Melissa Etheridge: MEmphis Rock & Soul Tour Comes to MPAC This October

Melissa Etheridge returns to Mayo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at 8 pm, as part of her MEmphis Rock & Soul Tour. Tickets are $62 - $112.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge performs music from her new release MEmphis Rock & Soul, inspired by the artists and legacy that pioneering record label Stax Records played in the Civil Rights movement. Ticket purchase includes digital download of her new release.

Melissa Etheridge has announced the release of her new album 'MEmphis Rock and Soul', a tribute to Stax Records and the rich history of classic southern soul, out October 7 via Stax/Concord. The album is a collection of deep soul covers associated with the original Stax label, including songs recorded by Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, The Staple Singers, William Bell and more. The album also features new, original verses written by Melissa on two of the tracks.

Etheridge showcases her signature rasp and unmistakable guitar prowess on lead single, "Hold On, I'm Coming." The fierce take on a Sam & Dave standard premiered on August 2, 2016 on Billboard.

While the original Stax studio is long gone, Etheridge took to another hallowed local spot, Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios (home to Al Green, Ann Peebles and others), to channel the classic Memphis sounds found on these soulful standards. 'MEmphis Rock and Soul' was produced by Willie's son Boo Mitchell, and features a backing band comprised of Hodges Brothers and other top Memphis musicians who are legends in their own right. Etheridge even recorded with Al Green's famed RCA 77DX ribbon microphone ("No. 9").'MEmphis Rock and Soul' also spotlights the empowering role Stax played in the Civil Rights Movement, a fitting theme for Melissa, who has become a pivotal voice of the modern LGBT rights movement.

Over the course of her 20+ year career, Melissa has won an Oscar and multiple Grammy awards, survived breast cancer, and has become a powerful voice for the LGBT movement. Most recently, she penned the song "Pulse" paying tribute to those lost in the June 12th Orlando shootings, and all proceeds for the song will benefit Equality Florida.

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2016-2017 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center has been named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres.

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