Ben E. King News

Geffen Playhouse presents Geffen Stayhouse! They will be be sharing exclusive, original content every Wednesday from some of their Geffen alumns and favorite theater artists.

On April 25th, Grammy Award-winning producer, singer and longtime Artist in Residence at Monteverdi Tuscany will perform a backyard concert from his home in Los Angeles with all band members stationed more than 6-feet apart from each other. They are performing “Bella Notte,” by Peggy Lee and “Stand By Me,” from Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Ben E. King.  

Need something new to read or watch? Check out this week's list of new and upcoming releases!

This week, students from Nazareth Collge in Rochester, NY posted a video of them performing the Ben E. King classic 'Stand by Me' during quarantine.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) has announced its 21st anniversary 2020-2021 season. In addition to four regular-season shows, the schedule includes a special holiday show, available outside of the subscription. Running from October 7, 2020 through June 6, 2021, the regular season shows are a?oeBroadway in Black,a?? a?oeEubie!,a?? a?oePipelinea?? and a?oeSmokey Joe's Café.a?? The holiday show is a?oeBlack Nativity.a??

Back in the spotlight with a sublime new rhythm and blues record, James Hunter follows up six critically acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Nick of Time, set for release on Brooklyn's renowned soul label Daptone Records. Nick of Time is a shining testament of how a master songsmith continually draws fresh water from a bottomless well. Recorded and produced by Bosco Mann, Nick of Time features one of today's foremost soul singers at the top of his game performing with musicians who've backed some of the biggest contemporary music stars including Daptone artists Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Nick of Time will be internationally released on March 6, 2020.

Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers will bring their high-energy show to Smothers Theatre at Pepperdine University at 8 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2020 at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. 

Back in the spotlight with a sublime new rhythm and blues record, James Hunter follows up six critically acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Nick of Time, set for release on Brooklyn's renowned soul label Daptone Records. Nick of Time is a shining testament of how a master songsmith continually draws fresh water from a bottomless well. Recorded and produced by Bosco Mann, Nick of Time features one of today's foremost soul singers at the top of his game performing with musicians who've backed some of the biggest contemporary music stars including Daptone artists Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Nick of Time will be internationally released on March 6, 2020.

Award winning cabaret singer Lucille Carr-Kaffashan recently did a run of shows at Don't Tell Mama in which she looked at the works of some of rock and roll's great male singer songwriters.

TO Live announces 2019-2020 season programming, delivering on its promise to connect audiences and communities reflective of Toronto's population. Amongst its varied programming, TO Live announces the Toronto premiere of the exhibition Mandela: Struggle for Freedom, a rich sensory experience of imagery, soundscape, digital media and objects direct from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, at the Meridian Arts Centre (formerly Toronto Centre for the Arts)

Today, Graveyard Club share their new single “William” from the forthcoming album Goodnight Paradise, out June 28th (Pre-Order). Debuted via Consequence of Sound's “Origins” feature, the band describe how the single was inspired by, among other things, Ben E. King's classic “Stand By Me”, the St. Paul, MN neighborhood of “Cathedral Hill”, and author Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine.

Little Steven and the Disciples Of Soul will celebrate Summer of Sorcery, their first new album of original material in 20 years, with a performance at the Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, November 6 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $45, $65, $75, $125 and will be available through Ticketmaster.com 866.858.0008 starting on Friday, May 10 at 12:00PM.   

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have unveiled 'Love Again,' the latest track from their eagerly awaited new album, Summer of Sorcery, arriving this Friday, May 3via Wicked Cool/UMe. The track is accompanied by a psychedelic new visualizer, streaming now via Little Steven's official YouTube channel.

Under The Streetlamp - the critically acclaimed musical group that's returning to Nashville this weekend for a trio of performances with The Nashville Symphony - was formed when four friends, who had appeared together in the Chicago production of the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys, decided they should continue their collaboration after the show was shuttered.

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have released a new song, 'A World Of Our Own,' from their forthcoming album Summer Of Sorcery due May 3 on Wicked Cool/UMe. The soulful, euphoric track, which premiered via Billboard yesterday who described it as having 'a shimmering Phil Spector quality,' conjures up visions of young love, summer nights and a simpler era when Girl Groups dominated the airwaves. 'Growing up, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Ronettes, The Crystals and The Shangri-Las were really important to me,' says Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt. 'This song is my take on the type of song I might have written for a Girl Group like one of those fantastic acts back in the day.'

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have announced the release of their eagerly awaited new album. SUMMER OF SORCERY, the legendary rock 'n' rollers first album of new material, arrives May 3 via Wicked Cool/UMe. SUMMER OF SORCERY is available for pre-order now. The album will be released on CD, digitally and on vinyl as double LP on 180-gram black vinyl. In conjunction with the new album, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will bring his band to the State Theatre on Friday, July 26th.

The Footlighters Club was ground zero for Comedy yesterday as Freddie Roman, Dick Capri, Scott Record and Rick Corso celebrated one of their peers, the acclaimed entertainer Sarge who is one of the most admired improvisational comedians, singer and musical piano savant in show business. President and producer of the event Errol Dante started off the afternoon with his stirring rendition of Granada but then it was all laughs as the jokes flew wild and feverishly and there were probably more laughs at the Miami Shores Country Club per square inch than any other place on the planet. The humor heard at the Footlighters event must out of political necessity stay inside the Footlighters but rest assured no one was left unscathed.

The McCallum Theatre welcomes the return of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on Sunday, March 31, at 7:00pm. Since selling out the McCallum in 2016, audiences have eagerly awaited their return.With a repertoire ranging from Lady Gaga to "The Ride of the Valkyries," The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain tackles an ambitious range of music-on just four strings. This group of genre-benders performs covers (with vocals!) of pop, jazz, country, and classics from film, along with anything else they think is ripe for the picking. Formed in 1985, the group has become something of a national institution in the UK.

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have announced the release of their eagerly awaited new album. SUMMER OF SORCERY, the legendary rock 'n' rollers first album of new material, arrives May 3 via Wicked Cool/UMe. SUMMER OF SORCERY is available for pre-order now. The album will be released on CD, digitally and on vinyl as double LP on 180-gram black vinyl. A limited edition version will be available as a double LP on 180-gram psychedelic swirl vinyl exclusively via uDiscover. All digital pre-orders will be joined by an instant grat download of the LP's jet-fueled first track release, 'Superfly Terraplane,' which premiered today via Rolling Stone.

Throughout a sold out amphitheater tour in summer 2018, Weezer began working covers into their set, ranging from “Take On Me” by a-ha to “Happy Together” by The Turtles, in addition to their massive cover of “Africa” by Toto, which became a viral and radio sensation upon its release earlier that year.  Given the tremendous response to these songs at the shows, the band was inspired to put together a covers album -- and thus WEEZER (THE TEAL ALBUM) WAS BORN!