Texas, one from Mississippi. One woman, one man. Both raised in the church, both steeped in the traditions of American music and both putting their own contemporary twist on it – blending blues, rock, gospel, folk, R&B and country music. Most importantly, both have a whole lotta soul! Grammy-nominated Ruthie Foster was named the Blues Music Awards’ Female Artist of the Year in 2011 and her new album, Let It Burn (out January 2012), features The Blind Boys of Alabama; Paul Thorn’s Pimps and Preachers was no. 1 on the Americana radio charts. But their powerful live shows are what have really established this dynamic duo as two of America’s freshest and finest performers.