'Movin' Melvin Brown: A Man, A Magic, A Music' Comes to Edinburgh Fringe This Month

No one sings and dances like Movin' Melvin Brown - and he's back at the Edinburgh Fringe after five years.

This time he's presenting a specially updated Broadway version of his acclaimed show devoted to Black music from the 50s to the present.

Embracing everything from rock, gospel and soul to rhythm & blues and jazz, the song and dance show has the audience movin' and groovin' to the songs of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown, Jackie Wilson and The Temptations, Prince and Michael Jackson, as well as his original songs.

Melvin tap dances from Bo Jangles to Gregory Hines styles in his unique way and he clogs to Texas music.

Now aged 76, Movin' Melvin started out as one of the astonishing generation of Black entertainers who helped defeat segregation through music, dance and song.

Movin' Melvin Brown: A Man, A Magic, A Music is a journey through Black Music history in song, tap-dance, comedy and storytelling and takes place at the Pleasance/EICC (Lomond Theatre), 5-27 August.

As he narrates the story of his life, baring all and pulling no punches: the opening anecdote tells of his first encounter with the "n" word.

Melvin walks on, singing an unaccompanied spiritual, Change Gonna Come, and through the show presents music from Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, He also presents characters such as the black preacher, the music box dancer and the male dancer.

This five-star musical is packed with iconic tunes, great dance moves and amazing true stories from his life.

Melvin was born in 1945 and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he earned his nickname: "Mr Entertainment"! The show is Melvin at his best and has won awards in New York, Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, and Wellington.

With a career spanning five decades of award-winning singing, dancing and storytelling, Movin' Melvin Brown is a legend of soul. He's been a feature performer for Oprah Winfrey (at Maya Angelou's 70th Birthday party) and opened for Harry Connick Jr. in Australia. He's toured to France, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, HK, NZ, Canada, as well as New York with rave reviews and sold out performances. Two of Melvin's early soul hits 'Send Me Some Love' and 'Loves Stormy Weather' have recently been rediscovered, released as 45 vinyl and played on radio in the UK, North Europe and in Japan...

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