Miss Robbie Montgomery’s name is so synonymous with her former restaurant brand Sweetie Pie’s that it can be easy to forget that music is where it all began for her.
She issued a reminder with her sold‑out “Miss Robbie One More Time” set at The Blue Strawberry Friday night. The hour‑plus performance — complete with an intermission — was a perfect fit for the cabaret venue.
Montgomery offered stories and humor alongside the music, which included R&B classics, a jazz standard or two, and even a disco favorite before she closed the show with some down‑home blues. The octogenarian proved age is nothing but a number with a spunky set that had the venue rocking from start to finish.
Six decades after her beginnings on the road with Ike and Tina Turner, Montgomery delivered a show full of charisma, charm and stage presence. She became a household name through her soul food staple and the reality show it inspired. But before she founded Sweetie Pie’s, Robbie Montgomery was an Ikette. It was on the road with Ike and Tina Turner that she discovered her talent for cooking. The group often played segregated venues and relied on hot plates and electric skillets to feed themselves when they weren’t welcome in restaurants because of the color of their skin.
“Singing is my first love, chicken is my second,” Montgomery told KSDK.com ahead of Friday’s show.
In addition to being an Ikette, Montgomery provided background vocals for some of the biggest names in music. The culinary skills she acquired on the road served her well when lung issues brought her singing career to a halt. She built a brand through her Sweetie Pie’s restaurant franchise, which spawned the hit reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s. After a 25‑year run as a restaurateur, she closed her final restaurant in 2022. She is currently working to open Sweetie Pie’s 2nd Act on Martin Luther King Drive.
Friday night, the songbird was center stage.
Since stepping back from the food industry, Montgomery has returned to music with the release of a couple of singles and select performances. Friday night’s “Miss Robbie One More Time” was the latest.
The show opened with her take on Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” She was backed by The Black and White Band and singers Leon Lester and Delilah.
The Staples Singers’ classic “Respect Yourself” followed. Montgomery surprised the audience with a nod to Tina Turner through a rendition of “River Deep – Mountain High.”
She moved closer to present day with a cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” then jumped back to the good old days with Etta James’ “At Last.”
During the song, she made it her own with a speaking interlude.
“When I realized that you were the one, it made my dreams come true,” Montgomery said softly as the band played. Moments later, Miss Robbie the comedian emerged.
“Now don’t y’all believe this [expletive] ‘cause I ain’t got nobody,” she told the crowd. “I’m just acting.”
The audience erupted in laughter. And when she returned to singing, she was as soft and sweet as she had been before her confession.
“I found a dream that I could speak to — a dream that I can call my own,” Montgomery sang, selling the song even though the audience knew the truth. “I found a thrill to press my cheek to… a thrill that I have never known.”
Another St. Louis tribute came by way of “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” by Ann Peebles — a song Tina Turner also covered.
Montgomery returned to the stage after a wardrobe change into a golden tassel dress and delivered a second batch of covers that connected with the audience with equal weight of the first.
“For the Love of You” by The Isley Brothers opened the second half of the show, followed by “Misty Blue,” the provocative “Cowboy Style,” and the disco favorite “Young Hearts Run Free.”
She closed the night with a high‑impact performance of Koko Taylor’s blues staple “Wang Dang Doodle.” Montgomery gave the song a New Orleans blues treatment. Guests twirled napkins like they were in a second line as she sang her way through the crowd — not looking, moving or sounding any bit of her 86 years. She had to fight for space to do so due to the capacity crowd.
“Y’all coming out like this makes tonight even more special,” Montgomery said.