Naturally 7 Comes To PlayhouseSquare 1/20

Fresh off collaborations with Quincy Jones and Michael Bublé, the international acappella sensation Naturally 7 makes their PlayhouseSquare premiere, Thursday, January 20th at 7:30 PM. With their rich harmonies and an unbelievable ability to replicate instruments, Naturally 7 is the first vocal play group - where every instrument sound that they sing is created from the human voice. There are no actual drums, guitars, horns, flutes, or any other instrument heard when listening to them perform; it's the band members playing each of their vocal instruments.

The origins of the group date back to New York City in 1999 when Roger Thomas started the group with his brother, Warren, and five other talented singers they had come to know over the years from singing around the city. Having been in and out of several traditional male groups over the years, Roger developed an affinity for acappella sounds and a unique ability to create distinct harmony arrangements. Band members found aspects of their own voices to determine which members would be which instrument and "Vocal Play" was born. While acappella is defined as singing without instruments, Vocal Play is singing as instruments, and becoming an instrument with the voice.

The group's turning point came in the fall of 2007. From quiet success in Europe they have been propelled onto the world stage, performing before more than a million people. As the opening act for acclaimed singer Michael Bublé, Naturally 7 were met with standing ovations nightly in Europe, the U.K., Canada, Australia and the U.S.

Naturally 7 are Roger Thomas (musical director, arranger, 1st Baritone, Rap), Warren Thomas (percussion, guitar, clarinet, 3rd tenor) Rod Eldridge (1st tenor, scratching, trumpet), Napoleon (Polo) Cummings (4th Tenor, electric guitar), Dwight Stewart (2nd baritone), Garfield Buckley (2nd Tenor, Harmonica) and "Hops" Hutton (Bass).

The band has recorded numerous albums - "Non Fiction" (2000), "What Is It" (2003), "Christmas ...It's A Love Story" (2004), "Ready II Fly" (2006), and "VocalPlay" (2010). The latter contains the YouTube-hit "Feel It (In the Air Tonight"). Naturally 7's now famous Paris subway performance of the song, has received nearly five million hits on YouTube. The song turned into a Top 3-chart-success in France, Belgium and South Africa and made the single charts in other European countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal. Another recent collaboration was with Ludacris and Rudy Currence on the song "Soul Bossa Nostra" on Quincy Jones' new album. Visit www.naturallyseven.com.

Naturally 7 performs Thursday, January 20, 2011 in the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now for $10, $25 or $35 and can be purchased by calling 216-241-6000, online at www.playhousesquare.org or at The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Group orders may be placed by calling 216-664-6050.

PlayhouseSquare encourages all guests to "Plan Your Visit" ahead of time by visiting playhousesquare.org and clicking the "Plan Your Visit" tab where directions, parking information, dining options, lodging, ticketing policies and other useful information designed to enhance guest experiences at PlayhouseSquare exist. Whether their visit is the first or one hundred and first, PlayhouseSquare is committed to making guest experiences both as memorable and hassle free as possible.

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