You do not get to tour with Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones and Luther Vandross (to name a few) without having the ability to adapt and fit in with what is needed at any given moment. Lisa Fischer has that ability and enjoys each moment.

Lisa toured from 1989 – 2013 with The Rolling Stones and her ability to vocally perform in any genre fit right in with Jagger / Richards’ ability to do the same.

“As a background singer you must be flexible no matter who you are singing with.” Says Lisa prior to her performance at The Montreal Jazz Festival. ” With The Stones I did know beforehand how successful they were in many genres and it was something I was prepared for. In the end – they play just great music and that is what attracts me.”

Lisa still keeps in touch with her Stones ‘family’ having spoken to fellow back – up singer Bernard Fowler just a couple of weeks ago. Sixty – two years of The Stones’ songwriting really impresses Lisa yet it was the Stones’ 2016 album of Blues covers (Blue and Lonesome) that really hit home with Brooklyn – born Lisa. “All the artists they idolized and all the hours they spent playing those songs from those artists. To sit down years later and pay homage and play what they once played in a one room apartment when they were kids? That is very special. That is the real essence of the Stones I believe.”

Lisa Fischer is currently on tour. A ‘tour’ is not the term she uses however. A ‘tour’ (to her) means huge cross country (or continent) Rock or R&B concerts performed in vast stadiums as she did with Tina Turner.   “I like to call this a ‘Tootsie Toe Tour’.” Laughs Lisa. ” Big tours have legs to them such as this part of the tour is this ‘leg’ or that ‘leg’. The tour I am on is more like ‘just the toe’. 

The ‘Tootsie Toe Tour‘ landed her in Montreal accompanied by Jazz pianist / prodigy Taylor Eigsti for the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Taylor and Lisa are headed to Boston next and then Lisa will join and perform with the group Ranky Tanky at a few Jazz Festivals in America. Grand Baton and Orren Evans are also on Lisa’s ‘bill’ later this summer.

Different styles of music are in the horizon yet Lisa explains why it’s not hard to change her musical hats and – so often; “You know the people. You know their energy. They are like little families, and you speak the language of the family. Each family wants to speak their musical language and that’s what connects it and makes it all smooth.”

Aside from gigging this summer, Lisa will also be recording a new album in the next two months. She plans on sitting down with her manager and seeing how it will look and work out. Lisa explains; “Its good to sing the songs first, and then it takes shape. The song may have been a good idea in your brain at one point, but the song says ‘I want to go there‘. It lets you know where it wants to go. “

The upcoming recording will be sound – driven not producer – driven unlike Lisa’s only solo album to date. “It’s not about ‘looking to chart’. I have the freedom to use the cradle of the music. I don’t have to worry thinking,’Oh my god – is it going to chart! It’s going to be all about the music and what sounds good.”

Lisa is one of the few lucky ones as far as freedom goes. More or less – the sixty -five year old three time Grammy Award winner has had complete freedom to do what she wanted her entire career. So many artists (male and female) get ‘stuck’ once they sign a record deal and are chained for years singing a certain way.

Tina Turner, knew both ‘ends’ of that ‘freedom curve ‘ yet Lisa never discussed that subject with the late legend when Lisa was touring as Turner’s back -up singer; ” Tina was more concerned about if ‘the show’ or a ‘certain’ song was moving smoothly.” Explains Lisa.” My job was to support her. Her plate was filled with her own life and responsibilities. In order to ease that for her and be a team player, was to just support everything she needed on stage. Not to ‘take from her’ but to ‘give back to her.'”

Information for Chris Birkett and Cinema 5 Here.

Like most people – Lisa was ‘shocked’ when The Rolling Stones’ original drummer Charlie Watts passed away in 2021. She explains what went through her head when she ‘absorbed’ the news.

“In the back of my mind, I always thought the Stones were eternally magic. Somehow they would last forever. They were all aging beautifully and had their issues but were firmly in survival mode. We like to see people in survival mode because it gives us the power to dream that we can do the same. His death was like a rude, unreal, sad and heartbreaking wake up call on mortality.”

The Rolling Stones are on their 2024 Hackney Diamonds Tour and Chanel Haynes is filling Lisa’s former role as a backup singer ( along with Bernard Fowler). Chanel ( like Lisa before)is also a foil to Jagger in the songs Gimme Shelter and Monkey Man. Lisa has no idea what the future holds and if she will ever join the Stones onstage again; “I think it’s exciting for Mick to have that interaction with that new younger energy.” Says Lisa. “Everybody likes to see Mick with that ‘hot new young chick.‘ It’s kinda cool. It’s great for the show and Mick. I do think Chanel must enjoy the moment because you don’t know how long it will last.”

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