Deitra Farr – born in Chicago, Illinois on August 1, 1957 – is a gospel, blues, and soul singer/songwriter. She studied vocal at Kenwood High School in Chicago and was an active member of the Kenwood Choir. She then attended Columbia College in Chicago, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism. In the mid-1970s, she began singing with local soul bands. When she was 18, Deitra Farr was the lead vocalist on Mill Street Depo’s recording of “You Won’t Support Me” (1976), which landed on Cashbox Magazine’s Top 100 R&B Singles chart. Switching to the blues in the ‘80s, she eventually wound up as the lead singer of the band Mississippi Heat from 1993 to 1996. She recorded a pair of the albums with the band: Learned the Hard Way (1994) and Thunder in My Heart (1995). Deitra Farr released her debut solo album, The Search Is Over, in 1997. Her sophomore solo album Let It Go was released in 2005. She has continued to tour internationally, bringing her passionate blues voice to audiences all over the world. She was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2015 and received Jus Blues Music Foundation’s Koko Taylor Queen of the Blues Award two years later.
