The Beat Divas:
Mady Kaye, Beth Ullman, Dianne Donovan
The Band:
Mitch Watkins, guitar
Eddy Hobizal, piano
John Fremgen, bass
Masumi Jones, drums
Mady Kaye, Beth Ullman and Dianne Donovan have been singing together as The Beat Divas for more than twenty years: at clubs, concerts, jazz fests and notably at Central Market Cooking School, where they are in their 20th year of giving cooking classes -- with music, of course. Yes, they sing and cook and write food-oriented songs to go with their cooking classes. All three women perform and write songs. Two – Mady and Beth – are also voice teachers. Dianne is an esteemed host at KMFA Classical Radio, as well as a consummate interviewer. With three separate and successful careers, they bring their many skills and years in the music biz to fruition as The Beat Divas. It's a heady brew.
“Conventional wisdom tells us that three women, let alone three Divas, will not play well together and that too many cooks spoil a dish. Throw conventional wisdom out the window this time, because the three multi-talented women who make up The Beat Divas have hit on the perfect recipe, their voices blending seamlessly in delicious harmonies. Any performance cooked up by these Divas is bound to be a very tasty treat.”
- Virginia B. Wood, Food Editor, The Austin Chronicle
"This town likes to brag about a couple of things. One is an abundance of music, as manifested by statues of guitars set along the main drag... The other is Whole Foods, which was born here...So it only makes sense that Austin would produce the Beat Divas, three ladies who make a living singing original songs like “Hog Fat” and “Tomato Blues” as a warm-up for their cooking classes. The three began as a respectable jazz trio that spent a lot of rehearsal time talking food. In 2004, they started teaching cooking classes at Central Market... One thing led to another, and now they play food conferences... Recently, that included an early morning gig at the International Association of Culinary Professionals. They looked a lot like the nutritionists and cooking teachers that peppered the audience. They sounded a little like the Andrews Sisters. And they were perkier than anyone has a right to be at 8 a.m. in Austin... the Beat Divas woke up even the most hung-over culinarians."
- Kim Severson, The New York Times