Rosie Flores

Rosie Flores (born Rosalie Flores; September 10, 1950)

Biography Rosie Flores was born in San Antonio, Texas, United States,

Flores formed her first band, Penelope's Children, while still in high school in California. In the 1970s, Flores played the San Diego nightclub circuit and was the namesake of the alt country/cowpunk band Rosie and the Screamers.

In 1983, after the Screamers disbanded, she joined a cowpunk all-female band called Screamin' Sirens. The latter band produced a series of 7-inch singles and tracks for compilation albums before releasing an album in 1984, Fiesta, produced by Brian Ahern, Michael Reid and Greg Humphries.

Flores's debut album Rosie Flores came out on Warner Bros./Reprise in 1987. Since then, Flores has recorded 13 additional solo albums.

Flores has toured widely, appearing in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. and also performing frequently in Austin, continuing into 2024. In 1995, she organized a tour with Wanda Jackson on a coast-to-coast North American tour, and she toured for eight months as a member of Asleep at the Wheel in 1997. She has also traveled with a concert tribute she created to honor Janis Martin, who she cites as a major influence early on in her career. She also performed the tribute concert's program at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, where, in 2012, she was also part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's tribute to Chuck Berry. Her media appearances include Austin City Limits and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and she had a cameo role in the 1993 film The Thing Called Love featuring River Phoenix and Sandra Bullock.

In addition to her work as a performer and songwriter, Flores has helped to revive the careers of female rockabilly musicians from previous generations and to create new interest in their music. Her album Rockabilly Filly, released on Hightone Records in 1995, included vocals from early rock and roll musicians Janis Martin and Wanda Jackson. In 2007, Flores brought Janis Martin to a recording studio in Blanco, Texas, to procuce with Bobby Trimble a record that would be both Martin's first solo album in thirty years as well as her last before her death of cancer. After the project was turned down by a number of record labels, Flores raised more than $16,000 on Kickstarter to release the album, which was titled Janis Martin: The Blanco Sessions. Flores is credited as a producer.

Flores's current (as of 2013–2018) guitar of choice is her James Trussart SteelTopCaster. She uses Fender amplifiers, and has also played Fender Telecasters, Gretsch electrics, Gibson Les Pauls, and various acoustic guitars.

In 2019, Flores released her album, Simple Case of the Blues in the UK.

Musical style

According to AllMusic, Flores's "talent for alternative country and rockabilly made her a favorite with both audiences and critics." Nashville Scene defined Flores as a "New Wave country-rocker". San Diego Tribune described Flores as a "dynamo of rockabilly and cow-punk" who is "equally gifted as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and band leader [and] shines whether performing country, rock, swing or any of the other earthy American styles she has made her own."

Personal life Flores has revealed that, under pressure from her manager, she had an abortion in 1986, shortly after signing with Warner Bros. She later regretted the decision. She has never been married, and has said that her lifestyle, which involves frequent touring, makes it difficult to maintain long-term relationships.

Discography

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result 1986 Academy of Country Music Top New Female Vocalist Herself 2007 Peabody Awards N/A Whole Lotta Shakin' 2014 Ameripolitan Music Awards Honky Tonk Female Herself 2014 Ameripolitan Music Awards Rockabilly Female Herself 2024 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow Lifetime career