2008-2009 Performances

THE OFFICIAL BLUES BROTHERS REVIVAL
Saturday, October 25, 2008 - 8 PM
Tickets - $32, $28, $24

The Official Blues Brothers Revival” brings back the “soul” of Jake and Elwood Blues in a hilarious and heartfelt musical blowout in tribute to the musical hits made famous by the legendary Blues Brothers. Complete with nine-piece band, the show is a hand-clapping, foot-stomping good time from beginning to end, infectious with unbridled energy that blows the roof off. For upbeat and uplifting music belted out with true conviction, this is one not to be missed! The Official Blues Brothers Revival is guaranteed to keep hands clapping and feet stomping with their full throttle rhythm & blues review. Join Jake & Elwood, they’re on a mission from God!.

INFECTIOUS AND UNBRIDLED ENERGY...BLOWS THE ROOF OFF…CHICAGO SUN TIMES

www.bluesbrothers-revival.com
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MAURICE WILLIAMS AND THE ZODIACS
Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 8 PM
Tickets - $28, $24, $20




Maurice Williams is one of the most extraordinarily durable figures in the history of classic rhythm-and-blues and rock 'n roll. "Stay," became one of the classic singles in the history of rock 'n roll and r&b-a No. 1 mega-hit upon its release in 1960 on Al Silver's Herald label, and a popular favorite for decades since, revived in 1987 with its prominent use in the movie Dirty Dancing. Williams has remained active as a performer and, periodically, as a recording artist and songwriter, ever since.

Williams had sung in church, but his interest lay more in popular music, and in 1953, he and his friends were ready to form a group that they called the Royal Charms. They played school events and talent shows, winning several and acquiring a local following, before they finally got a paying gig at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post. The year they'd started out, 1953, Williams had also written two songs that were to have a pivotal effect on his life and career, and the group's history: "Little Darling" and "Stay."

Maurice Williams has led various incarnations of the Zodiacs on oldies tours, primarily on the Beach Music circuit on the U.S. East Coast. In the wake of mega-hit movie Dirty Dancing, which yielded sales of another fifteen million copies of "Stay," he re-emerged as a recording artist on the Ripete label, based in Columbia, S.C., which specializes in beach music. Ripete has since released the impossible-to-find 1965 live album on CD, as part of an excellent career anthology of Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs.

Today, Maurice Williams resides in Charlotte, NC. He is an active performer on the beach music circuit and is extremely popular wherever he performs. His latest album, Back To The Basics on EMN Records (also based in Charlotte) features new performances of his hits Stay, Little Darlin' and May I that are very much worth the price of the album alone. Maurice is an inductee of the South Carolina Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, and the Beach Music Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach.

www.mauricewilliams.com
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LIFE IS SO GOOD
starring Mike Wiley and David zum Brunnen
Saturday, January 24, 2009 - 8 PM
Tickets - $26, $22, $18




"Life Is So Good is about character, soul and spirit...The pride in standing his ground is matched-maybe even exceeded-by the accomplishment of (George Dawson’s) hard-won education."…The Washington Post

103-year-old George Dawson, a slave's grandson who learned to read at age 98, reflects on his life and offers valuable lessons in living as well as a fresh, firsthand view of America during the twentieth century. His unlikely friend Richard Glaubman, an elementary school teacher, captures Dawson's irresistible voice and view of the world, offering insights into humanity, history, hardships, and happiness.

From segregation and civil rights, to the wars, presidents, and defining moments in history, George Dawson's description and assessment of the last century inspires readers with the message that-through it all-has sustained him: "Life is so good. I do believe it's getting better." Themes: Integrity, History, Civil Rights, and Literacy. The original book, Life Is So Good, and George Dawson were featured on Oprah's Use Your Life Awards. Life Is So Good received the 2001 Christopher Award for Nonfiction for writers whose work "affirms the highest values of the human spirit".

Adapted for the stage and performed by Mike Wiley and David zum Brunnen.
Directed by Serena Ebhardt
Co-Produced by EbzB Productions and Mike Wiley Productions

Click Here to Visit Artist Website 
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LIVINGSTON TAYLOR
Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 8 PM
Tickets - $32, $28, $24

He may be the brother of Sweet Baby James, but he’s got the singing, songwriting chops to even change his name and still be on top. Livingston Taylor is an internationally admired solo artist who’s at the peak of his game.

Taylor’s newest CD There You Are Again continues to reap acclaim as perhaps being the finest work of his already distinguished career -- and this from a guy raised in Chapel Hill who says that he got his start in music by singing along in his crib to a Tuberose Snuff radio commercial.

These days, in addition to touring and performing more than 100 nights a year, Taylor continues as artist-in-residence at Harvard and as professor at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he’s taught for more than ten years. His life has been spent in music -- surrounded by it, submerged in it -- and giving it back to his audience as a songwriter and performer since his first recording in 1970.

His Berklee course represents wisdom accumulated through more than 4,000 performances worth of double-decker arenas and 20-stool taverns, signing autographs and ducking whiskey bottles. In fact, it's safe to say that Taylor, who has also recorded 15 albums, has written the book on stage performance—because he has. His textbook “Stage Performance” was published last year.

"I looked around before I wrote this book," Taylor says. "I looked around for anyone who talked about what I talk about, but nobody ever does. Nobody ever tells a group of students that a performer is employed by the audience. They buy the ticket, they hire you, you're working for them." If a student retains only one fragment from the entire semester, Taylor says it needs to be this: "It's not about you—it's about them."

Taylor jokes about the differences in his students at Harvard and at Berklee, saying that, for Harvard, one’s entire extended family has worked and saved their whole life to get you there – and that for Berklee, your whole extended family has worked and saved their whole life to try to get you to go somewhere else...

Taylor’s new CD includes duets and guest appearances by brother James, sister Kate, Vince Gill, Take Six, Carly Simon, Andre Crouch, Pam Tillis & more. It’s a total statement and love and friendship from start to finish. There’s a lot of people out there who are lovin’ this Liv.

www.livtaylor.com
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A NIGHT AT THE BEACH 2009!
FEATURING THE BAND OF OZ & HIP POCKET
Saturday, March 7, 2009 - 6:15 PM

Click Here For Ticket Information and Order Forms

Okay now...pick a favorite and start singing along!

Shama Lama Ding Dong... What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am...  Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy... Hey Girl, Don’t Bother Me... I Been Hurt...

The people of Sampson County can tell you that you don’t have to have the ocean to enjoy A Night at The Beach!

It’s all about the shag, the beach music, the endless buffet, the auction and the dancing – all in support of the Class Acts performing arts series for students. Through sponsorships from area individuals, companies and corporations, more than 8,000 students attend professional performances, free of charge, right here at home this year.

Sampson CenterStage’s annual “Night at the Beach” has become the social event of the year, a beach music lover’s dream-come-true. Students and teachers all over Sampson County count on you to dance the night away on their behalf. Don’t disappoint them!

For more information about our “A Night at the Beach,” call 910.592.7200 or visit www.sampsoncenterstage.com. Advance reservations required.  Sponsor and table packages available until 12 noon on Wednesday February 18, 2009.

www.hippocketlive.com
www.bandofoz.com

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NC DANCE THEATRE - AMERICAN MASTERPIECES
Saturday, March 21, 2009 - 8 PM
Tickets - $32, $28, $24




"Lickety-split technique…remarkable precision"…The New York Times

In American Masterpieces, the internationally lauded North Carolina Dance Theatre performs some of the best American choreography of the century. Included in the program are masterpieces by Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp.

Night Creature One of Alvin Ailey’s classic works, Night Creature features sensual movements that evoke nocturnal characters. The dancers perform striking, jazzy movements that climax in a stunning finale. Night Creature is propelled by the exuberance of Duke Ellington’s symphonic score. North Carolina Dance Theatre has been chosen as the first and only American company to perform Night Creature other than the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Who Cares? When George Balanchine created Who Cares? on the New York City Ballet in 1969, front and center was North Carolina Dance Theatre’s own Associate Artistic Director Patricia McBride, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer and international star of American ballet. Who Cares? has grown into a wildly popular Balanchine ballet, which is performed to over a dozen George Gershwin songs, including "I Got Rhythm," "The Man I Love," "Embraceable You" and "My One and Only." The songs are not meant to evoke any particular era, but to portray an energy that is both broadly American and characteristic of Manhattan. “Fascinating Rhythm” and the pas de deux “The Man I Love” were both choreographed on Patricia McBride. She and her husband, New York City Ballet former principal dancer and current North Carolina Dance Theatre Artistic Director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, performed “The Man I Love” with New York City Ballet many times throughout the country.

Nine Sinatra Songs Twyla Tharp’s Tony-Award-winning talents are showcased in her classic Nine Sinatra Songs. This work presents a view of 1950s social dancing through the nostalgic and yet sharpened eyes of the 1980s. The timeless tunes of Ol’ Blue Eyes, paired with costumes designed by Oscar de la Renta, flash with the glamour of past and present ages. Each dancer in the work has a distinct personality, which fits well with the trademark diversity of North Carolina Dance Theatre’s dancers. Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux met Twyla Tharp in the 1980s while they were both choreographing for Olympic Champion ice-skater John Curry.

 www.ncdance.org
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COWBOY CRUSH
Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 8 PM
Tickets - $32, $28, $24

Cowboy Crush is the current all-girl Nashville phenomenon whose attention-getting music is a life-affirming, fist-in-the-air celebration that has generated an exploding popularity nationwide, with songs that seem torn from pages of their fans' daily lives.

The group, comprised of lead singer Trenna Barnes, bass player Debbie Johnson and fiddler Renae Truex, brings an eye-catching mix of high energy, jaw-dropping talent and irrepressible femininity that are captivating audiences across the country. At their uptempo best, with songs like "Hillbilly Nation" ("Our stage show in a song," says Trenna) and "Miss Difficult," this is a trio that’s nothing less than espresso in an iced tea world -- an instant jump-start -- whether on record or live on stage. Listen to the stunning harmonies of "Nobody Ever Died Of A Broken Heart" and the emotional honesty of "Cowboy Crush." Hear the intelligence and heart in "I Am Pretty" and "Tougher Than A Man," stories of a woman in an abusive relationship and a struggling single mom. The music of Cowboy Crush offers affirmation for women in difficult spots, with songs that never fail to resonate with their fans, who view the trio as that perfect combination somewhere between trusted friend and sister.

They all agree, “We get to do what we love for a living. Sometimes that makes you queasy, and sometimes it makes you scream with joy and adrenaline. Sometimes you're looking at the hill in front of you as the chain pulling you up goes click, click, click, and you're wondering what's on the other side, but when it's over, we always want to get back on again.”

www.cowboycrush.com
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CORNELL GUNTER'S COASTERS, MARVELETTES & PLATTERS
Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 8 PM
Tickets - $36, $32, $28




The Coasters were the first group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have amassed over 100 million record sales during their remarkable career which began with “Down in Mexico” in 1956. Soon afterwards, their recording of “Searchin” hit the charts, followed by “Yakety Yak” and “Charlie Brown.” The Coasters’ career remains at the top of the charts-right where it has always been.

Of all the 60’s groups on the road today, the Marvelettes rank at the top in terms of what they deliver to an audience. The Marvelettes were probably the most pop-oriented of Motown’s female acts. It was the Marvelettes who recorded Motown’s very first number-one hit single “Please Mr. Postman” in 1961. This tune, plus “Don’t Mess With Bill” and “Beechwood 4-5789” are considered by many to represent Motown’s purest girl group efforts.

The Platters’ 1955 recording “Only You” brought instant stardom to a group that was to become the trademark romantic sound of a decade. With record sales topping 80 million, The Platters’ sixteen gold records continue to be heard on radio stations across the country. Their international careers have taken them to 75 countries, and they have played for heads of state at home and abroad. From “Twilight Time” to “Harbor Lights,” from “I’ll Never Smile Again” to “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” The Platters will forever hold that “Magic Touch.”