Soul, Blues, Gospel & Americana · Austin, Texas
Sun, Aug 2 · 3:00 – 6:00 PM
Encinitas American Legion · Encinitas, CA
Leeann and Austin Atherton on stage together with Jimmy Woodard on guitar. Sunday afternoon gospel, soul and blues by the coast — then Texas and California dates all summer and fall.
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Country Gospel · Blues · Soul
#26 Roots Music ReportTop 50 Roots Rock Album Chart · week of July 18, 2026A celebration of faith, community, and the transformative power of song. New original tracks blending traditional gospel with Texas blues and Southern soul.
Encinitas, CA · with Jimmy Woodard
Sun · 3:00–6:00 PM. Happy Church with Leeann & Austin Atherton and Jimmy Woodard on guitar.
210 W F St, Encinitas, CA 92024
Austin, TX
Sat · Austin, TX. Venue and time to be announced — check back soon.
Austin, TX
Sun · 1:00–3:30 PM. Hippie Church at the Moontower Saloon.
10212 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78748
Austin, TX
Sun · 6:00–10:00 PM. Hot As Hell Barn Dance with Jennifer Foster, Beth Lee, Jennifer Cook, and Shayna Sands.
San Antonio, TX
Sun. House concert at Celebration Circle, San Antonio.
Encinitas, CA
Sun · 3:00–6:00 PM. Leeann at the Encinitas American Legion with Jimmy Woodard.
210 W F St, Encinitas, CA 92024
Encinitas, CA
Sun · 3:00–6:00 PM. Post by the Coast at the Encinitas American Legion.
210 W F St, Encinitas, CA 92024
Lockhart, TX
Fri evening. Leeann at the Texas Women Songwriters Festival in Lockhart, TX.
Austin, TX
Sun · 1:00–3:30 PM. Hippie Church at the Moontower Saloon.
10212 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78748
Austin, TX
Thu. The City of Austin proclaims “Leeann Atherton Day” — a special honor recognizing decades of music and community in Austin, Texas.
Encinitas, CA
Encinitas, CA
Austin, TX
Sun · 1:00–3:30 PM. Hippie Church at the Moontower Saloon.
10212 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78748
Austin, TX
Thu · 7:00 PM. Planet Casper at the Continental Club with Casper Rawls.
Every month during the full moon, Leeann hosts an evening of live music, good food, and real community under the stars in Austin, Texas.
Her sound carries the grit of the blues, the warmth of gospel, and the storytelling heart of country music, delivered with the kind of honesty that cannot be faked. For Atherton, gospel is not a departure from blues or country; it is part of the same deep well of Southern music, where testimony and rhythm walk hand in hand.
Making a Scene · cover story · July 27, 2026
Leeann Atherton, GOOD GOD. Roll back all the music since the Earth welcomed humans walking upright all those centuries ago, and there’s a good chance that gospel exhortations would be among the earliest. As soon as voices rose high, it was thankfulness that cracked open the spirit. Now, all these years later, singer Leeann Atherton is right there in the current numbers leading the holy parade, singing about the goodness that can be found all around. This Austin woman has covered the waterfront in her musical travels, from blues to country to rock to soul and back. And now that she’s landed in hand of the Lord, it feels like she’s found her home. Atherton never goes overboard, but always fills songs like “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” “Call on the Lord,” “I’ll Fly Away” and all the other glorious chestnuts on GOOD GOD sound heaven sung. Her voice can travel from soft to supercharged, and most important of all, actually feels like she was heaven-sent to sing the songs of redemption. And, fortunately, Atherton has a round-up of players who seem like they were delivered straight from her heart. Gospel music has to come from that holy place living inside, and that’s exactly what GOOD GOD delivers. Half-way through the album, “I’m Looking for a Miracle” seems to take over the world from this woman’s voice and the true effect of gospel music lights up the room with a endless aura. We’re all looking for a miracle of one form or another, and that is often in the sheer ability to live another day. Once that’s accomplished everything feels alright. Leeann Atherton knows. Say amen somebody.
Bill Bentley · Bentley’s Bandstand, American Highways · May 1, 2026
3 originals, mixed with classic pop, roots, gospel, Americana & soul. High-octane vocals with a rock n’ roll spiritual muscle akin to Elvis. Her voice has all the convincing energy. Taking church songs & liberally blending them with a stylistic banquet of soulful sound that’s irresistible. If you’re in a church pew, you’ll be standing & clapping. Elvis probably would have enjoyed singing with the Austin-based Leeann.
John Apice · Americana Highways · May 26, 2026
She knows how to do blues, and one can hear strong echoes of Janis Joplin, Marcia Ball, Aretha Franklin, and above all the grit of Bonnie Raitt. Leeann’s vocal play is beautiful: it rises and falls a little, surfing through high notes and an immense joy for life. Good God is a rainbow-colored journey of hope, with various shades. The vocal performance passes with flying colors, the real highlight here is the harmonica (Leeann on harmonica).
Giorgio Burreddu · Buscadero · June 2026
Without seeming artificial in the slightest, Leeann Atherton exudes a healthy dose of positivism and hope on this album, which we can definitely use in this day and age. With role models like Mavis Staples and Sam Cooke, Atherton, who also has considerable vocal qualities, is spot on.
Marco Piazzalonga · BluesNews Switzerland
New original tracks blending traditional gospel with Texas blues and Southern soul.
Fotobluesrockandmore.blog
"When it comes to barn-burning vocalists from Austin, Texas, they don't come any hotter than Leeann Atherton."
Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle
"Diving deep into her Southern roots, Leeann Atherton brings her soulful flair to gospel hymns and songs of hope and positivity on her powerful new album, Good God."
Fotos Blues Rock & More (Netherlands)
Leeann Atherton is a soul, blues, gospel and Americana singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. She cut her teeth in Charleston dance bands, paid for college with her voice, and ran through Nashville honky-tonks before Austin pulled her in for good. At Antone's Blues Club she found her sound. Raw. Honest. Southern to the bone.
Eleven albums deep — including sessions at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio with producer Rich Brotherton. Lady Liberty topped indie Americana charts. Fallen Angel swings from the joyful "Smack Dab in a Miracle" to the defiant "Cleaning House." Her 2026 gospel album Good God debuted at #26 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Roots Rock Album Chart. She performs live country and gospel shows regularly in Austin TX and across Southern California — San Diego, Encinitas, and Carlsbad.
Leeann Atherton is a soul, blues, gospel and Americana singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. She has released 11 studio albums over a career of more than 30 years, including sessions at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio with producer Rich Brotherton. She found her sound at Austin's Antone's Blues Club and hosts the monthly Full Moon Barn Dance.
Soul, blues, gospel and Americana, with roots in country and Texas blues. Critics have compared her voice to Janis Joplin, Marcia Ball, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt. Her 2026 album Good God blends traditional gospel with Texas blues and Southern soul.
Leeann performs regularly in Austin at the Moontower Saloon (Hippie Church on Sunday afternoons, 10212 Menchaca Rd), the Continental Club, and at her own monthly Full Moon Barn Dance. The full schedule is in Upcoming Shows.
Leeann plays regular Sunday afternoon shows at the Encinitas American Legion Post 416, 210 W F St, Encinitas, CA 92024, typically 3:00–6:00 PM. She also performs around San Diego and Carlsbad. Her next Encinitas date is Happy Church on Sunday, August 2 from 3:00–6:00 PM with Austin Atherton and Jimmy Woodard.
Good God debuted at #26 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Roots Rock Album Chart for the week of July 18, 2026 — view the chart. The album has also been reviewed by American Highways, Americana Highways, Buscadero, BluesNews Switzerland and Blue Monday Monthly.
A monthly evening of live music, potluck food and community that Leeann hosts in Austin, Texas on the full moon. Bring a potluck dish and dancing shoes. Details at fullmoonbarndance.com.
Leeann books concerts, festivals, churches, weddings, house concerts, fundraisers, corporate and private events. Use the booking form or email leeann@leeannatherton.com.
Good God is available on CD and vinyl, and as a digital download for $20 (or $1.99 per song) in the Listen & Buy section. It also streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and YouTube.
Critics compare Leeann's voice to Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Marcia Ball, Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples — a voice one reviewer described as traveling “from soft to supercharged.” Her sound blends soul, blues, gospel and Americana with Texas grit.
Yes. In 2026 Leeann plays regular Sunday shows at the Encinitas American Legion in California, Austin barn dances and Hippie Church, a San Antonio house concert, the Texas Women Songwriters Festival in Lockhart, and Planet Casper at the Continental Club in November. See Upcoming Shows for current dates.
Hippie Church is a Sunday-afternoon mix of live gospel, soul and blues — part concert, part gathering — that Leeann leads at the Moontower Saloon (10212 Menchaca Rd, Austin). She hosts a similar afternoon called “Happy Church” at the Encinitas American Legion in California.
Yes. Leeann performs at weddings, memorial services, church services, private parties and corporate events, as well as concerts and festivals. To inquire, email leeann@leeannatherton.com or use the booking form.
Leeann's music, including the 2026 album Good God, streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and YouTube. Find every link in the Listen & Buy section.
Good God is Leeann's 2026 gospel album — 13 tracks blending traditional gospel with Texas blues and Southern soul, including three originals (“Joy,” “Call On the Lord” and “Smack Dab In a Miracle”). It debuted at #26 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Roots Rock Album Chart and was produced by TJ Moss and Johnny Vernazza.
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