Rev. Yolanda

Rev.Yolanda - Rev.Yolanda aka Roger Anthony Mapes is a 2015 inductee into The Blues Hall of Fame and 2015/ 2014 recipient of The MAC Award (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) for Best Drag Artist. An accomplished, award-winning singer/songwriter, performance artist, and Interfaith Minister, Roger was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama -The Hit Recording Capital of The World. He joined his first band, Stained Glass Bluegrass, when he was only 17 years old. At age 28 Roger moved to New York City and began exploring theater and performance art. During this exploration he spent some time living in the Radical Faerie Community in Vermont. It was during this time that Yolanda was born (1993)! Yolanda developed a loyal following in Vermont with his/her original musical blend of rock, pop, country and jazz with her band Yolanda & The Plastic Family . They rocked the downtown scene in NYC celebrating the release of his first CD Yolanda & The Plastic Family. In 2003 Yolanda was awarded OutMusician of the Year , and recorded a critically acclaimed solo cover of the ABBA tune "Lay All Your Love on Me" on the Abbalicious CD (FigJam Records). Rev. Roger Anthony "Yolanda" Mapes was inducted into the GLBT Hall of Fame for Activism, Art Excellence and Community Awareness in 2005. It was around this time that Roger/Yolanda began a spiritual journey which led him/her to One Spirit Interfaith Seminary where s/he became Rev.Yolanda, an ordained Interfaith Minister in June of 2011. That same year the song "I Wanna Know" from her cd House of Joy made it to #1 on the OutVoice Music Charts and "Love Divine" was included on a special first edition collection of GLBT Christian singer/songwriters. Rev. Yolanda's Old Time Gospel Hour -the live, autobiographical Gospel Music show was realized in January of 2012 and the release of yet another album Country Gospel Kirtan followed shortly thereafter. "Home" from that album was voted the #1 song of 2013 on the OutVoice Music Charts. Rev. Yolanda has also been seen on "Family Stories" for the Discovery Channel playing Vivian Wheeler (the current Guiness Book of World Record-holder for bearded lady), and a feature film about his/her life by director Ike Allen is to be released in 2015.