Samantha “GhettoSongBird” Hollins is an independent Culture Rock singer-songwriter-guitarist, journalist, published writer, radio show host on WHGE 95.3FM (in Wilmington, DE), filmmaker, theater stage manager and historian from North Philadelphia. Since 2001 she has been blazing stages at legendary Rock venues including CBGB’s (NYC), The Bitter End (NYC), The Whisky A Go-Go (L.A.), The Mint (L.A.), The Troubadour (London) The legendary Overthrust Winter Mania Metal Fest in (Botswana), The Trocadero (Philadelphia) and The World Cafe Live (Philadelphia). She was also the curator of her own festival Wingdomfest (2005-2008) and presently her digital publication Theculturerockgriot.com. Recently there has been a documentary filmed about a segment of GhettosongBird’s Philadelphia story (by Angel Hogan) and she was the recipient of a prominent award called The SweetPea Washington Star Legacy Award, alongside many of her music hero’s.
GhettoSongBird recorded her “Alley Of The Earth” EP in Los Angles (2002) with the help of her mentor Rosa Lee Brooks (a recording artist in the 60’s, who wrote and recorded with Jimi Hendrix and recently passed away). The first single “landed” the Songbird on the classic B.E.T. show 106 & Park in 2003 in between Hip-Hop and R&B music videos, which was groundbreaking. She was also introduced to the L.A. music scene playing with musicians who played with Little Richard, Chaka Khan and The Chamber Brothers to name a few.
Mrs Songbird and her Roxsploitation band (featuring her husband Ronin Ali on drums, her best friend Chris Nelson on keys, her 9 year old son Jembé on Djembe, her 12 year old son Clavé on 2nd Keys, her 6 year old son Ikembé on hand percussion and her 13 year old daughter Lihlo doing video and photography) has shared stages with some of their heroes including HR (Bad Brains), Angelo (Fishbone), RES, Free Form Funky Freaks (including Vernon Reid of Rock band Living Colour with Philly legends bassist: Jamaaladeen Tacuma & drummer: G. Calvin Weston), Botswana’s metal legends Overthrust, spoken word pioneers The Last Poets, Sonia Sanchez and many veteran musicians. GhettoSongBird’s message music (she calls Culture Rock) has made a lingering impact playing throughout the USA, Australia, the U.K., Brazil and Africa, breaking rules along her extraordinary journey.
