IF YOU GOWhat: Lalah Hathaway in Chattanooga Soul Concert SeriesWhen: 8-11 p.m. Saturday.Where: The Mill, 1601 Gulf St.Admission: $25 in advance, $30 day of show; $50 VIPPhone: 634-0331Website: www.ChattanoogaBridge.com/events/106389
Lalah Hathaway was born into music royalty, and many know her simply as the daughter of the late R&B/soul legend Donny Hathaway. But there’s much more to this entertainer than her musical lineage, though that has been a guiding force in her career.
In an online bio, she says her hope “is to continue to make timeless art for people.”
“In a way, I feel like my dad came here in part so that I could get here, and I am here so that he can stay here. I was born for this.”
A trained pianist and vocalist, she is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music with a career spanning two decades and a Grammy nomination to her credit. She will make her first trip to Chattanooga on Saturday to perform at The Mill.
Hathaway made her debut in 1990 with a self-titled album that fused elements of R&B, jazz and pop. It included the hits “Heaven Knows,” “Baby Don’t Cry,” and “Somethin’.”
Her sophomore album, “A Moment,” released in 1994, contained the lead single “Let Me Love You,” a remake of Sly & The Family Stone’s “It’s a Family Affair” and the fan-favorite ballad “Separate Ways.”
She broadened her audience in 1999 with the release of the critically acclaimed duet CD “The Song Lives On” with legendary jazz musician Joe Sample. The songs “Fever” and “When Your Life Was Low” were among the album’s highlights.
Though 10 years would pass between solo projects, she continued to record and tour with several artists, including George Benson, Mary J. Blige, The Winans, David Sanborn, Angie Stone, Esperanza Spalding and Prince.
In 2004, she released “Outrun the Sky,” yielding the No. 1 single “Forever, For Always, For Love,” a Luther Vandross cover. The album scored rave reviews from fans for songs such as “Better and Better” and “If U Ever.”
Her fourth solo album, 2008’s “Self-Portrait,” debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard’s R&B charts and earned her a Grammy nod for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the slow jam “That Was Then.”
Her fifth solo album, “Where It All Begins,” released last year, includes a remake of the fan favorite “I’m Coming Back” from her first outing.