Amy Keys to Play Blackbox @ the Edye at The Broad Stage

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents Amy Keys, on Friday, December 7 at 8:00pm. Amy Keys is the fourth evening of blackbox @ the edye, which transforms The Edye into a club featuring up-and-coming jazz and blues artists. The series is curated and hosted by The Reverend Shawn Amos; he and his house band perform at select shows during the season as well.

Amy Keys is a versatile and accomplished vocalist, writer, producer and actor. You've heard her voice in everything from the Emmy Award-winning NBC NASCAR Super Bowl commercial to Tarzan. Her numerous television appearances include the GRAMMYs, The Voice and Conan O'Brien, and she has toured, recorded or sung back-up with many greats such as Leonard Cohen, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Al Green, Queen Latifah, Sting, Josh Groban, Neil Young, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner and Mary J. Blige.

Keys is followed in the blackbox @ the edye series by a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance (February 1), Mudbug Brass Band (March 1), Jennifer Keith Quintet (April 5), and Gabrielito (May 3).

Jazz & Blues is made possible by a generous gift from Richard and Lisa Kendall. blackbox @ the edye at The Broad Stage is made possible in part by a generous gift from Ann Petersen.

About Amy Keys
Originally from Washington, DC; she started singing with groups in college while becoming a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and earning a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Her education continued with studies in voice at the Peabody Institute...also with Seth Riggs, Nolan Vanway and Gerald White...and in acting with Howard Fine and the original "Virginia Woolf" on Broadway, Ms. Uta Hagen.
The Sony/Epic Label released a solo album with Amy entitled "Lover's Intuition". The title track appeared on the soundtrack of the movie "Tap" starring Gregory Hines.

Her first "major" tour was with Leonard Cohen and was quickly followed by a tour with the "LA All Stars", whose members included Al McKay and Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire. Later that same year, she was offered the opportunity to perform with one of her idols...Phil Collins. Other touring credits include: Herbie Hancock, Toto, Dave Stewart, kd lang, Joe Cocker, Tears For Fears, Kevin Spacey ("Beyond the Sea" Tour), Michael Bolton, Phillip Bailey, and many more. (In May '06, she began touring with Johnny Hallyday...singing completely in French!)

Her work with Phil Collins includes, performing background and lead vocals (including duets) and creating vocal arrangements for his show/albums....One of her arrangements (composed with Brad Cole - keyboardist for Phil Collins) was used in the "First Final Farewell Tour" show and DVD and was included on Phil's "Love Songs" Collection CD. She also choreographed the Phil Collins "First Final Farewell Tour" show.
Amy has sung backgrounds for numerous artists including: Sting, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Larry Mullen, Jr (U2), One Republic, Sam Smith, Josh Groban (for whom she both sang and created vocal arrangements), Stevie Wonder, Seal, Neil Young, Randy Newman, Chaka Khan, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Al Green, Queen Latifah, NeYo, Heart, Gavin DeGraw, Phil Vassar, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn, Sarah McLachlan, Tina Turner, Michael McDonald, Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, Brian McKnight,
Al Jarreau, Natalie Cole, Donna Summer, Toni Braxton, Wilson Phillips, Diana Ross, Tito Puente, Christopher Cross, Charice, and many others.

She has performed many National television theme songs including: "City of Angels"(CBS TV), "Boomtown" (NBC TV) (Emmy winning theme), "Famous Families" (PAX TV), and the theme of "Over There"- (the Stephen Bochco series) and "K- Ville". She has performed vocals and looping for and on camera in numerous commercials and films including: All voices on the "NASCAR on NBC" Superbowl Spot featuring Nick Offerman (Emmy Winner), "Anchorman 2", "Rock Of Ages", "Big Lots Holiday", "Tarzan", "Tarzan 2", "Brother Bear", "Another 48 Hours", "Carl's Jr.", "Coca Cola", "Coors", "Taco Bell" w/Little Richard, "Toy Story 2","Touched By An Angel", "The Pretender", " The Profiler", "Martial Law", "WNBA Playoffs"and "The Fair". And performs all voices on the new ABC Matt LaBlanc show promo.
Amy is an accomplished writer with numerous credits including the promotional themes for "The Amazing Race" (CBS TV) and "Martial Law" (CBS TV) and most recently a song for "Law and Order, CI" (which she performed for the show.)

Her recording credits are numerous, including performances with: Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr (performance and vocal arrangements), Toto, Keb Mo, Jessica Simpson, Dave Stewart, Neil Young, Schiller, LA Blues Alliance, kd lang, Michael McDonald, Johnny Hallyday (performance and arrangements in French), Kirk Whalum, Daryl Stuermer, Julia Fordham and many more.

Made numerous television appearances including: The Grammy Awards with both Barbara Streisand and Sam Smith with Mary J Blige, The Academy Awards with Randy Newman, The Voice, Phil Collins "Live In Paris", VH-1 Storytellers, David Foster's "Hitman" Specials, kd lang Live By Request, Michael Bolton Live By Request, The Tonight Show, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Ellen, The View, New York Undercover, Rosie O'Donnell, Disney's "Hercules" Premiere, Disney's "Tarzan" Premiere, "In Living Color". She was, along with Dorian Holly (American Idol), featured vocalist on Wayne Brady's "Don't Forget The Lyrics" with the Rickey Minor Band (the "Tonight Show"and currently the "American Idol" band).

On a project conceived and produced by Mike Post, a blues album, "What A Life", Amy recorded with a group of amazing musicians - the "Blue Lifers" including Sonny Landreth, Keb Mo, Mike Finnegan, John "JR" Robinson, Snuffy Walden, David Morgan, Bob Glaub and Stan Behrens. The project includes one of her originals. It's available on iTunes.

She toured Europe as the featured vocalist with Herbie Hancock and performed with him at the Montreux Jazz Festival during a tribute to Quincy Jones and at the famed Monterey Jazz Festival. She is also a featured vocalist with Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and his "Rock Fabulous Orchestra" and appears as a much-featured artist on his CD, "Dave Stewart Songbook"* (*My favorite is "Taking Chances"). Check it out on iTunes. She started '08 with a performance in Liverpool with Dave and Ringo Starr!

Amy continues to be the featured vocalist with Johnny Hallyday, singing both backgrounds, leads and duets, live as well as on recordings...Most recently recording Johnny's new CD, "Rester Vivant", produced by Don Was.

She is also a member of "Crown & the M.O.B.", a group seamlessly melding rap, pop, r&b, and rock, currently making its mark in the industry. Our album recently surpassed 500,000 streams on Spotify. And the first single, "Love My People"is in maximum rotation on the top stations in the UK. The song is also featured in the promo for the new video game by XBOX, "Forza Horizon 3: Driver's Unstruction" and was used by the Miami Heat as their "entrance" music. The group also serves as the TV band for the ESPY Awards.

Amy served as a representative of the music community on the Governor's Board of the National Recording Academy (Grammys) and is a member of its Advocacy Board.

About blackbox @ the edye at The Broad Stage | Curated and hosted by The Reverend Shawn Amos

New York's Cotton Club and Village Vanguard, Chicago's Kingston Mines, Kansas City's Reno Club, Los Angeles's Dunbar Hotel - these were more than just nightclubs. The Great American 20th century jazz and blues scene was a crucial gathering place where stories were shared and traditions handed down. In these sanctuaries, blacks, whites, rich and poor crossed lines to congregate and hold hands. In the early 1960s, curator Shawn Amos' mother, Shirl-ee May, sang jazz and blues at Club Harlem - a storied Atlantic City night spot home to a generation of African American performers. Throughout the early-mid 20th century, jazz and blues clubs like Club Harlem were the epicenter of urban American nightlife. Shawn Amos writes, "No doubt, people, souls were being saved. It's in the American rhythm and the rhyme. Jazz and blues is our music. It belongs to us. This music is ours. Jazz and blues is the tragedy and triumph of our shared history. It's the continual battle of our current circumstance. Jazz and blues cuts the shortest path from our heart to our head and up to a higher power. These deep grooves hold our fears, hopes and darkest demons. In this trying 21st century, jazz and blues reminds us of our interdependence. We let this music open our hearts."

Information, subscription packages and tickets priced $20 are available at thebroadstage.org or by calling 310.434.3200, or visiting at the box office at 1310 11thSt. Santa Monica CA 90401 beginning three hours prior to performance.

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