Sun 4/14 @ 8PM
There are musicians that have a period of prominence, maybe a hit or two, and go on to something else. And then there are the lifers.
Both Janis Ian and Karla Bonoff, who will share the bill tonight at the Kent Stage, enjoyed success as songwriters when they were young — in Ian’s case, VERY young.
Ian was only 13 when she wrote and recorded her incendiary tune “Society’s Child,” although she was 16 by the time it became a huge hit, earning attacks and even death threats for its lyrics about an interracial relationship. Her only other major hit was 1975’s “At Seventeen”; its depiction of what it was like to be unpopular in high school felt universal.
Despite the ups and downs that come with living 62 years, the determined Ian has made a life for herself in music, supported by a loyal base. That even included a spoken word Grammy this year for her audiobook of her autobiography “Society’s Child.”
And in an oblique way, her early hit spoke to Ian’s own life. She came out as a lesbian in the early ’90s and married her partner in 2003.
Karla Bonoff’s success came a tad later. She fell in with a circle of musicians in her native Southern California who went on to major success — and carried with them their recognition of her songwriting gifts. Linda Ronstadt, at the peak of her popularity in the ’70s, recorded many of her tunes.
Bonoff also recorded, though not with as much success, although her albums included guest contributions from people like James Taylor, Glenn Frey, and Jackie DeShannon.
Now 61, she’s continued to tour and write songs, although she’s not terribly prolific. But with a catalogue than contains songs like “Someone to Lay Down beside Me,” “Trouble Again,” and “If He’s Ever Near,” she’s got the material for a great show.
Tickets are $35.50-$45.50.
Kent, OH 44240