Tony-nominated singer and actress Mary Bridget Davies (“A Night with Janis Joplin”) chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about her “Women Who Rock You — Songs from Janis to Alanis & More,” which will take place on June 22 at City Winery New York City.
She is known for her acclaimed Tony-nominated portrayal of Janis Joplin in Broadway’s “A Night With Janis Joplin.” Davies has become one of the foremost interpreters of classic rock and soul music on stage today.
‘Women Who Rock You’
Davies will headline this special one-night-only concert celebrating the legendary women whose voices helped define generations of music, including Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, and Chrissie Hynde, among others. “We all know their songs, but we don’t know the stories behind these women of the songs,” she said.
“For example, The Cranberries came out in the ’90s over here to the United States, and we all went crazy for them, but we had no idea that Dolores was singing ‘Zombie,’ which was a war song in real time. So, this is not just a tribute show. It’s not me just coming up and singing cover songs. It’s a tune and a story behind the song.”
“This show was an idea that my managing partner and I had because I come from the mixtape era. So, if I was friends with you, I would burn you a CD,” she said. “This is an art form. One day, I was honestly listening and working out to one of my angsty, badass women setlist, and I thought this would make a great show.”
“Everybody knows me from Janis, which is fine because I still love singing Janis tunes. It hasn’t gotten old for me at all. I still love it,” she exclaimed. “My voice isn’t just Janis Joplin. There are a lot of different textures to it, so I wanted to show it off. The whole point is so show people that I can do much more than just Janis.”
The evening will also feature a special tribute to legendary songwriter and producer Jerry Ragovoy, whose iconic songs—including “Piece of My Heart,” “Cry Baby,” and “Get It While You Can”—became synonymous with Janis Joplin and helped shape the sound of rock and soul music. Ragovoy is set to be posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2026.
For Davies, “Women Who Rock You” is more than a concert—it’s a celebration of strength, vulnerability, freedom, and female artistic empowerment. She compared this show to a VH1 “Behind the Music” series meets “MTV Unplugged” (back when MTV played music).
“I would watch those shows when I was little and I thought that the person who narrated those episodes had the coolest gig,” she admitted. “So, we took all the things that I ever wanted to do and I blended them into this show.”
“Hopefully, this is a concert version of what we can turn into a Broadway show that people can come and see at the theater. Then, people can say that they were at the industry workshop (at The Loft at City Winery NYC) before it heads over to Broadway in the future,” she noted. “We are hoping that people will come and see it now prior to the phenom we are hoping it will become.”
Biggest musical influences
Davies shared that her biggest musical influences growing up were Chaka Khan, Etta James, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Joe Cocker. “This is really what my parents listened to, because as kids, we are trapped with our parents,” she said. “We all live in the same house and they are in charge of the stereo. So, I would grow up singing to Gladys Knight, who had such a rich alto voice, as well as Dionne Warwick, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, and Alanis Morissette. Also, for me, the best singer was Sinead O’Connor.”
“While Janis Joplin was way before my time, I loved her just the same. Janis loved the blues and folk artists before her,” she added.
Success
On her definition of the word success, she said, “Success means doing what I love and making enough money to raise my son.”
Message for her fans
For her fans and supporters, she said, “We had an epic rehearsal the other day and for those that saw the workshop at Joe’s Pub last summer, this show is completely different. I would just love to everybody. I hope the fans blow their hair back and have some fun. This is a hands-free experience. Let’s turn off our phones and vibe with real feelings in real time because of the magic of live performance… none of us are every going to be in the same room at the same time.”
“The chance of 200+ people and the same band to be together in the same room, hearing the same set, is really magical,” she concluded.
For more information on tickets for this forthcoming show, click here.
To learn more about Mary Bridget Davies, follow her on Instagram.
