New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents an evening with Russell Thompkins, Jr. & The New Stylistics, The Dramatics featuring LJ Reynolds, The Jones Girls featuring Shirley Jones, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, Ted Mills - the voice of Blue Magic - and more. Only NJ appearance of this '70s soul band extravaganza! Friday, November 25, 2016 at 8:00 PM at Prudential Hall.
Comedian
Ron White will take the stage of Prudential Hall at The New Jersey
Performing Arts Center Saturday, August 6, 2016 8:00 PM. Ron "Tater Salad" White first rose to fame as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour phenomenon, but now as a chart-topping Grammy-nominated comedian and a feature film actor. Tickets Available Friday, May 13, 2016 at 10 AM at
NJPAC.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).
ABOUT RUSSELL THOMPKINS, JR.: Born in Philadelphia, Thompkins was introduced to music by his father and started singing formally in school. During high school, Thompkins was a member of a local vocal group called the Monarchs who defeated another group called the Percussions in a talent show at
Benjamin Franklin High School. Both groups disbanded shortly thereafter. Their remaining members, Thompkins,
James Smith, and Airrion Love from The Monarchs, and
James Dunn and Herbie Murrell from the Percussions, joined together to form a new group called
The Stylistics in 1968.
ABOUT THE STYLISTICS:
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of singers Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love,
James Smith, and
James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the soaring falsetto voice of Russell Thompkins, Jr. and the lush productions of Thom Bell, which helped make the Stylistics one of the most successful soul groups of the first half of the 1970s." During the early 1970s, the group had twelve consecutive U.S. R&B top ten hits, including "Stop, Look, Listen", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "People Make the World Go Round", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up to Make Up", and "You Make Me Feel Brand New".
ABOUT RON WHITE:
Ron White has always been a classic storyteller. His stories relay tales from his real life, ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to sharing stories of his daily life to becoming one of the most successful comedians in America. All 4 of his comedy albums charted #1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts. He has sold over 14 million albums (solo and with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour), been nominated for two Grammys, and over the past 9 years (since 2004) been one of the top three grossing stand up comedians on tour in America.
Ron White began performing comedy in 1986 and was quickly opening for legendary comedians Sam Kinison and Jeff Foxworthy. After eventually becoming a comedy club headliner, in 2000 White was asked to join the Blue Collar Comedy Tour alongside Jeff Foxworthy,
Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. The show toured for over three years to sold-out audiences in over 270 cities and grossed more than $35 million.
In 2003,
Warner Brothers filmed the show, Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie for a theatrical/TV/DVD/CD release. The film premiered as the most-watched movie in Comedy Central's history. In 2005, the video Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again was filmed and released on TV and DVD/CD.
In November of 2003, White released his breakthrough comedy CD Drunk In Public followed by his first one-hour TV comedy special They Call Me Tater Salad. The special had the highest viewership for a Sunday program in Comedy Central history. The DVD version was released in 2004 and reached #1 on the Billboard Comedy Chart. In 2005, White's second one-hour special You Can't Fix Stupid aired on Comedy Central to 4.5 million viewers, making it the third largest audience in Comedy Central's history and the #1 show on primetime basic cable. The CD reached #1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts and remained there for 9 consecutive weeks. This success also earned White his first Grammy nomination. Ron received his second Grammy nod for the show Blue Collar Comedy Tour - One for The Road.
In June 2006, Penguin Books released Ron's first book Ron "Tater Salad" White: I Had the Right to Remain Silent...But I Didn't Have the Ability, which landed him on the New York Times Best Seller List. In 2009, Ron released his 3rd album Behavioral Problems, which reached #1 on the Billboard Comedy Chart. In 2013 Ron's 4th album, A Little Unprofessional, also reached #1 on the Billboard Comedy Chart. All of Ron's DVDs are certified Platinum.
Ron White has been a passionate supporter of the US military troops for more than 20 years, donating his time and resources. In 2008, he created an annual charity show Ron White's Comedy Salute to the Troops. The profit from ticket/DVD sales is donated to the Armed Forces
Foundation to assist troops and their families. Many of White's celebrity friends have participated in these shows:
Lewis Black, Dave Attell, Kathleen Madigan,
Brian Regan and
Rascal Flatts. In 2011, the show was recorded for TV/DVD and was the second highest-watched show on CMT that year. The taping location that year and the next was the historic Grand Ole Opry. In 2013 the show was recorded in Las Vegas and premiered March 2013.
As an actor,
Ron White had supporting roles acted in the major theatrical films Horrible Bosses and Sex and the City 2. He also had a principal role in
Jayne Mansfield's Car (written/directed by
Billy Bob Thornton). He is a co-Executive Producer f Bridegroom, a
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason documentary, which debuted at the 2013 NYC Tribeca Film
Festival and won the Audience Award.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey - where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 9 million visitors (including over 1.5 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC for more information.
