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![["Doris Fields aka Lady D of Beckley led an apprenticeship in blues and Black gospel with Xavier Oglesby of Beckley as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Doris Fields aka Lady DBeckley, WVDoris A. Fields, also known as Lady D, is a West Virginia native born in Kayford in Kanawha County. She is a graduate of East Bank High School and West Virginia State University with a bachelors degree in communications. She is also a graduate of Phillips College in Gulfport, MS with an associate degree in travel and tourism. She is known as West Virginias First Lady of Soul.Lady D has been singing since the age of three years old. She is also an actress, songwriter, director, and promoter. Since 2003, she has toured her one-woman show, The Lady and the Empress, a musical stage play based on the life and music of blues legend, Bessie Smith. Her acting experience also includes a five-year stint with Theater West Virginias productions of Honey In the Rock, Hatfields and McCoys, and various other shows. On the local scene, Lady D was very active in productions with the Charleston Stage Company, Childrens Theater and Kanawha Players.As a professional vocalist, highlights of Lady Ds career include being the opening act for the legendary soul group, the OJays at Charlestons 2007 FestivALL. In 2008, her original song, Go Higher, was chosen as the best Obama Inaugural Song and earned her a trip with her band, MI$$ION, to Washington, D.C. to perform at the 2009 Obama for Change Inaugural Ball. In 2010, Lady D was honored to perform at the live recording of the HistoryMakers: An Evening With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at the Cultural Center in Charleston. In August 2014, she was inducted into the All Black Schools Sports & Academic Hall of Fame (ABSSA) with a Lifetime Achievement Award.See our feature on Fields apprenticeship with Oglesby here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/12/03/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-doris-fields-aka-lady-d-xavier-oglesby-blues-black-gospel/"]%](/image/4224FieldsDorisArtistProfile61918/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.FieldsDoris.ArtistProfile.6.19.18
- Title:
- Artist profile of Doris Fields aka Lady D
- Date:
- 2018-06-19
- Creator:
- Fields, Doris
- Subject:
- Gospel music, Apprenticeship programs, Soul music, African Americans--Appalachian Region, Rhythm and blues music
- Location:
- Beckley (W. Va.), Raleigh County (W. Va.)
