“When it comes to barn-burning vocalists from Austin, Texas, they don’t come any hotter than Leeann Atherton.”
— Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle
Leeann Atherton is a soul, blues, gospel and Americana singer-songwriter who has made Austin, Texas her musical home for more than thirty years. 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 and Southern to the bone.
Her first independent album, Only Glory, grew out of sessions at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio with guitarist and producer Rich Brotherton, the start of a long creative partnership that went on to produce Lady Liberty (1998), which reached #1 on local and independent Americana charts, and Heart Traveled Road (2009). Fallen Angel swings from the joyful “Smack Dab in a Miracle” to the defiant “Cleaning House.” From 1995 to 2026 her recordings have moved through country, soul, blues, jazz standards with the late Slim Richey, and gospel, singing as a vocalist, harmonica player, songwriter and bandleader.
Her 2026 gospel album Good God, produced by TJ Moss and Johnny Vernazza, reached #2 on the Roots Music Report Top 50 Texas Album Chart, #3 on the Roots Rock chart and #4 on the Rock chart, and was reviewed in the United States and Europe. In September 2026 the City of Austin proclaimed Leeann Atherton Day, recognized at Austin City Hall on September 24.
Leeann is a fixture of Austin’s live music community. She hosts the monthly Full Moon Barn Dance, an evening of live music, potluck food and dancing under the full moon, and plays Hippie Church at the Moontower Saloon and the Continental Club. She also performs regularly in Southern California, and has carried Texas blues and gospel to seven countries, including the 2025 Pueblos Blancos Music Festival in Andalucía, Spain, where she appeared on the cover of the festival programme.
Highlights
Honors
- Leeann Atherton Day: proclamation by the City of Austin, Texas, September 24, 2026
- Good God (2026): #2 Roots Music Report Top 50 Texas Album Chart; #3 Top 50 Roots Rock; #4 Top 50 Rock
- Lady Liberty (1998): #1 on local and independent charts (Austin Chronicle, No Depression)
Recordings
- Good God (2026) · Fallen Angel (2020) · Heart Traveled Road (2009) · Gypzee Heart with Zhenya Rock (2007) · Every Day Dream (2007) · Mama’s House (2006) · Limited Edition with Slim Richey (2004) · Lady Liberty (1998) · Only Glory (1995)
- Singles: “God Is In the Water” (2025), “The Flag” / “Fast Cars & Amphetamines” (2025), “You Are Not Alone” / “The Key” (2023)
Full discography with listening samples and live video.
Press
- Making a Scene, Issue 562 (July 2026): cover story, “A Journey Through Country, Gospel & Blues”
- American Highways, Bill Bentley (May 2026): “Her voice can travel from soft to supercharged… she was heaven-sent to sing the songs of redemption.”
- Americana Highways, John Apice (May 2026): “High-octane vocals with a rock n’ roll spiritual muscle akin to Elvis.”
- Buscadero (Italy), Giorgio Burreddu (June 2026): “Strong echoes of Janis Joplin, Marcia Ball, Aretha Franklin, and above all the grit of Bonnie Raitt.”
- BluesNews (Switzerland), Marco Piazzalonga: “A healthy dose of positivism and hope… Atherton is spot on.”
- Blue Monday Monthly, Kyle Christen: “The Low Down” feature review
- Austin Chronicle, Margaret Moser: “They don’t come any hotter than Leeann Atherton.”
Selected stages
- Austin: Antone’s Blues Club, Continental Club, Austin City Hall, Moontower Saloon, the Full Moon Barn Dance (host)
- Texas: Texas Women Songwriters Festival (Lockhart), Tammi Fest (Martindale) with the Jones Family Singers
- California: Humphreys Backstage Live (San Diego), Encinitas American Legion
- International: Pueblos Blancos Music Festival, Montejaque, Spain (2025); seven countries in all