Acclaimed country/folk artist Luanne Hunt joins Steve Waddington show

By Martial Haprov
Weeklies Editor

More world-class entertainment is slated to grace a Victor Valley stage with the appearance of an award-winning singer/songwriter next month.

Country/folk artist Luanne Hunt of Hesperia is scheduled to make a rare live appearance at 6:45 p.m. April 8 at the Hi-Desert Center for Spiritual Living in Apple Valley. Hunt will open Steve Waddington’s Retro-Rockin’ All-Stars show, which also will feature Susan Ritter.

Hunt will sing several of her chart-topping singles, including “Solace in the Wind” and “Bluer Than the Bluegrass.” Hunt recently topped charts with her single, “Christmas Without You,” which was named by Sweden’s largest daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, one of the top 25 Christmas songs of all time. “Christmas Without You” also landed on two “Best of 2015 Female Country Holiday Songs” lists in major online U.S. publications, including Truckers News.

“Being on these lists with so many A-listers felt like a real accomplishment,” Hunt said. “It’s a huge challenge to find success in the ‘big leagues’ as an indie artist, so these honors were quite a validation for all the work I’ve put into my craft.”

The studio musicians who work on her records have backed everyone from the Righteous Brothers to Kenny Loggins. Hunt says she’s worked hard at making quality music for 20 years. Those efforts paid off big in 2007 when her CD, “Breaking Through,” produced two hit singles on U.S. and European Charts.

“Solace in The Wind” reached No. 1 on the European Country Music Association’s chart (Belgium) in July 2010. It also peaked at No. 37 on the Indie World Country Chart, the largest and oldest independent music chart in the genre. The song later landed on the 2009 Grammy ballot in two categories: Best Country Song and Best Female Country Performance.

Hunt has also found success and glowing reviews for “Bluer Than the Bluegrass,” another chart-topper. Brett David Stewart, of Independent Music Spotlight, puts Hunt at the top of a long list of indie artists in 2016.

“ ‘Bluer Than the Bluegrass’ is superb in more ways than one,” Stewart said, “showcasing that Luanne Hunt is not only one of the best singer/songwriters in the indie scene right now, she may be one of the most compelling artists in the entirety of it.”

After her performance at April 8 show, Hunt plans to return to New Wine Studio in Apple Valley and finish her 13th album, for which she’s already completed a track that had to be dusted off.

“I've been in the studio the last month working on a song in my catalog that was written 20 years ago by my husband,” Hunt said. She’s been married to Daily Press Editor Steve Hunt for more than 30 years. “We've talked about recording it over the years but never got around to it. I gave it to my piano player and asked him to create something. And oh boy, did he ever knock this one out of the ballpark.”

She hopes to release the new album next month.

Hi-Desert Center for Spiritual Living is at 18575 Corwin Road in Apple Valley. Tickets to the concert are $35 per person and all in attendance will receive a free copy of Hunt’s CD, “How Christmas Feels to Me.” To reserve, visit https://www.ticketriver.com/event/19137 or call 760-684-9622 or 760-242-2302.

Martial Haprov may be reached at 760-951-6236 or mhaprov@vvdailypress.com.