DOWNTON ABBEY's Elizabeth McGovern Brings Her Band to Providence Tonight

Elizabeth McGovern is already well known to American audiences for her versatile acting career, which has won her widespread acclaim for her work in films, on stage and on American and British television. She's currently one of the stars of the public TV phenomenon Downton Abbey, in which her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated work as Lady Cora, Countess of Grantham has further endeared her to viewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

But McGovern's esteemed three-decade acting career is just the tip of the creative iceberg for the Evanston, Illinois native and longtime London resident. Since 2008, McGovern has been deeply engaged in music, performing, recording and writing with her longstanding band Sadie and the Hotheads, which has released three well-received albums and toured successfully in the U.K.

Now, McGovern and her six seasoned British bandmates are preparing to introduce Sadie and the Hotheads to American audiences with a 5-city tour that includes a stop in Providence at the Met tonight, December 13. Tickets are on sale now and available at www.themetri.com. For the full itinerary, visit www.sadieandthehotheads.com.

"I'm so looking forward to traveling through America with Sadie and the Hotheads," McGovern says. "It's an absolutely fabulous group of musicians, adored in England, and I think America will love them. I literally can't wait to get going! It's going to be a great show."

Elizabeth McGovern also sings on two upcoming holiday collections. She appears on the soon to be released Christmas at Downton Abbey, a double CD of classic Christmas songs where she sings "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" and performs a duet with fellow co-star Julian Ovenden (Charles Blake) on "The First Noel." In addition, Sadie and the Hotheads just released "Little Drummer Boy," the first single from a new holiday compilation, White Christmas, that also includes favorites by Idina Menzel, Coldplay, Kate Bush, and Michael Bublé.

Critics and fans alike have embraced McGovern's winsome, sultry vocals, offbeat lyrics and uniquely charismatic stage presence, which offers a beguiling combination of girlish enthusiasm and rock 'n' roll abandon. McGovern and company-guitar-playing brothers Steve and Simon Nelson, bassist Ron Knights, keyboardist Barry Walsh, drummer Terl Bryant and backup singer Danica Chapman-deliver a playfully eclectic mix of instrumental textures and stylistic influences, seamlessly incorporating elements of country, blues, big-band jazz, '60s pop, Celtic folk and classic torch songs, while employing a wide variety of instruments including dobro, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, bouzouki, and tin whistle.

Sadie and the Hotheads have toured widely in the U.K. and Europe, appearing twice at the Isle of Wight Festival, playing a string of dates at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and opening for Sting at the Montreux Jazz Festival. They recently completed a 27-date British tour with Mike Rutherford's reunited Mike and the Mechanics, with McGovern sometimes making a mad dash directly from the Downton set to the stage.

2014 also saw the release of Sadie and the Hotheads' third album, Still Waiting, recorded with Grammy-winning Sting producer Kipper Eldridge and featuring guest appearances by Mike Rutherford and noted Nashville singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters.

With her band's American debut upcoming and a projected live PBS television concert in the works, Elizabeth McGovern is excited to have the opportunity to finally introduce Sadie and the Hotheads to audiences in the U.S., and looking forward to connecting with her American fans.

Sadie and the Hotheads 2014 U.S. Itinerary:

12/9 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage

12/10 Albany, NY The Egg / Lewis A. Swyer Theatre

12/12 Norfolk, CT Infinity Hall Norfolk

12/13 Providence, RI The Met

12/14 Hartford, CT Infinity Hall Hartford

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