NORTHUMBERLAND - Whether it's in front of a concert audience or a classroom full of students learning Spanish, Ann Kerstetter's philosophy has never changed.
"You always have to have that connection with your audience," she said. "I have to reach them in some way to keep them entertained. If you're not entertained, I didn't do my job."
A retired school teacher, Kerstetter is front woman for the Ann Kerstetter Band, a blues act that has earned critical acclaim. At 62, the Northumberland resident says she's winding down her schedule a bit after 45 years in front of an audience, but certainly isn't ready to completely give up her singing career.
A career revived
Kerstetter's career in music started in 1969 when she began singing with a group called Crosstown Bus.
"It was great being with that band," she said, noting its horn section. "Just so much fun."
Crosstown Bus was together throughout the 1970s, but by the 1980s was running out of steam, and Kerstetter saw a chance to do something different.
"I was 30 years old at the time and ready to slow down and start a family, so I left the business and started teaching," she said.
She taught Spanish at Shikellamy School District over a career that spanned more than 30 years, but sparks from that young lady who performed with Crosstown Bus kept coming out.
In 2008, she found herself competing in a Billtown Blues Festival audition to determine the festival's opening act. Against stiff competition, Kerstetter and her band won.
"I never expected it; it was a complete surprise, considering how long I'd been away," she recalled. "When we won, I just sat down and cried tears of joy."
The win put the band in the festival, but also qualified it for competition in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
"Going to Memphis was a great experience because it helped me connect with other blues musicians and watch them perform their artistry," she said.
'Infectious' energy
Blues, in fact, is Kerstetter's favorite music genre.
"Anytime I head out to attend or perform at a festival, there is always a community of really caring people there. Blues musicians will never stab you in the back," she said.
Kerstetter is a mentor, too, for other musicians. Becky Blue, an aspiring blues musician and lead vocalist of the Cadillac Cats, often goes to her for advice.
"Ann is a person who paved the way for other female vocalists," Becky Blue said. "When you watch her perform, you just see this energy come out of her; it is so infectious."
Blue says she will often talk to Kerstetter after a performance. She also consults with Cheryl "Miz Ida" Miller, and recently joined both for a performance on the Hiawatha riverboat in Williamsport.
"I call Ann my 'Mama Cat,'" Becky said. "She is not only a mentor to me as a blues musician, but as a female vocalist. She's been very supportive of me and very encouraging."
"I'm more than happy to share the stage with friends like Becky and Miz Ida," Kerstetter said.
A good time
Kerstetter's band has produced two CDs. One, called Duke Street - a tribute to the location of her home in Northumberland - was a semi-finalist at the International Blues Festival for "Best Self-Produced CD."
Kerstetter is proud of the accomplishment, but knows that success is still a matter of entertaining a live audience, which she does with members of her band about 40-50 times a year.
"When I'm out, I want everyone to have a good time. The people in the audience, my band members, everyone," she said. "That's what music is all about."