VALDOSTA — Lady sings the blues with the return this week of Francine Reed to the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.

Though she has been known to blues lovers for many years, Francine Reed gained additional attention a few years ago through recordings with more well-known stars.

She was probably best known as the regular duet partner and a featured vocalist with Lyle Lovett before garnering more of the spotlight through her dazzling two duets on Willie Nelson’s blues-tinged album, “Milk Cow Blues,” which was another in a long line of continuing great recordings from Nelson.

Folks who love Willie will enjoy this album just for the sake of him performing, but Francine Reed finds a place all her own on this album. Her duets with Nelson make it part of the reason why this album was another Willie classic. As Nelson has been quoted as saying of Reed, “When I first heard her, I said, ‘Now there’s a singer.’”

Born in Chicago, Reed has loved singing since childhood. As a youngster, she sang professionally with her family’s gospel group, but she didn’t pursue singing as a career as an adult until her children were grown.

“I always say I was born singing,” Reed has said in a biographical release. “I can still remember my first performance when I was a 3-year-old in my aunt’s church. Her name was Helen Francis, for whom I’m named, and I was so small that they had to put me up on the piano. I used to listen to rehearsals with her gospel choir and I’d sing ‘I Wanna See Jesus’ in front of the congregation. An audience to me could even be just one or two people. My mom would have guests over and point to me and say, ‘Sing a song.’ And I would just go on and sing, and I’d even make up my own songs. It’s a natural, God-given talent.”

Yet, life kept her from pursuing a full-time singing career as she raised her children. Occasionally, during this time, she took to the stage, performing at clubs and in shows in her new home of Phoenix, Ariz. During these years, she also served as opening act for concerts by Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson, Etta James and The Crusaders.

Francine Reed became a principal part of Lovett’s show in 1985, when he was still a struggling, unknown singer/songwriter. As he rose to fame, with an eclectic music style and strong lyrics, Reed became an integral part of his show for several years, and she was featured singing with Lovett on several of his albums, in his concerts and television appearances on shows such as “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show,” etc.

During this period, she also recorded with several other stars such as the legendary Roy Orbison, Delbert McClinton, and Paul Young. Her voice appeared on movie soundtracks, such as “The Firm” starring Tom Cruise, and several other movies from the 1990s.

In the mid 1990s, she decided to pursue a solo career and moved to Atlanta, where she recorded her debut solo album, “I Want You to Love Me,” which also featured a duet with Lyle Lovett, in 1995. Her follow-up, “Can’t Make It On My Own,” featured studio greats such as Al Kooper and Bob Babbit, as well as a duet with Delbert McClinton. Her third album, “Shades of Blue,” collected several blues and jazz tunes.

Critics have noted that Francine Reed’s albums have the ability to capture the spirit and allure of her live shows, which should be good news for fans planning to attend next weekend’s local concert based solely on hearing her recordings. Such praise means that her live shows are just as good if not better than her CDs, and her recordings are definitely wonderful things.

Many local folks heard Reed two years ago when she played the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.

“It’s a mindset for me that I’m still trying to master. If it’s a really good song, then it just comes out of me,” Reed notes. “At a gig, I try to phrase like a record, which is what the audience comes to hear. I learned that from being on the road with Lyle. Other times I have a tendency to be more improvisational and feed off the musicians and the crowd. Then I can kick it up a notch. But how that comes about, I don’t really know. I just open my mouth and sing from the heart. I’m really blessed.”

Folks who love jazz and blues vocals should be blessed with Reed’s concert next weekend.