Lou Rawls and KSO get together for Christmas
Dec. 8, 2003
KALAMAZOO--Legendary musician Lou Rawls performs the music of Christmas at Miller Auditorium Saturday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and the Northside Association for Educational Advancement Gospelfest Choir.
Rawls voice is as distinctive and instantly recognizable as any in music. From his early days in gospel to his collaborations with Sam Cooke; from the "Dick Clark Show" at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959 to opening for The Beatles in 1963 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati; from his monologues in the '70s that presaged rap music to becoming a crossover artist before the term was invented, there has been one constant in Lou Rawls' career--a voice that has been called "sweet as sugar, soft as velvet, strong as steel, smooth as butter."
In his long career as a recording artist, Rawls has recorded more than 70 albums and earned three Grammy awards, 13 Grammy nominations, one platinum album, five gold albums and a gold single.
"I've gone the full spectrum--from gospel to blues to jazz to soul to pop--and the public has accepted what I've done through it all," says Rawls. "I think it means I've been doing something right at the right time."
Rawls began forging a secular career following his move to California in 1958. His recordings showed him comfortable with either small jazz combos or cultured soul, and the singer's 1976 hit "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," prepared the way for a series of exemplary releases. His most recent albums have included jazz and gospel releases, and Rawls has also pursued an acting career and provided the voice for several popular cartoons and commercial campaigns.
Tickets for Lou Rawls Christmas with the KSO range from $25 to $50 and are available by calling (269) 387-2300 or foll free (800) 228-9858, online at <www.millerauditorium.com>, or by visiting the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office, the Epic Center Box Office in Downtown Kalamazoo or the WMU Bookstore in the Crossroads Mall.
Lou Rawls Christmas with the KSO is sponsored by Don Seelye Ford, The Touch AM 1560 and Coca-Cola.
Media contact: Tracey Lawie, 269 387-2309, tracey.lawie@wmich.edu