Evelyn Rubio

Evelyn Rubio plays McGonigel's Mucky Duck on Thursday, October 8, at 8:30 PM. She's a saxophonist and vocalist who works across the tenor, alto, and soprano horns, and this is a late show at the Mucky Duck, which is known as Houston's premier Irish pub and live music venue, specializing in Americana, folk, and Irish performances, authentic food, and Guinness.

Rubio's path to Houston started in the barrios of Mexico City, and she later toured as the lead role of Mary Magdalene in a Canadian production of Jesus Christ Superstar. That was the period when she developed her passion for American blues, soul, jazz, rock, and R&B—the sounds that still anchor her work. After moving to Houston, she met Calvin Owens, and through Al Staehely of Spirit, she auditioned for him and signed a five-year, five-CD record deal with his Sawdust Alley record label. From there, she became the frontwoman and sax soloist for his 18-piece orchestra.

One of the records from that deal was Hombres, which she recorded in both English and Spanish; it debuted at #1 on the Latin Pop chart, #3 on the Top Latin chart, and #6 on the Blues charts. Since then, she's performed with B.B. King's band leaders, and her new album features Al Staehely's "He Did Me Wrong, But He Did It Right."

The show is on Thursday, October 8, at 8:30 PM at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk St, Houston, TX 77098.