THE KNICKERBOCKER MUSIC CENTER
35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI 02891 (Misquamicut) | (401) 315-5070
Open Today: Open
The club thrived as one of the leading entertainment centers in southern New England, hosting regional and national bands with an emphasis on the blues. Some of the greats that played on the Knickerbocker stage included, Big Joe Turner, Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Johnny Nicholas, Leon Russell, Eric Burdon and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In 1967, Roomful of Blues was born in Westerly, when guitarist Duke Robillard and pianist Al Copley started a band that played tough, no-holds barred Chicago blues. Making the Knickerbocker Café their home club, it did not take long before they started exploring swinging, jumping blues and added a horn section. Roomful would pack the house every Sunday and still plays their great brand of blues today.
Fast forward and the Café has become the Knickerbocker Music Center, a non-profit organization formed in partnership with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. The mission of the Knickerbocker Music Center is to preserve, cultivate and grow the “Knick’s” unique brand of blues, as well as expanding access to music of all genres, by transforming the Knick into both an exciting performance venue and an exceptional center for music education.
Knickerbocker All Stars®
8pm
Friday, October 26, 2018 at 8:00pm
The Knickerbocker Music Center. 35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI 02891
Live Music
FEATURING DARCEL WILSON and a tribute to Aretha Franklin
CD Release Show
Love Makes a Woman is The Knickerbocker All-Stars 4th recording. When two phenomenal vocalists such as Darcel Wilson and Thornetta Davis get together for a session, it’s going to be special. Love Makes a Woman was inspired by the great female soul and R&B singers who popularized the genre. These carefully selected tunes barely scratch the surface of the sacred music of early Soul and R&B. This recording spans a wide range of emotional and musical content including an instrumental that allows the band to let loose.
Darcel Wilson has one of the more sensual and engaging voices, especially when she serenades her listeners as performed on “Talk to Me.” She has worked as an instructor of theory, ensembles and voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston since 1998. Darcel’s contribution to this album was invaluable.
For blues enthusiasts, Thornetta Davis, Detroit’s Queen of the Blues, needs no introduction. Thornetta is an internationally recognized vocalist and songwriter and has won 30 Detroit Music Awards. Her voice is confident, vibrant and sends a clear message of the meaning and emotion of her songs. There are very few singers who can perform Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time” with similar compassion and tenderness.
As Duke Ellington announced at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, “I hope you will enjoy these things – we’ll start by Just Scratchin’ the Surface.”
-J.P Sheerar, JP Cadillac Records
Show: 8p | Doors: 7p
Tickets: $15 advance / $20 door
($2 Service Charge Included With Online Tickets. All sales are final, no ticket refunds or exchanges. Seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis, and seats are not guaranteed with ticket purchase.)
Visit Website: http://knickerbockerallstars.com
