Inetta Visor has blessed Mississippi Heat with her voice since 2001. Her powerful Etta James-like voice on Footprints On The Ceiling and the last nine remaining CDs with the Heat is a testament to this blessing.
Inetta was born February 4, 1955 on the South Side of Chicago. She graduated from Simeon Vocational High School in 1972, studied electronics at the Omega Institute, and worked as a radio engineer for then-Chicago Alderman Roman Pucinski from 1975 to 1983.
Ever since a child, Inetta had always had a passion for singing. It was a rare moment when she was found not singing or humming a song to herself. Her favorites at the time were Rock ‘N Roll tunes by such bands as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. One day, she decided to try out for an audition she heard announced by a WVON radio DJ for Rock ‘N Roll choir DUBBER RUCKlE. Apparently Inetta was a natural, and she was selected to sing with this choir. She sang her first professional gig with them in 1971, and continued to hone her singing skills on and off the stage whenever she could, as she continued to work as a radio engineer to pay the bills.
In 1979 she began to sing with a Rhythm and Blues choir, TWT (THE WHOLE TRUTH), founded by a former Dubber Ruckie member. With TWT, Inetta sang throughout the week at various clubs with this 12-piece or more band. Even though some nights she only came back with very little (as low as $15.00!), she gathered great experience on stage.
In 1984, Inetta left TWT and assembled her own choir (SISTERS WITH VOICES). Not long after putting out an ad for her choir, she received a phone call from a man named Marc Pulido who was interested in her services. Pulido told her he was with a band by the name of SKYLINE, and many of their gigs were on the North Side of Chicago. He offered them to work with him. Everyone in Inetta’s group (but herself) refused to participate due to the racial implications of playing on the North Side. Inetta optimistically took this offer and sang backup until the band disbanded in 1986 (due to difficulties obtaining a record deal).
Inetta eventually began working at a South Side daycare center, after she left her radio engineer job in 1983. Her goal was to eventually work as a recording engineer, to pay the bills better. But, at that time, it was difficult for a female to get this position. However, out of the blue, she got a phone call in 1993 from her former band member acquaintance, Marc Pulido. After seven years, he had not forgotten her voice. Pulido was now with a band named TAINTED BLUE. She joined that band as a backup singer, and a few months later was their lead singer. Pulido eventually left TAINTED BLUE to found his own group, World Class Noise, a 12-piece group, for which Inetta also did backup vocals (she is on 6 of their CDs). She sang with TAINTED BLUE until they broke up in 1997.
Inetta then took work with the Illinois Student Assistance Program (State of Illinois) in 1989 for more stability as she pursued her musical career. In 2000, she was recommended by longtime acquaintance, Theresa Davis, to well-established (since 1991) Chicago Blues band MISSISSIPPI HEAT, who already had several CDs out, their most recent being Handyman (2000) winning Best Blues CD of the Year by Real Blues Magazine.
Theresa Davis, who had sung for the Emotions, had recommended Inetta, as she herself did not see blues as her musical form, and therefore did not see the Heat as an ideal match for her. MISSISSIPPI HEAT, at this point, was looking for a replacement for their then singer, Katherine Davis, leaving the band to promote her new Jazz CD.
Inetta auditioned for them at the Koko Taylor Blues Club on Wabash. As it turned out, Katherine Davis stayed a while longer than anticipated. In 2001, Inetta decided to call Michel Lacocque (Pierre’s brother and band manager) to offer her services to MISSISSIPPI HEAT again. Just as she was about to pick up the phone, while looking at the business card, she received a call from no one other than Michel himself!
The rest is history. Since she joined the band, they have recorded 10 albums and a DVD with Inetta, all of which have received awards. Inetta also won the Best Blues Singer competition at the House of Blues (Chicago) on July 10, 2003, and was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2024.
