Bettye LaVette moved from Muskegon to Detroit when she was six, and she's one of the Motor City's unsung musical treasures. She's been compared with Aretha Franklin, but she says her inspiration came mostly from the blues and R&B rather than from gospel. Her early records like "You're a Man of Words–I'm a Woman of Action," are soul classics that are just now being rediscovered. In recent years Bettye has been better than ever, winning the W.C. Handy Comeback Album of the Year award for her emotionally torrid "A Woman Like Me," and she has become a major creative force in her seventh decade, reinterpreting music from various genres in the style of classic soul. Bettye's current release is "Thankful N' Thoughtful," s a selection of contemporary tracks written and previously recorded by Bob Dylan, The Black Keys, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Patty Griffin, Gnarls Barkley and others. Check out this jewel in Detroit's musical crown! Bettye's music director is former Ann Arborite Alan Hill, and this has been a very hot Ark ticket over the last few years.