As lead singer/guitarist of Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard, 27, has established herself as a mighty live performer — a soul-baring vocalist with the delivery of a cyclone. In April, her Southern-rock band earned its first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with sophomore full-length Sound & Color, speeding up Howard’s evolution from retro-blues rookie to wildly admired all-star. By August, the Georgia native was onstage at Lollapalooza with Paul McCartney, who invited her to join him on “Get Back.” On Sept. 8, she ushered in The Late Show With Stephen Colbert as part of a musical ensemble that included Mavis Staples. In October, Howard paid tribute to Eddie Murphy by performing a duet of Sam Moore’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’ ” with the soul legend at the comedian’s Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize ceremony.
Topping it all off, the success of Sound & Color brought Alabama Shakes’ total album sales to more than 1 million copies, according to Nielsen Music. “My family’s really proud,” says Howard. “Maybe it hasn’t all sunk in, or maybe I’m just in shock.”
GUEST OF SIR PAUL
“I overprepared. I had blisters all over my fingers from playing solos over and over — I didn’t want to freak out and forget what I was doing. Then, it was easier than I thought, and he was so nice: ‘Oh, Brittany, so glad you’re here!’ I felt so welcome. It wasn’t at all weird that he was a Beatle.”
HER LADY HEROES
“Bjork. Erykah Badu. Memphis Minnie. Nina Simone. The guitar player from Heart, Nancy Wilson. This badass drummer, Meytal Cohen.”
DINNER WITH DAVE CHAPPELLE
“I met Dave Chappelle at Eddie Murphy’s Kennedy Center ceremony. He took the time to invite me and my people out to dinner with all these famous comedians. He treated us all the same — as he would Chris Rock. I was so impressed with that. I was like, ‘Man, that’s definitely how I want to be.’ He’s a cool dude.”
FISHING IN EASTERN EUROPE
“You don’t see any vacation packages for Poland, but it’s really fun. They were so hungry for music. The promoters took me fishing and I caught a rainbow trout — and I’d never even seen a rainbow trout.”
THAT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
“I don’t give a f—! (Laughs.) You can write that down in capital letters.”