Sarah Potenza Crossman, born in 1980 in Providence, Rhode Island, spent much of her youth fascinated with the voices of Blues & Country musicians like Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and Greg Allman.
In the late 90's Sarah attended Rhode Island College for a BA in Music. There, she studied musical theatre, violin and vocal performance. It was not until 2002 that Potenza began to perform her own music, honing her skills at a local bar called "The Custom House Tavern."
In 2003, Sarah moved to Chicago to pursue her love of blues. Potenza performed as a solo artist premiere Chicago venues such as the House of Blues, The Metro, and the Double Door. In 2005, she met fellow musician Dan Orduff and together they formed "The Sarah Potenza Band." In 2006, Sarah's original song, The Eastside, was selected for Acoustic Chicago, a compilation of the city’s top artists.
Since the release of Acoustic Chicago in 2007, Potenza has put together a new band, Sarah & the Tall Boys. The band includes her long-time guitar player Dan Orduff, her husband Ian Crossman, and world-class blues drummer David Sims.
In 2008, Sarah & the Tall Boys recorded its first album, Shiny & New, a self-released collection of original Americana. Since its release, Shiny & New has received rave reviews from Time Out Chicago, The Reader, Red Eye, and Chicago Tribune. Sarah & the Tall Boys have been featured on internationally broadcast TV station WGN9, and Chicago radio stations 93WXRT and WDCB 90.9. The band has played at The Taste of Chicago, Old Town School's Folk & Roots festival, Glenwood Arts Fest, Estrojam, the House of Blues, Morse Theatre and many more Their music has been played by radio stations across Europe in countries such as Poland, Italy, England, France, and Croatia. Most Saturday nights you can catch Sarah & the Tall Boys at The Underground Wonder Bar in downtown Chicago.
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