Dana Fuchs is an American singer and performer from New Jersey, United States, born in 1976. She works in blues rock, classic rock, rock and roll and soul, and is associated with The Dana Fuchs Band.

Career

Fuchs moves to New York at 19 after leaving rural Florida, and builds a reputation on the city’s live circuit. She becomes known for a powerful stage presence and for performing with the Dana Fuchs Band in clubs and theatres around New York.

Her early work includes the 2003 debut album Lonely For A Lifetime by the Dana Fuchs Band, which contains songs such as “Tell Me I’m Not Drinking” and “Sad Salvation”. She later records the studio album Love To Beg in 2011 and Bliss Avenue in 2013, with songs including “Set It On Fire”, “Summersong”, “Livin’ On Sunday”, “Handful Too Many”, “So Hard To Move” and “Vagabond Wind”.

Stage and screen work

Fuchs plays Sadie in Julie Taymor’s Beatles film Across the Universe. She also appears in the off-Broadway musical Love, Janis, in which she performs as Janis Joplin.

Live recordings and band members

Songs From The Road appears in 2014 on Ruf Records as a live release by Dana Fuchs and The Dana Fuchs Band. It is recorded at New York’s Highline Ballroom and includes an audio CD and a DVD directed by Kevin Mackall. The band on the recording includes Jon Diamond on guitar and backing vocals, Matt Beck on guitars, Jack Daley on bass, Pete Levin on keyboards, Joe Daley on drums, and the backing vocalists Elaine Caswell, Nicki Richards and Bette Sussman, who are billed as the Screaming Sirirs.

The release also includes a cover of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and a closing version of “Don’t Let Me Down”.

Reputation

Fuchs is widely associated with a raw, soulful singing style and with a live approach that centres on intensity and direct connection with the audience.