Annie & The Hedonists

Comprised of Annie Rosen (lead vocals), Jonny Rosen (guitar and vocals), Peter Davis (clarinet, tenor guitar, piano, and vocals) and Don Young (upright bass and vocals), Annie and the Hedonists interpret the songs of the great female blues artists of the 1920s-40s: Bessie Smith, Sippie Wallace, Memphis Minnie, Billie Holiday, Rosetta Tharpe, Blue Lu Barker, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Other styles include western swing, bluesy country, and roots Americana.

Annie Rosen grew up in the culturally rich south side of Milwaukee and was exposed to all kinds of music, including Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Latin and contemporary American. Annie always loved to sing and joined a Serbian dance group as a teen. Coming of age in the 1960s and 70s, she was exposed to the emergence of rock and roll and the folk revival, as well as traditional blues guitar playing and singing. She was recognized as a standout singer and formed a trio that performed jug band, vaudevillian blues, and old-timey music. She played some standup bass and would throw in tunes by Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Today Annie is recognized as a premier interpreter of the great female blues and jazz artists of the 1920s-40s and is adept at multiple musical genres. When asked what inspires her musically she says “It’s all about the raw emotion and rhythm.”

Her musical partnership with husband Jonny Rosen dates back to 1983. They were part of the electric quartet Center Street Blues Band, and performed extensively as a duo throughout Wisconsin. When visiting Jonny’s father, he would play old 78 rpm records spanning Leadbelly and Big Bill Broonzy to Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday, a great source of musical inspiration.

Multi-instrumentalist Peter Davis plays a host of musical styles, is in several bands, and is the project director for the Flurry Festival and for Saratoga Racetrack. He was in the back up band for the Mamas & the Papas in the ‘80s and continues to perform with Jay Ungar & Molly Mason’s band.

Don Young is a wizard on acoustic and electric guitar, upright and electric bass, ukulele, tenor banjo, tenor guitar, mandolin and guit-organ. He has played in bands of Randy Travis, Commander Cody, the Drifters and the Coasters, the Platters.

Annie & the Hedonists have released six albums: Side of the Road (2001), Moonglow in the Midway (2005), Good Old Wagon (2008), Women Be Wise (2012), Tonal Indulgence (2015), and Bring It On Home (2019).

“Oh man, will they take you there and then some, on a rollicking romp through the vault of vintage American Blues, Swing, Jazz, Dixieland, Bebop and more, you will dance, sing, hum, sway, smile, clap your hands and want more.” --Anne Saunders, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

“Annie is a captivating singer. She delivers a lyric like it was a cherished bedtime story; as comfortable as your favorite sweater; as truthful as…well, I can’t think of anything that honest. Her band mates…are first and foremost accomplished, serious musicians. More importantly, they each have an innate yet individual sense of child-like wonder, which is evident on every track, becoming more intoxicating upon multiple listenings.” ---Joel Moss, Producer, Managra Music

“Jazz, blues, country, folk, bluegrass...it's all here. Annie’s versatile, vintage-tinged voice is the perfect match for the Hedonists’ ace musicianship.” --Albany Times Union

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts.

This project is made possible with funds from the Tier Three Project Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of the County Executive and administered by CNY Arts.

  ~ This project is also made possible through the support and generosity of our Folkus members. ~