Five Time Grammy® Winner Buddy Guy Returns to the Kimmel Center with British R&B and Soul Sensation James Hunter to Perform on April 5
March 23, 2007
Buddy Guy
"James is one of the best voices, and best kept secrets, in British R&B and Soul. Check him out." —Van Morrison
Blues music icon Buddy Guy returns to the Kimmel Center for a performance with British R & B and Soul sensation James Hunter, Thursday, April 5, 2007 at 8pm. Five time Grammy® Award winner Buddy Guy has left an indelible mark in the development of blues music with his wild electric guitar playing and impassioned vocals in the early 60s. A legend in his own right, Guy’s music has recently undergone a popular resurgence with the 2005 reissue of Damn Right, I’ve got the Blues and his recent album Bring ‘Em In including Carlos Santana and John Mayer collaborations. Also performing is James Hunter, who was first discovered by Van Morrison at a gig in Wales and subsequently toured with Morrison. Hunter, performing highlights from his recent hit album, People Gonna Talk, has reinvented the classic 50’s and early 60’s R&B genre and has a vocal style with depth and nuance that often invites comparison to Sam Cooke.
This concert is the sixteenth concert in the Verizon World Pop Mix Series scheduled for the 2006/2007 season. The next concert in the series will be Art Garfunkel on Saturday, April 7, 2007 at 8pm.
Tickets for Buddy Guy and James Hunter are $40, $51, and $61 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10pm to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply). For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
Buddy Guy, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, began his career in Chicago in 1957. It was there that he made his impact as a musician, and pushed blues music forward as he reached a large audience during the nation’s turbulent time of segregation. In the early stages of his career, Guy became a session guitarist for Chess Records, and played backup for Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson. However, he too became well known very soon thereafter. His hits (under recording label Silvertone): Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues (1991), Feels Like Rain (1993), Slippin’ In (1994), each earned him Grammy Awards. Guy’s release of over twenty five records has made him a blues legend and a distinguished rock figure, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
"He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people," Eric Clapton remembered at Buddy Guy’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2005. "My course was set and he was my pilot."
Born in Colchester, England, James Hunter has toured extensively in the club and festival circuits in London and across Europe. His natural ability as a singer and guitarist brings added excitement to his music, and his clever songwriting ability adapts 50’s and 60’s R&B sounds to a new generation. In 1996 Ace Records released Hunter’s solo debut, Believe What I Say, featuring guest appearances by Van Morrison and the late Doris Troy. In 2001 Boz Boorer, Morrissey’s lead guitarist and Musical Director, stepped in to produce Hunter’s sophomore solo album, Kick It Around, on the German label Ruf Records. Hunter initially hooked up with Van Morrison back in the early 90’s after Morrison, tipped off by an enthusiastic Hunter fan at a newsstand in London, went to hear Hunter perform at a gig in Wales. Hunter has toured extensively with Morrison, singing alongside such luminaries as John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Jimmy Witherspoon and Georgie Fame. He is featured on Morrison’s live album A Night in San Francisco and the studio recording Days Like This.
Kimmel Center Presents' 2006/2007 season is supported by: Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, ARC Wheeler, The William Penn Foundation, The Presser Foundation, Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents. The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com are media sponsors for the Great Orchestras on Tour series.
FREE AT THE KIMMEL events are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program supported by a generous grant from Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS
Thursday, April 5, 2007 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
Verizon World Pop Mix
Buddy Guy and James Hunter
James Hunter, vocals and guitar
Damian Hand, tenor saxophone
Lee Badau, baritone saxophone
Jared Samuel, keyboards
Jason Wilson, double bass
Jonathan Lee, drums
-Intermission-
Buddy Guy, The Real Deal
Ric Hall, guitar
Marty Sammon, keyboards
Orlando Wright, bass
Tim Austin, drums
FREE AT THE KIMMEL EVENTS:
Thursday, April 5, 2007 | 6:30pm
Commonwealth Plaza
TBA
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