Kenny Loggins Coming to SCERA, 8/28

In a career that spans four decades, gifted singer, songwriter and guitarist Kenny Loggins has written some iconic music, some platinum music, some popular movie music and some award-winning music. And whether his choice is contemporary adult, soft rock, jazz, pop, ballads, or more recently, country, he provides a standard of excellence that keeps him and his music well-liked and admired.

The man whose chart-topping music was performed in films such as "Caddyshack," "Footloose," "Top Gun" and "Leap of Faith" will appear under the stars at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre Thursday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. Opening for him will be Blue Sky Riders, which he formed for himself and two other artists.

General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children (age 3-11), seniors (age 65+), and students (w/ID). Reserved seating is sold out. Tickets are available at www.scera.org, by calling (801) 225-ARTS, or in person at the main office at SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 South State, Orem, open 10am-6pm weekdays and Saturdays from 12Noon-6pm. The Shell is located at 699 South State, in the middle of SCERA Park in Orem.

"Landing Kenny Loggins in Orem is huge," says Adam J. Robertson, SCERA's President and CEO. "He's had songs in four straight decades, and his list of #1 hits is almost endless. He's a legend in the music business."

It isn't too often that a second-grader already knows what he is going to do with his life, but when Loggins was seven years old, he watched his older brothers struggle to write a song and thought it couldn't be that hard. At least for him, he was right.

Right out of college he landed a job as a songwriter for ABC/Wingate. He did this for three years, and wedged in some time to play guitar for a psych-rock band called Electric Prunes and give the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band a hit with "House at Pooh Corner." He wrote the song as a senior in high school during finals and used Christopher Robin's exit from Pooh and the Hundred Acre Woods as a metaphor for endings.

During this time he met Jim Messina, who had worked with popular singer Buffalo Springfield in the 1960s. They began collaborating, formed the duo Loggins and Messina and released an album every year from 1971 to 1976. He ventured out on his own in 1976 and struck gold-make that platinum-with the still popular "Celebrate Me Home." The solo album also included "I Believe in Love," which he had written for Barbra Streisand for the film, "A Star is Born." As he finished, he was selected to open for Fleetwood Mack, and developed a close friendship with Stevie Nicks. She offered to sing one of his songs, and "Whenever I Call You Friend," which he had written with Melissa Manchester, launched his solo career.

The hits stacked up quickly, with "What a Fool Believes" and "This Is It" earning Grammy Awards. And his albums continued to go platinum (12 reached that pinnacle). The '80s ushered in multiple film offers to write music, and he landed blockbusters with "I'm Alright" from "Caddyshack," "Footloose" from "Footloose" and "Danger Zone" from "Top Gun." A highlight of the time was his collaboration with Michael Jackson and other artists to present the landmark "We Are the World" in 1985. Another song, "Conviction of the Heart" that appeared in the movie "Leap of Faith" in 1991, prompted politician and environmentalist Al Gore to declare it was the "unofficial anthem of the environmental movement." Families love his children's lullaby album, which brought the hit "Pooh Corner" to the mainstream.

He continued releasing solo albums, a Christmas album and two LPs for children, and reunited with former partner Messina for tours in 2005 and 2009. Since 2010 he has been onstage with his band, Blue Sky Riders, which also features Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman. They released their first album, "Finally Home," in 2013, and Loggins shows no signs of slowing. He acknowledges his good fortune and says "I feel very lucky that this is the way I make my living, and not a lot of people can say that."