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Itinerary
 Big Time Sarah was born Sara Streeter on January 31, 1953 in Coldwater, Mississippi and moved to Chicago with her family when she was seven. Sarah received her first vocal training and performing experience by singing with church choirs on the city's South Side. In the best blues tradition, Sarah made her performing debut at the age of 14 by sitting in at a blues jam at Morgan's Lounge located at 312 E. 61st St. During the early 1970's, Sarah began paying her blues dues by working inner city clubs such as Morgan's, Louise's Lounge, Cinderella and the Show and Tell Lounge.
Sarah met Sunnyland Slim in 1976 when he played a club date at the Wise Fools Pub on Chicago's North Side. Sunnyland was impressed enough by the young singer to hire her as the vocalist with his band for a six week tour of California in June, 1977.
Other tours with Sunnyland followed, including one of Europe in August, 1977. Sarah also recorded for Sunnyland on his Airway label, cutting a 45, "Big Time Operator" and "Long Tall Daddy" with a band that included Magic Slim and Nick Holt.
Big Time Sarah has been performing ever since. Sarah works regularly at the top clubs on Chicago s highly competitive internationally famous blues club circuit, where if you don't do it right the first time, you may not get a second chance to do it all.
"I get a better feeling when I'm in a place that's small and real crowded because they seem to be more into the music."
Sarah has had lots of work in both large and small places during the past few years. Since forming her own band in 1980, Sarah has been a regular on the Chicago club circuit. She has appeared with a cross section of top blues talent, and has toured throughout Europe and Brazil on a regular basis. Sarah was a featured artist at the first City of Chicago Blues Festival, held in June, 1984 in Grant Park. Sarah did a three week stint in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She has become a mainstay on the Brazilian blues scene performing there each of the last 6 years. She has been nominated twice for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year by the W. C. Handy Blues Awards.
She has recorded 11 albums and her latest album, recorded for Delmark Records is entitled “A Million of You”.
One of Sarah's more interesting gigs came when she worked on the movie, "Sunny Days," which starred adult movie queen, Seka. "I only wrote the song and sang in the movie…I didn't do anything else."
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"I haven't heard a big, raw blues shouter as good as Sarah Streeter in years. The CD, Lay It On ‘Em Girls' is worth picking up for one track alone -- an upbeat but riveting account of the B.B. King hit 'Thrill is Gone', featuring Rico McFarland's screaming guitar. Also worth hearing is her low-down version of Gershwin's 'Summertime'."
Jeff Bradley, The Denver Post
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"Chicago Blues singer Sarah Streeter not only has a powerful and expressive voice, but is also blessed with a bravado reminiscent of the great Etta James. Using a combination of Blues, Soul, and Jazz standards, she performs each style with vocal dexterity."
Pamela Lucia, The New Review of Records
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"Sarah sounds like a lost link to Bessie Smith ... "
Ted Drozdowski, Pulse!
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"Besides being a great performer and singer, she has the natural ability to immediately capture her audiences leaving them gasping for air and wanting more, …"
George Hansen, DISCoveries
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"If you love the blues of Etta James and Koko Taylor, you will truly savor the sonic flavor of this Windy City singer… this 30 year veteran of the Chicago scene merits serious consideration from all fans of the style. "
Greg Allen, At The Shore: The Press of Atlantic City
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"Big Sarah's dramatic, rough-hewn vocals are thrilling… "The spirit of powerful blues women like Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton lives."
Joseph Blake, Times-Colonist
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