ROCK LEGEND NEWS AUGUST 2019 | REALITY CHECK TV COLLABORATIONS | KILLER VOCALISTS
com) and “one of the most talented songwriters around” (MyTexasMusic.com); noted Grammy-winning producer and musician Barry Beckett, member of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio rhythm section heard on scores of legendary hit recordings, observed how “Kevin sings from the soul and his songs speak the truth” while working on the GATHERING DUST sessions in Nashville. By a chance meeting, an instant friendship was formed with legendary photographer Carl Dunn, (www. thisisrockandroll.com), who graciously offered up his services and contributed portrait photos of Higgins and Malteze for the GATHERING DUST CD. Carl is known for his breathtaking photos of Led Zepplin, Janis Joplin, Robin Trower, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Ritchie Blackmore, Aerosmith and most every rock icon of that era. Born in Rochester, New York, Barbara Malteze attended Berklee College of Music for a couple of semesters to pursue a career in Music Ed. After quitting college to chase an offer to record in Los Angeles, Malteze ended up writing and recording the critically-acclaimed COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS album and fronting her own self-titled heavy-metal band. Back when Cashbox was the voice of the music industry, they wrote, “ Barbara does know how to pump out ripping vocals.” Malteze still enjoys an international cult following today, as evidenced by interviews in Metal Maidens Magazine (Netherlands), a worldwide vinyl LP release of COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS by Femetal Records, and a recent interview with Heavy Magazine (Germany). After meeting Kevin Higgins in Los Angeles circa 1994, the couple decided to move to Austin and see what opportunities they could generate. Malteze, (compared stylistically to the late, great Texan Janis Joplin), continues to make waves in Texas. In 2005, she was invited to perform the headlining tribute at the “18th Annual Janis Joplin Birthday Bash” at the Port Arthur Civic Center; and for two years in a row at the 2006 & 2007 Texas Music Awards, Malteze accepted the honor of “Female Vocalist of the Year.” After years of performing in honky tonks, roadhouses and festivals around Texas, Higgins was encouraged by his bandmates to step out from behind the Cosmic Dust Devils and release a solo CD. What materialized in February 2010 was FIND YOUR SHINE on Little Train Records, funded solely by investors from Higgins’ fan base and recorded in seven days at East Austin’s premiere analog studio under the guidance of producer Stephen Doster (Nanci Griffith, James Honeyman-Scott). FIND YOUR SHINE has been receiving international critical acclaim; it charted on the Americana Chart and Higgins collected the honor of “Song of the Year” for the title track at the 2010 Texas Music Awards. “We believe you can obtain any goal you set for yourself if you work hard enough and long enough following your passion. That’s the real definition of the ‘American Dream’. And it’s still alive in this country,” says Malteze. The Cosmic Dust Devils are intent on further pursuing their vision of the American Dream with spirited determination as they continue to perform all over Texas. AWARDS/NOTABLES: 2010 Texas Music Awards: Song of the Year (“Find Your Shine”) Kevin Higgins’ solo CD 2009 SongwriterUniverse “Best Song of the Month” April 09: (“Amazing Sense of Calm”) by Kevin Higgins