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Tuesday September 23rd, 2003

Bette Sussman rehearses with Baldwin for upcoming Bette Midler tour

Bette Sussman, musical director for Bette Midler's upcoming "Kiss My Brass" tour, has been working on arrangements and rehearsing with Midler's backup singers, The Harlettes, at The Hit Factory in the Gibson New York Showroom during the past two weeks. Sussman is playing a Baldwin SF10 Artist Grand for the rehearsals. Midler's tour will debut December 4, and Sussman will play a SF10 equipped with MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) for the shows.

Sussman has worked with Midler since 1999, but this is their first major tour together. "I had sort of sworn off touring when I finished with Whitney [Houston] in '99, but I thought it would be kind of challenging and exciting to do a big tour with Bette, and it's going to be a pretty massive show," Sussman says. "There's never a dull moment, she's incredible. I get to play all this amazing music with her, songs that were major hit records, and we're doing a bunch of new material for this show, which is really great."

In addition to her work with Midler, Sussman has performed and toured with a "Who's Who" of artists including Whitney Houston, Al Green, k.d. lang, Little Richard, Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross. She also fills in for Paul Shaffer on "The Late Show With David Letterman" and played "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" with the Righteous Brothers this year on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards when they were inducted.

For the latest news on Sussman, go to: www.bettesussman.com.