The Lettermen
The LettermenThe dictionary defines harmony as “a combination of musical sounds considered to be pleasing”. The music world could define harmony as “The Lettermen”. Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack, each of whom are entertainers in their own right, have kept the meaning of harmony alive with their soft, romantic, harmonic blend of music which is as popular with their fans today as it was in 1961 when The Lettermen recorded their first hit, “The Way You Look Tonight”. For The Lettermen debut single record in the summer of 1961, Capitol Records decided to put a romantic ballad on the B-side of “That’s My Desire”, which was an attempt at a doo-wop single, figuring radio stations would have to play the A-side because the B-side was so sweet, and slow, and did not necessarily encompass the commercial sound of the day. The B-side was “The Way You Look Tonight”. Soft, melodic and romantic, it was a departure from the rock ‘n’ roll music of the day. Eventually, listener requests made it a must for radio station play lists nationwide. The song shot to No. 13, on the Billboard chart. The group’s second single that year did even better. “When I Fall In Love,” another soft, slow ballad hit No.7, establishing The Lettermen as the most romantic singing group of a generation. To their credit, The Lettermen have over 75 albums— numerous certified gold – and a myriad of hits including “When I Fall In Love”, “Come Back Silly Girl”, “Theme From A Summer Place”, “Goin’ Out Of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”, “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”, “Hurt So Bad”, and “Shangri-La”. The Lettermen have also enjoyed international success touring Japan, The Philippines, China, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, France, South America, Canada, Mexico and even Saudi Arabia. They have sung and recorded in many different languages and have received eighteen gold records internationally. Even though there have been personnel changes over the years, the one thing that has remained constant is the vision that Tony Butala first dreamed of – that unique three-part harmony as only The Lettermen can achieve. Though musical tastes have changed over the years, The Lettermen legacy continues. Harmony will always endure the true test of time— just as The Lettermen have!
An Evening with The Gibson Brothers
The Gibson Brothers There’s a reason why Ricky Skaggs pulled Eric and Leigh Gibson off the stage at the Ryman two decades ago and offered to produce their debut record. The same thing that led David Ferguson & Grammy Award winning producer and Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach to co-write and produce their 14th album “Mockingbird” (2018) and release it on his own label Easy Eye Sound alongside cultural icons such as Hank Williams Jr. and Dr. John: the Gibson Brothers are the real deal. They can pick. They can sing. And they can write a damn good country song. They’ve won about every bluegrass award you can name and released albums on almost every premier Americana label you can think of including Sugar Hill and Rounder, and, if that’s not enough, their songs have been recorded by bluegrass legends no less than Del McCoury. It’s a resume almost anybody in country music would be proud to have. But despite all of this, the Gibson Brothers are not yet household names. Their latest album, “Darkest Hour” produced by dobro master Jerry Douglas might just change that.As soon as you hear Leigh singing with Alison Krauss on the new project you realize that his voice is as good as anyone in music today. Add the brother harmony to that and they have something truly unique. While “Mockingbird” featured gorgeous production, recreating the sound on stage was difficult. “We put together a little band to go out and try to recreate it,” Eric told me, but we couldn’t. We would have to have such a huge band to try to recreate that record, but we did the best we could.”Douglas—who has won 14 Grammy awards and backed up everyone from Ray Charles to Paul Simon and George Jones, wanted to make a record they could actually play on the road. So he picked the best songs (out of dozens) and squirreled them away in Sound Emporium’s Studio B. But then the pandemic hit. “We did our last shows in March of 2020,” Eric told me. “We were in Nashville the week everything was shutting down. It was surreal, but Jerry was like, ‘Guys, the world’s going crazy. Let’s let this be our little cocoon.’ And we did. We cut all of the acoustic stuff and then went home and didn’t play any more gigs until things started opening. Then we went back and finished the record with Jerry in February of 2021.”The result is arguably the strongest record The Gibson Brothers have ever made. The songs recorded in the first recording period featured Mike Barber (bass), Justin Moses (mandolin), Eamon McGloughlin (fiddle), and of course, Jerry Douglas, adding in John Gardner (drums), Guthrie Trapp (electric guitar), and Todd Parks (bass) for the final tracks, “Darkest Hour” showcases just how easily Eric and Leigh move from what Dan Auerbach dubbed “country soul” (“I Go Driving”) to high octane bluegrass (“What a Difference A Day Makes” and “Dust”) with Douglas always keeping the spotlight on the songs themselves. “That’s what I love about those guys,” Douglas told me, “they are just great songwriters.”
An Evening with Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge was one of the first American groups to infuse psychedelia into a heavy rock sound to create “psychedelic symphonic rock” an eclectic genre which would, among its many offshoots, eventually morph into heavy metal. Although, at first, the band did not record original material, they were best known for their dramatic heavy, slowed-down arrangements of contemporary pop songs which they developed into works of epic proportion. Originally, Vanilla Fudge was a blue-eyed soul cover band called The Pigeons, formed in New Jersey in 1965 with organist, Mark Stein, bassist, Tim Bogert, drummer, Joey Brennan, and guitarist, vocalist and US Navy veteran, Vince Martell. They built a following by gigging extensively up and down the East Coast, and earned extra money by providing freelance in-concert backing for hit-record girl groups. In early 1966, the group recorded a set of eight demos that were released several years later as “While the World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge.”The East Coast, in particular, New York, and New Jersey, created a sound all its own. Inspired by groups such as The Rascals and The Vagrants (fronted by guitarist, Leslie West of “Mountain” fame), The Pigeons reworked many of their own existing arrangements of covers to reflect their unique interpretation of this “East Coast Sound.” In late 1966, drummer, Joey Brennan, moved out to the West Coast; the Pigeons immediately drafted drummer and vocalist, Carmine Appice, a disciple of the renowned Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck Band) and a seasoned veteran of the club scene. In early 1967, The Pigeons manager, Phil Basile, convinced producer, George “Shadow” Morton (producer for The Shangri-Las and Janis Ian), to catch their live act. Impressed by their heavy-rocking, trippy and psychedelic version of The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”, Morton offered to record the song as a single. This resulted in a deal with the Atlantic subsidiary Atco, which requested a name change. The band settled on Vanilla Fudge; they were a white group singing and playing with the soul of the brothers. The band toured extensively behind its covers-heavy, jam-oriented debut album, Vanilla Fudge, to expand their fan base. Vanilla Fudge, the album, was released on June 2, 1967 the day after The Beatles’ released their Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.The “Vanilla Fudge” first album rose up the charts to # 4 without the aid of a big hit single.
Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter – See It All Tour
Rock n Roll recording artists and globetrotting journeymen, Devon Allman & Donavon Frankenreiter have their sights set on a World Record with their new SEE IT ALL TOUR 2023.50 Shows in 50 States in 50 Days The concept is simple. The execution will be brutal….. 50 shows in all 50 American states in less than 50 days. Like modern day Evel Knievels, the tour is going to test the wills of these road tested veterans at every turn. For nearly four decades Donavon Frankenreiter has been travelling the globe, first as a professional surfer and now as a musician. With over a dozen albums under his belt, Frankenreiter has worked it on the touring trail worldwide for three decades. Donavon is a brand ambassador for Flying Embers as well as Sanuk Footwear and also co-owner of Humble Brands, Caddis Eyewear and several other companies. Blues Music Award-winning singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Devon Allman (son of Rock legend Gregg Allman) has appeared at the world’s biggest festivals and has co-founded the supergroups Royal Southern Brotherhood and The Allman Betts Band amassing a recording catalog of 11 albums. He writes a column for Guitar Player Magazine, is endorsed by Gibson guitars, and serves on the board of directors for the National Blues Museum. The See it All Tour will take them to places they’ve never been, at a pace that’s never been done. Doing one set entirely together with a backing band, the duo will be playing songs off of their soon to be released collaborative EP titled “Rollers.” Be a part of music history and cheer on Team D&D. Let’s kick the tires and start the fires.
An Evening with SHAUN CASSIDY
Shaun Cassidy is an American writer, producer, actor and singer. After originally making his name as a performer, Cassidy went on to create, write, and produce a number of critically acclaimed television series including AMERICAN GOTHIC (produced with Sam Raimi), ROAR (starring Heath Ledger), COLD CASE, COVER ME, THE AGENCY, INVASION, and EMERALD CITY. Cassidy most recently spent five years as executive producer and writer for the hit NBC/NETFLIX series NEW AMSTERDAM. The son of Tony award winning actor Jack Cassidy and Academy award winner Shirley Jones (and half-brother of the late singer/actor David Cassidy), Shaun grew up in Los Angeles and New York City. While still in high school, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers records. This led to three multi-platinum albums and numerous top ten hits including “Da Doo Ron Ron”, “That’s Rock n’ Roll”, “Hey Deanie”, and “Do You Believe In Magic?”Cassidy received a Grammy nomination for his efforts and performed at every major arena in the country including Houston’s Astrodome and New York’s Madison Square Garden. Almost concurrently, he starred in the ABC television series THE HARDY BOYS MYSTERIES. Later, while appearing on Broadway in the hit musical BLOOD BROTHERS, Shaun wrote his first television pilot, AMERICAN GOTHIC. When the show debuted, The New York Times called it “The most original new show of the season.” Last year, Cassidy took his self-penned music and storytelling show, THE MAGIC OF A MIDNIGHT SKY, to the stage, playing to SRO crowds nationwide. During the pandemic, in collaboration with No Kid Hungry, he successfully introduced a collection of fine wines, MY FIRST CRUSH, which donates money to feed hungry children nationwide. Currently working under an exclusive long term development deal with NBC/Universal television, Shaun makes his home in the wine country of Santa Barbara with his wife, Tracey, their four children, and more animals than he can count.
Eric Gales
Eric Gales is a blues firebrand. Over 30 years and 18 albums, his passion for the music and his boundless desire to keep it vital has never waned, even when his own light dimmed due to his substance struggles. Throughout it all, he continued to reinvigorate the art form with personal revelation in his lyrics and bold stylistic twists in his guitar playing and songwriting.Five years sober, creatively rejuvenated, and sagely insightful, Eric is ready for the fight of his career. Aptly, he calls his masterful new album, out January 2022 on Provogue/Mascot label Group, Crown. Here, Eric opens like never before, sharing his struggles with substance abuse, his hopes about a new era of sobriety and unbridled creativity, and his personal reflections on racism. The songs are delivered with clarity and feature Eric’s personal experiences and hope for positive change. In addition, the 16-track collection boasts his finest singing, songwriting, and his signature guitar playing that burns throughout. Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, this is Eric at his most boldly vulnerable, uncompromisingly political, and unflinchingly confident.Crown was forged in tragedy but rises triumphantly. The day before Eric left Greensboro, North Carolina to Los Angeles, California to work with Joe and Josh, he heard the news about the George Floyd murder. As a Black man in America, he had a lot on his mind when he touched down in Music City to write songs for Crown.“What made George Floyd any different than me?,” Eric asks. “As I began to chat about this to Joe and Josh during preproduction, raw and unnerved emotion came out of me, and Joe furiously scribbled down notes about it all. These songs came from those outpourings. They’re about my life, and what’s happening in the world right now. When it came time to sing, I had to take breaks between vocals to cry and let it out. I was sharing my experiences as a Black man, and my private struggles. This is me letting the world know what I’ve been through.”Since 1991, the Memphis-born guitarist has blazed a path reinvigorating the blues with a virtuosity and rock swagger that have him being heralded as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix. He was a child prodigy with bottomless talent and fierce determination, and at just 16 years-old released his debut, The Eric Gales Band, on Elektra Records. He’s earned high praise by guitarists’ guitarist and household name axe men such as Joe Bonamassa, Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro, and Mark Tremonti. In addition, he has held his own with some of the greatest guitarists in the world, including Carlos Santana at Woodstock 1994, Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson, and a posse of others as a featured guest touring with the Experience Hendrix Tour.The story behind Crown dates back to the early 1990s when as teenagers Eric and Joe were both hailed as blues wunderkinds and torchbearers. Eric is three years older than Joe, and Joe used to open for Eric. The pair went on to very different lives and careers, but Eric’s full potential was hampered by his substance abuse issues. “While I was dealing with my affliction, Joe’s career skyrocketed. I put myself in the backseat through my drug addiction. The world knows me, but the world doesn’t know me,” he says. In 2009, Eric hit bottom and served jail time at Shelby County Correction Center for possession of drugs and a weapon.Eric and Joe reconnected grandly in 2019 when Joe invited Eric to play with him onstage at a blues cruise encore performance. It was the first time the guys had played live together onstage in 25 years, and it has since been named one of the most explosive guitar duels ever, amassing over 3 million plays on YouTube.
An Evening with Jimmy Webb
Jimmy Webb – America’s SongwriterJimmy Webb’s songs are deeply embedded in our culture. His catalog of music and lyrics spans multiple genres and appeals to all living generations. He is always on the lists of the most important songwriters. With songs including “Wichita Lineman”, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”, “The Worst that Could Happen”, “MacArthur Park”, “Galveston”, “Didn’t We”, “All I Know”, “The Highwayman”, and “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”, he is clearly beloved by the best voices and admired by songwriters everywhere. Webb has been dubbed a modern-day Gershwin/Porter/Berlin and is a bona fide progenitor of the Great American Songbook. Yet at the same time, he appeals directly and widely to the country/pop/rock/rap culture of today. Webb’s music runs the spectrum of modern music genres: country, pop, rock, jazz, rap, heavy metal, new age, gospel, disco, EDM, classical—and more. And his songs have been recorded by the foremost interpreters of these genres. In his live shows, Jimmy’s intimate style is juxtaposed against his stature and exquisite piano skills. His humor and storytelling create such a personal atmosphere that the audience cries, laughs and sings as if in the presence of a long lost relative here for a brief visit. Jimmy walked with giants and regales audiences with stories of Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Louis Armstrong, Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson, Richard Harris, Glen Campbell, and More!
Humble Pie – Legacy
JERRY SHIRLEY PRESENTS: HUMBLE PIE LEGACY – 50 YEARS OF SMOKIN’ The current incarnation of Humble Pie will stage a short tour of America this September. All shows go on-sale this Friday. Staged as JERRY SHIRLEY PRESENTS: HUMBLE PIE LEGACY – 50 YEARS OF SMOKIN,’ the excursion is a celebration of one of the greatest touring bands to ever perform internationally. Band leader and guitarist Dave “Bucket” Colwell, bassist Ivan Bodley, drummer Bobby Marks and vocalist / guitarist Jim Stapley were handpicked by Jerry Shirley to carry on the band’s legacy.Humble Pie founding drummer Jerry Shirley offers, “Having spent a long time carefully putting together such a wonderful band of top-class players with the help of Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell, my musical director and band leader using his recruiting skills, I am thrilled with the outcome and can’t wait to see and hear them light up the live stage later this year.” Founding guitarist Peter Frampton adds, “I wholeheartedly support this venture.”Looking towards the road ahead, singer Stapley shares, “Having spent a number of years playing with guys like Bucket, Kenney Jones, and Rick Wills, and having written, performed with, and been a close friend to Mollie – one of Steve’s daughters – it’s clearly obvious to me that the legacy of Humble Pie is an important and influential one. It’s not lost on me that the center spot on stage has a huge hole in it, where Steve Marriott once stood. I can’t even attempt to fill those boots, no one can. But I’ll tear my lungs out giving it a shot… The songs deserve it, the band deserves it, and everyone one who has come to love the music of Humble Pie, but never got to see them live, deserve it too… So, no pressure… (gulp). “When Humble Pie emerged a half century ago, they lead the way as the heavy harbingers of a new generation of organic, hard-hitting blues-rock that would help define the denim and doobies half-decade of the early 1970s. Their unimpeachably classic LPs like 1971’s heralded live album Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore and 1972’s commercial breakthrough Smokin’ remain veritable cornerstones of classic rock, foundational influences for generations of artists from Aerosmith to Van Halen to Quiet Riot to the Black Crowes to Rival Sons, Dirty Honey, and beyond. Dave “Bucket” Colwell has played in bands since the age of 16, starting in the UK pubrock era. He moved on to touring and recording, with tenures in Samson, Adrian Smith & Project, and Bad Company. Over the course of a dozen years, he shared and solo-occupied the guitar chair of his pal Mick Ralphs, from 1990’s Holy Water Tour to 2002’s Merchants of Cool album and tour with Paul Rodgers. The current band leader of Humble Pie Legacy plans to release his third solo album Chasing Satellites under the moniker Buckets Rebel Heart later this year.Colwell would summarily draft R&B bassist Ivan “Funkboy” Bodley (Sam Moore, The Shirelles), drummer Bobby Marks (Dokken, Joe Lynn Turner) and most recent addition singer Jim Stapley to meet, magnify, and manifest the band’s heavy legacy head-on. “We all have a great sense of love and pride for Humble Pie,” says Shirley, now 71, “and that includes the original members, their families, and what we were able to achieve. It goes without saying that no one will ever replace Steve, Peter, or any member of the band. My goal is to keep the legacy of Humble Pie intact as one of the greatest live acts in rock, while satiating the need for generations of our beloved fans to again enjoy our music performed live by world-class musicians.”
Men Without Hats & Slim Jim Phantom
They told the world “You can dance if you want to” 30 years ago – and we did. A few years later they instructed that same planet – the third – to go Pop – and we did. Men Without Hats have been creating iconic and irresistible pop music for three decades and have soared back with the release of their latest album, Love in the Age of War, to be released this May. Led by charismatic front man, lead singer and songwriter Ivan Dorschuk, MWH has surged back starting with a breakout show at 2011’s SXSW and followed by extensive, well-received touring across North America over the last year. Along with keyboard player Lou Dawson and guitarist James Love, Doroschuk and the Hats have been delivering high energy shows packed with all of the band’s absurdly catchy lyrics as well as great tracks from the new release, a disc that picks up where the hit making band left off. “Sure lots has changed in music over the last few decades, “ says Doroschuk, “ but the world still loves a hooky song with a bit of edge that can get you thinking.” And that’s what the Hats deliver, tracks that will get you bopping across the dance floor with subtle messages that will haunt you long after the music has ended. It’s no surprise that this band has topped charts across the planet and even picked up a 1983 Grammy nomination for Best group (Culture Club won it). The Hats song catalogue always sounds fresh and relevant and Hats hits have been featured on The Simpsons, Family Guy, Glee and Pop Goes the World now lights up TV screens in a TIDE ad. Men Without Hats have been providing a hit-filled and hooky soundtrack for our lives since the 80s and the band powers magnificently into the 21st Century with a steady stream of jaw dropping live shows and a fantastic new album. You still can “dance if you want to” and Men Without Hats makes it easy and fun!
The David Mayfield Parade
THE DAVID MAYFIELD PARADE DAVID MAYFIELD, the charismatic and comedic songwriter/singer/multi-instrumentalist – and Grammy nominated producer debuts his new virtuosic bluegrass band the David Mayfield Parade at the historic Kent Stage. Described by the Boston Globe as “… a dynamic combination of music and comedy worthy of a traveling vaudeville act”, The Parade showcases David’s unique songwriting and unrivaled showmanship alongside two-time National Bluegrass banjo champion Steven Moore, upright bassist Graham Bell, Mandolinist Keith Wallen, and Ryan Wallen on Dobro.