Crimson Sisters coming to Fitton

Hamilton, Ohio – They might not be related by blood, but they certainly share a familial bond through music.

Both Angela Combs and Gina McCann grew up singing gospel music in church - Combs in Mississippi, where her grandfather was a preacher; McCann in Akron, Ohio.

After years working parallel to one another in area bars and clubs, the two finally join forces for a theatrical show.

Together as The Crimson Sisters, Combs and McCann make their Fitton Center for Creative Arts debut at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15.

“I love that it’s a place where you can really focus on the music,” Combs said of the Fitton Family Theater. “There’s no TV playing in the background. No dart boards or pool tables. The opportunity to hear the music in a quality setting – professional sound, professional lighting, a real stage show – is like a dream for us.

“I have played in and around the Hamilton area for a long time, but I have never had the opportunity to play the Fitton Center until now. I am excited for all our friends and family in the area to see us play there.”

“Since we don’t play together too often, this will be something new,” McCann said. “I think we’ll have a great crowd. We definitely have a great band and some great music to play. This isn’t background music. We’re saying, ‘We’re here to entertain you guys.’”

The two seemed destined to perform together.

“You’ve heard of people finishing each other’s sentences,” Combs asked.

“That’s us,” McCann added. “We’re so much alike it’s scary. How we got that far along in music without playing together is amazing.”

In addition to their gospel backgrounds, Combs and McCann performed on parallel tracks for years before finally intersecting. In 2000, Angela answered a CityBeat ad looking for a singer and got the job. Combs had already moved on when Gina answered a Craigslist ad from the same bandleader in 2005 and she got the gig.

“We only learned that about one another recently,” Combs said. “But it kind of makes sense. We have similar tastes in music.”

Need more similarities?

Combs sang in a band that won the Cincinnati Blues Challenge in 2016. McCann’s band took the title in 2024. (Gina also recently earned semifinalist status at the 2025 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.)

While performing as a resident act at The Belle & The Bear bar in the Cincinnati suburb of Montgomery last year, McCann invited Combs to sit in for a few numbers with her band. “She picked a few songs and we picked a few songs,” McCann said. “It just popped and we knew had to work together again.”

“Our voices blend and complement each other,” Combs said. “We have a heavy use of harmonies which really sets us apart. I don’t know anyone else doing what we’re doing vocally. It’s a unique experience.”

One of their favorites to sing is Grace Potter’s “Nothing But the Water (1),” which they do as an a capella number.

Yet the Crimson Sisters don’t rely on vocals alone. Their band includes Rob Olsen on guitar, Kainan Shank on bass, Roy Webb on keyboard, Nick Mehan on drums and additional special guests.

“It’s all acoustic instruments,” Combs said. “And it’s a good, full sound with a lot of range,” McCann finished.

“It’s going to be amazing,” they said together.

Tickets for The Crimson Sisters at the Fitton Center are $18 each* and go on sale at 10 a.m. Wedenesday, January 22. Tickets are available online here, by phone at 513-863-8873, ext. 110. *Plus a $2 fee per ticket

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

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