Billie Jean King

As one of the 20th century's most respected women, Billie Jean King has long been a champion for social change and equality. King created new inroads for women in and out of sports during her legendary career and she continues to make her mark today. King, one of the most illustrious and celebrated tennis players in history, is recognized for spearheading the women's movement in tennis and for her life-long struggle for equality in women's tennis. King empowered women and educated men when she defeated Bobby Riggs in one of the greatest moments in sports history—the Battle of the Sexes in 1973.

In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century." In 1994, she ranked No. 5 on Sports Illustrated's "Top 40 Athletes" list for significantly altering or elevating sports the last four decades. King, who resides in New York and Chicago, has been heralded as an ardent defender of equal rights for all humankind. She founded the Women's Sports Foundation in 1974 to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity and, in 1987, she established WTT Charities, Inc. to promote health, fitness, education, and social change.

In 1998, King became the first athlete to receive the prestigious Elizabeth Blackwell Award, which is given by Hobart and William Smith College to a woman whose life exemplifies outstanding service to humanity. In February 1999 King won the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for her fight to bring equality to women's sports.

Off the court, King remains active in a number of important causes. She serves as a director on several boards including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Women's Sports Foundation. Although her place in tennis has certainly been secured as one of the all-time greats, King remains active in the sport she loves. King, who has coached Olympic and Fed Cup teams, led the U.S. squad to four Olympic medals and the 1976, 1996, 1999 and 2000 Fed Cup titles. In 2003 she received two of the tennis world's highest honors. King was awarded the prestigious Philippe Chatrier Award, the International Tennis Federation's highest honor, recognizing individuals for their contribution to tennis and was one of six inaugural inductees into the Court of Champions at the USTA National Tennis Center.

But, King's biggest honor in tennis came on August 28, 2006, the National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in honor of King's contributions to tennis, sports and society both on and off the court. Less than two months later, on October 17, 2006, King was honored once again when the National Sports Museum and the Women's Sports Foundation announced that the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center, the first hall of fame dedicated to women's sports, will be housed at the National Sports Museum when it opens in New York City in 2008.

On the court, King left a lasting and indelible mark. She won a record 20 Wimbledon titles with six of them in singles (1966-67-68-72-73-75), won the U.S. Open four times (1967-71-72-74), the French Open in 1972 and the Australian Open in 1968. She was ranked No. 1 in the world five times between 1966 and 1972 and was in the Top 10 a total of 17 years (beginning in 1960).

King is the only woman to win U.S. Open singles titles on all 4 surfaces on which it has been played (grass, clay, carpet, and hard.) She's also one of only eight women to hold a singles title in each of the Grand Slam events. King has had a long and impressive career of firsts. In 1970, King was one of nine players who broke away from the tennis establishment and accepted $1 contracts from tennis promoter Gladys Heldman in Houston. The revolt lead to the formation of the Virginia Slims Tour and Women's Tennis Association. In 1971, she was the first woman athlete to win more than $100,000 in any sport. In 1974, she became the first woman to coach a professional team with men when she served as player/coach for the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis. She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the National Women's Hall of Fame. She is the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation.

Vickie Shaw

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Vickie Shaw returns to Olivia with her slow paced (she's southern), incredibly endearing, (she's southern), sharp, don't mess with her (she's southern!), comedy. Vickie doesn't have to go far from home for material - as a recovering SoB (Southern Baptist) and out lesbian mother, she's successfully raised two sons (one of whom is married and just gave her a "perfect baby granddaughter"), has a teenage daughter still living at home, and a "husbian" in Sgt. Patch. Yeah there's enough material there to fill a few hours. Vickie has performed in almost every State in the US, and had headlined in too many venues to list here but trust us, this girl's been around.

Suede

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"A great voice, even better enthusiasm and an almost giddy delight at entertaining audiences that, if bottled, would make every anti-depressant on the market obsolete."

- Steppin' Out Arts, NYC

"A spectacular evening of song and style!"

- New York Times

"Thank you for the most incredible night of my life in an audience.
You are to DIE for!"

- Bea Arthur

Pop/Jazz/Blues phenom Suede plays piano, guitar and trumpet but voice is her first instrument and entertaining is her first love, clearly. Imagine a cross between Ella Fitzgerald and Bette Midler, add a dash of Louis Armstrong, and you might get some idea of Suede's unique musical talents and abilities. She is a consummate entertainer and song stylist among the likes of Tony Bennett and co—the classic singer's singer. One part rat pack and one part Rosie Clooney, Suede is the swinginest singer in town! Think sophisticated pop/jazz, think naughty blues with a sizzling trumpet, think love songs that will make you swoon, think funny, think wow—what a voice!

Suede's recording of Roxanna Ward and Lynn DeFino's "Remember Who You Are" is on HRC's compilation CD "Being Out Rocks" and was featured on "The Young and The Restless." She can be heard regularly on NPR radio and her latest DVD release, "Suede, Live at Scullers Jazz Club" is currently being aired on PBS stations nationwide. She is a featured artist on MacAddict magazine's CD-ROM to 250,000 subscribers. Her recording of "Emily Remembers" from her CD, "On the Day We Met", was named the number one song of the year on WJZW radio in Washington, DC and has garnered national radio airplay.

Touring nationally and internationally with her New York based trio she fills all the best venues—The Kennedy Center to LA's Ford Amphitheatre; San Francisco's Plush Room to New York's Town Hall; Scottsdale's Center for the Arts to Cincinnati's Aronoff Center for the Arts; Denver's Mercury Cafe to St. Louis' Sheldon Hall and much more. She is a proud Olivia artist veteran and has played well over 30 trips at the time of this writing.

René Hicks

 

CPA-turned-comedian, René Hicks has performed her intelligent and universally appealing humor in countless clubs across the United States and internationally. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including her own half-hour special, "Comedy Central Presents...René Hicks." She has also appeared on "The World Comedy Tour" and "Premium Blend," ABC's "Politically Incorrect," Showtime's "Full Frontal Comedy" and NBC's "Comedy Showcase" with Louie Anderson. She has also guest starred on ABC's "Hangin" with Mr. Cooper" and appeared in "Low Down Dirty Shame" with Keenan Ivory Wayans.

René is also enormously popular on the college campus circuit, having performed at over 600 colleges and universities throughout the United States. She is a two-time recipient of the coveted National College Comedian of the Year Award and is the first African-American woman ever nominated for an American Comedy Award for "Best Female Stand-Up."

Wherever René's exploding career takes her, she will always feel at home on a stage, with a mike and a stool. "I think stand-up is the only art form where you're really intimate with the audience; you get directly into somebody's psyche. You know nothing about them, may have nothing in common with them but still touch them." René truly loves comedy. It brings people together, and that's the real magic René's unique brand of comedy brings to the stage.

Sweet Baby J'ai

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Few entertainers can command a stage like the indefatigable, Sweet Baby J'ai. She is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer, arranger and actress who has toured the world with her distinctive sound. Although J'ai is known for her energetic stage presence and powerful vocals, some critics describe her as a "jazz singer", others as a "blues singer" but all agree that this versatile singer-songwriter is a "storyteller". She can't be contained by one genre of music. She has performed in many styles, from soul, folk, jazz, blues, pop, spoken word, and occasionally even the diva singer fronting the orchestra. She tackles diverse social issues, lost and found love and pays tribute to those who have inspired her and the art form. Talented both as a vocalist and musician, she takes unconventional instruments, the washboard and spoons, and claims them as her own special sound. As one critic pointed out, "This ain't no backyard hoe down...she will have you swooning before the concert is over." Sweet Baby J'ai is an artist that transcends jazz and broadens its audience to the masses, making America's greatest original art form accessible to all music lovers.

She has been heard on radio and television both nationally and internationally. She has performed extensively in the U.S., Europe and Asia and has been featured at numerous concert halls, festivals, clubs and benefits. She has won awards and been recognized as "Best Entertainer", "Pick of the Week" and "Pick of the Month", many times. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as, Melissa Etheridge, Herbie Hancock, Etta James, Jill Scott, Joe Sample, Tom Waits, Koko Taylor, Patrice Rushen, Sheila E., and the late Nel Carter and Eddie Harris to name a few. If you don't yet know her, let me advise you that those who come across her path fall instantly in love with her deep, powerful, sometimes playful and sensuous voice. She is provocative and impassioned, combining her infectious personality and original style with the influences of Carmen McRae, Joe Williams, and Bonnie Raitt.

Watch Out...for Sweet Baby J'ai.

"...wonderfully original." - New Times
"...extraordinary....a stunning performer." - Jazz Now
"...show-stopper....a sensational performer." - Durango Herald
"...echoes the great talent of Billie Holiday and Etta James." - LN
"...swinging....powerful....and haunting." - Los Angeles Times

Poppy Champlin

If one were to cross the sweet grooving persona of Ellen Degeneres with Denis Leary's raunchy sarcasm, the result would be Poppy Champlin. Poppy erupts onto the stage without fanfare, but with enough energy to take down the house in her first minute of comedy. Rapid fire jokes interspersed with comedic songs keep her audiences laughing and coming back.

Her stand-up pedigree is flawless; from VH-1, to A&E, Oprah Winfrey and Joan Rivers to her newest gig on Olivia cruises she has earned a reputation of being one of the fastest witted female comediennes on either coast.

Graduating from The University of Rhode Island with a BFA in theatre, Poppy set out for Chicago where she attended the famed Second City Comedy Troupe. She refined her chops in Chicago opening for such comics as Ray Ramano, Denis Leary, Bill Maher, Bill Hicks and Rosie O'Donnell.

When Poppy hit tinsel town, she continued to study acting at the Larry Moss studios and has since put up her critically acclaimed One Woman Show, "A Chocolate Sandwich."

She was a staff writer on FOX's Show Me The Funny.

Poppy currently can be seen hosting her own popular comedy show; "Cocktails and Comedy" at the infamous GirlBar in West Hollywood.

Ever increasing her visibility, she is a regular performer in Provincetown, at the Dinah Shore Weekend, and is scheduled to perform in the closing ceremonies of the Gay Games in Chicago, 2006.

Poppy tackles tough subjects with ease. In this comedienne's hands we can laugh at life's most formidable perils... and laughter that ravages fear is the best kind of all.

Julie Wolf

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Julie Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist and singer who, besides making music of her own, has established herself as a sensitive, eclectic, collaborative, first-call side player. She has toured and recorded with luminaries in the jazz, folk, funk and rock/pop worlds, including Ani DiFranco (4 1/2 years as DiFranco's keyboardist), Maceo Parker, Bruce Cockburn, Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, Kris Delmhorst, Laura Love, Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb, and jazz singer Rhiannon, among others. She's brought her memorably simple, pure musicality to stages across the world, as well as to a growing number of critically acclaimed recordings.

Preceding the globe trotting touring and recording that has kept her busy for the last decade, Wolf had a seasoned jazz life, having been part of Seattle's jazz community for many years.