Salt-N-Pepa, Robert Cray and Japanese Breakfast form half of Treeline fest's headliners

A hip-hop duo with multi-generational appeal, one of the blues' most consistent players and a versatile indie artist will be among the headliners when the Treeline Music Fest comes to Stephens Lake Park from Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

Salt-N-Pepa, Robert Cray and Japanese Breakfast will occupy half of the festival's six headlining spots. The artists were announced via Treeline's social media accounts Friday morning, with more to come this spring.

In existence since 2007 as Roots N Blues, the festival will celebrate the first year under its new name. And, in the run-up to Friday's announcement, Treeline organizers hinted at the continued diversifying of its artist roster, stretching toward every cross-cutting form of American music.

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Cheryl James, Sandra Denton and Deidra Roper — aka DJ Spinderella — formed Salt-N-Pepa in 1985, breaking big almost immediately with 1986's platinum-selling "Hot, Cool and Vicious" album. The group ruled the charts in the early-to-mid-'90s with hits that held both the pop and hip-hop imaginations: "Let's Talk About Sex," "Shoop" and "Whatta Man," among them.

Salt-N-Pepa hasn't delivered an album since 1997's "Brand New," but has remained active on the road and in the spotlight since ending a hiatus around 2005.

Multi-artist tours revolving around hip-hop's legends and/or '90s music have kept the group before audiences and, last year, they performed on a single alongside New Kids on the Block, Rick Astley and "Whatta Man" collaborators En Vogue. DJ Spinderella and Salt-N-Pepa parted ways in 2019.

Cray will celebrate his 70th birthday before arriving at Treeline, and the Georgia native has been taking stages and bending notes for nearly 50 years.

AllMusic's Mark Deming credits Cray with taking "his music to the upper reaches of the pop and rock charts when many major blues acts were counting their sales in the tens of thousands." This includes a number of successful singles in the '80s, including "Smoking Gun" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."

A five-time Grammy winner and Blues Hall of Famer, Cray's most recent release is 2020's "That's What I Heard." Deming, again writing for AllMusic, praised the record, noting "how well his unfussy but passionate vocal style, narrative lyrical stance, and exciting but never overdone guitar features blend with the soul grooves generated by Cray's band and the guests brought in for the occasion."

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Michelle Zauner is the mastermind behind Japanese Breakfast, an artist unwilling to stay confined to one creative dimension. Zauner had a massive 2021, releasing the acclaimed record "Jubilee" as well as the New York Times-bestselling memoir "Crying in H Mart," an exquisite and aching reflection on food, family, loss and her Korean heritage.

With Japanese Breakfast, Zauner creates pop songs that catch in your throat, move your body to dance and cast colorful light. Writing about "Jubilee," Pitchfork's Jillian Mapes observed its dynamic nature and Zauner's literary songwriting:

"It’s an exuberant listen that feels of the moment and also steeped in classic indie sensibilities, packed with Zauner’s sharp observations and frank desires."

In announcing Treeline's new identity, co-owners Shay Jasper and Tracy Lane expressed their desire to reflect the festival's Stephens Lake Park home and make the fest itself like a tree, something this first announcement seems to honor.

"As we continue to curate artist lineups that branch out to include more genres of music, we intentionally chose a new name for our event that honors our roots and reflects our commitment to growth," Lane said in a news release at the time.

Learn more about pass options and watch the festival's lineup develop at https://www.treelinemusicfest.com/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Salt-N-Pepa, Robert Cray and Japanese Breakfast among Treeline headliners