Tag Archives: Marc Cohn

Blind Boys of Alabama opens Gardens concerts on Sunday

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Our Cities, Recreation, Upcoming Events, , , ,

By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer

Eric “Ricky” McKinnie was only four years old when he met The Blind Boys of Alabama. His mother was in a gospel group, and he had a chance to meet the legendary Clarence Fountain and other original members on the road.

The Blind Boys of Alabama perform with Marc Cohn on Sunday, June 12. (Supplied)

“I never knew that one day I would be part of The Blind Boys,” said the soft spoken singer, who joined the group as a drummer and road manager 34 years ago.

Today his band backs up The Blind Boys of Alabama, a Grammy award-winning and pioneering gospel group that began in 1939 that is revered in the industry. Over the decades it has appeared on recordings with many artists, including Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Marc Cohn and others.

They help kick off another magical season of concerts on Sunday (June 12) at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. The band opens for good friend Marc Cohn, who recorded an album with the Blind Boys in 2019.

McKinnie said they will play about a 75-minute of Gospel standards and some of their best-known songs, before giving way to Cohn. They might even join him on a song or two.

“We had the opportunity to meet Marc a few years ago; we got together, we did some recordings, we did some tours…it’s good to be back again,” said McKinnie in a phone call with WKTV Journal. “It’s just like family.”

The collaborative album with Cohn, titled “Work to Do,” features new and older material, including Cohn’s best known hit “Walking in Memphis,” as well the Blind Boys’ version of “Amazing Grace.”

McKinnie said it’s a special relationship with Cohn. They love him because he’s “an exceptional singer and keyboard player,” but more so because he’s a good person.

“He’s genuine,” McKinnie said. “What you see is what it is. He doesn’t change. We like his style. He’s just a good guy.”

Cohn said of the venerated gospel group:

“My collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama has been a thrilling chapter in my musical life,” he said in a release. “We’ve performed dozens of shows together and I was honored to co-write three songs for their previous album. Now, with the release of our new album, my early love and feeling for gospel music has come full circle. It was wonderful to both write new songs with their heavenly voices in mind, and to capture the joy that they bring to some of my older songs in a live setting.”

The Blind Boys have had a changing roster of musicians over its history, but got their name because a majority of the singers were vision impaired. McKinnie lost his eyesight to glaucoma in 1975.

Marc Cohn along with the Blind Boys of Alabama will kick off the Meijer Gardens concert series on Sunday. (Supplied)

The collaborations and accolades grew over the years and led to some prestigious awards, including five Grammy awards, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The group also was invited to the White House during the Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

McKinnie said “it’s always a privilege” to play for dignitaries and collaborate with other artists because “it’s good to know that someone likes your music and that someone cares.”

Performing songs “that reach the heart” has been a big part of their success, as well as their mission, he said.

“Throughout the years the Blind Boys have always tried to let people know that they are important,” he said.

“They show people that a disability doesn’t have to be a handicap because we learn that it’s not about what you can’t do that’s important, it’s about what you do. A handicap is a limitation, and we all have limitations.”

Most of all, the Atlanta native said, fans can expect to have a good time at Meijer Gardens when he takes the stage to perform with founding member Jimmy Carter, as well as Joey Williams, Ben Moore and Paul Beasley.

“We’re going to sing some songs that will make you feel good, if you feel bad, and we’re going to have you clap your hands and do a little dance. We’re going to have a great ol’ time when we get there,” McKinnie said.

Tickets are still available for the Marc Cohn + Blind Boys of Alabama, which are $52/public and $50 member. Many of the Meijer Garden shows are sold out. Shows with tickets available are:

June 24 – Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown featuring Tank and the Tan Bangas, Big Freedia, Cyril Nevil: The Uptown Ruler, George Porter Jr. and Dumpstaphunk (performing the music of The Meters and the The Soul Rebels, $93/member, $95/public

June 27 – Bluegrass Happening featuring Bela Fleck & My Bluegrass Heart, Sam Bush & The Jerry Douglas Band, $65/member, $67/public

July 6 – Corinne Bailey Rae with The War & Treaty, $53/member, $55/public

July 15 – Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, $68/member, $70/public

July 20 – Rick Springfield with the Grand Rapids Symphony, $75/member, $77/public

July 21 – Buddy Guy + John Hiatt, $80/member, $82/public

July 28 – Arturo Sandoval with the Grand Rapids Symphony, $53/member, $55/public

Aug. 4 – Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Nicole Atkins, $102/member, $104/public

Aug. 10 – The Dead South with Tejon Street Corner Thieves, $51/member, $53/public

Sept. 12 – Australian Pink Floyd, $61/member, $63/public

Sept. 16 – She & Him, $72/presale, $75/,member, $77/public

John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.

Tickets still remain for 12 of this season’s 33 concerts, including opening night with Marc Cohn and The Blind Boys of Alabama.

Learn more at https://www.meijergardens.org/calendar/summer-concerts-at-meijer-gardens/

‘Walking in Memphis’ with a friend — St. Cecilia offers 2-for-1 tickets on Marc Cohn’s Aug. 21 visit to Royce stage

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, WKTV Projects, ,
Singer/songwriter Marc Cohn will be bringing stories about his songs and songs about his stories to St. Cecilia Music Center. (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

If you were thinking about getting tickets to see St. Cecilia Music Center’s first live folk concert in more than 18 months, Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Marc Cohn’s twice rescheduled visit on Aug. 21, the venue has a deal for you.

To mark the first live show since March 2020, St. Cecilia announced this week that tickets to Cohn’s performance were available with a “buy one, get one free” offer. The deal is only good through Friday, July 30, however.

Marc Cohn concert tickets are $40 and $45 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc-online.org.

Since Cohn was last at St. Cecilia, in Spring 2017, he has spent time on the road with legendary Michael McDonald, worked closely with David Crosby and other American music greats including soul survivor William Bell, who won his first Grammy at age 78 with Marc’s help in creating Bell’s celebrated album, “This is Where I Live”.

In August 2019, just months before the pandemic shutdown and his originally scheduled visit to St. Cecilia, Cohn released a soul/gospel/pop album “Work to Do”, along with Grammy Award winners Blind Boys of Alabama. The album’s collection “combined Cohn’s unique vocal and songwriting talents with the sanctified genius of these veteran gospel stars,” according to supplied material.

Cohn originally rose to musical fame when he won the Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” and since that time he has solidified his place as one of this generation’s “most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man,” according to supplied material.

No less of a singer/songwriter than Bonnie Raitt reportedly said, “Marc is one of the most soulful, talented artists I know. I love his songs, he’s an incredible singer, and I marvel at his ability to mesmerize every audience he plays for.”

For more about Marc Cohn visit his website marccohnmusic.com.

St. Cecilia cancels events, many venues shutdown

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St. Cecilia Music Center. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

With Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement of a ban on activities or events with more than 250, many area venues suspended programs and productions. St. Cecilia Music Center recently added its shows to that list.

The Marc Cohn concert scheduled for March 19 has been rescheduled for Sept. 11. Also rescheduled is the St. Cecilia Music Center’s fundraiser event, Eat. Drink. Be Merry! which has been moved from April 18 to June 6. All current tickets sold to both of these events will be valid for the new date. No refunds will be issued for rescheduled concerts.

The April 16 Jazz Series Clayton Brothers concert has been cancelled. Patrons wishing to receive a refund for this concert, may email the box office manager at kelly@scmc-online.org. In lieu of a refund, patrons can consider donating the value of the ticket back to St. Cecilia, which relies on ticket revenue to sustain its operations. According to officials, the concert changes could greatly affect the organization over the next month.

Rehearsals at St. Cecilia Music Center have been cancelled through April 10 and are scheduled to resume April 13. Also, the final Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on April 30 and the Shawn Colvin concert on May 19 are scheduled to take place.

For more information about programs at St. Cecilia, visit scmc-online.org.

Several area organizations have already made announcements of cancelations and changes. Before heading anywhere, call or check the organization’s website.

St. Cecilia adds Marc Cohn’s return, Shawn Colvin’s reimagining to folk series lineup

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, , ,
Shawn Colvin. (Supplied/Alexandra Valenti)

By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

The St. Cecilia Music Center Acoustic Cafe Folk Series is usually all about the singer/songwriters, and the list of fine concerts in the series got a bit longer and better recently with the announced return of Grammy award winners Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin, who is currently revisiting her classic 1989 album Steady On.

Cohn, who delivered a great set at St. Cecilia in 2017, will return on March, 19, 2020. Colvin, who last visited Royce Auditorium in 2016, will visit on May 19.

“Since he was last here … Marc has spent time on the road with legendary Michael McDonald, worked closely with David Crosby and other American music greats,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director, said in supplied material. “His appearance will also closely follow the release of his collaborative record with gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama. This will be one of our most exciting concerts featuring a terrifically talented artist and amazing songwriter.”

The two concerts add to an upcoming folk series schedule which includes The Infamous Stringdusters of Thursday, Feb. 6; Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal on Wednesday, Feb. 20; Chris Thile on Tuesday, Feb. 25; and Raul Midón on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Marc Cohn. (Supplied)

While Cohn won a Grammy for his classic ballad “Walking in Memphis” in 1991, he has “solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man,” according to supplied material.

In August of this year, Cohn released a collaborative record with gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama, Work To Do, comprised of three studio tracks by Cohn and the Blind Boys — two originals, including the title track, and a version of the gospel standard “Walk In Jerusalem” — plus seven intimate live performances recorded at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, Conn., during a taping of the PBS series “The Kate”.

Shawn Colvin is expected to perform her newly released album Steady On Acoustic in its entirety. Her original 1989 album Steady On was her first Grammy Award winning album. (She has three Grammy’s to her resume.)

Shawn Colvin. (Supplied/Alexandra Valenti)

“I’ve played these songs countless times, primarily as a solo acoustic artist. All in all, this is the incarnation that feels most genuine,” Colvin said in supplied material. “And so, to commemorate this milestone I decided to celebrate Steady On by recording it again, this time using only my voice and my guitar. This represents who I am as an artist and all I ever wanted to be.”

In promotional material, Colvin also talks about bringing 30-year lens to her treasured songs, casting new light on the stories she first told as a young artist.

“I was 32 years old, and the dream of my life had been fulfilled,” Colvin says, “not only because I made an album but mostly because I had written or co-written every song, an accomplishment that was hard won. I was so proud. My feeling was then — and still is— that if I never made another album, Steady On would have been enough.”

More about Marc Cohn can be found on his website marccohnmusic.com .

More about Shawn Colvin can be found at her website at shawncolvin.com .

Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin and all folk series concert tickets can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc-online.org. A post-concert “Meet-the-artist” reception with a cash bar will be offered to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to possibly meet the artists obtain signed CDs of his many releases.

Marc Cohn walking in from Memphis to St. Cecilia Acoustic Café stage

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Singer/songwriter Mark Cohn will be bringing stories about his songs and songs about his stories to the St. Cecilia Music Center’s Acoustic Café. (Supplied)

WKTV Contributor

 

Singer/songwriter Mark Cohn has survived success, sabbatical and a shooting, and has the stories to tell — and he will be bringing stories about his songs and songs about his stories to the St. Cecilia Music Center’s Acoustic Café series later this month.

 

The Grammy Award winning Cohn — he of 1991’s Grammy winning ballad “Walking in Memphis” — will offer music from his 2016 release “Careful What you Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities” as part of a tour focused on a 25-year retrospective of his career.

 

Cohn and his songs, new and old, will close this season of the St. Cecilia Music Center Acoustic Café series Thursday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available.

“We will be in the presence of one of the best singer/songwriters of our time on April 13 during Marc Cohn’s concert,” said Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia’s executive director. “His newer work is magnificent and his earliest songs are treasured classics.”

 

Cohn was nominated twice for his hit song, “Walking in Memphis”,  at the 1991 Grammy’s, for Best Pop Male Vocalist and Song of the Year. He ultimately won the Grammy award for Best New Artist. His debut album, with the hit song, was later certified Gold in 1992 and certified Platinum in 1996.

 

Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Graham Nash and Patty Griffin all made guest appearances on Cohn’s early records for Atlantic, as his reputation as an artist and performer continued to grow. In 1998 Cohn took a decade-long sabbatical from recording, ending in 2007 with a new album called “Join The Parade” — inspired by the horrific events following Hurricane Katrina and his own near fatal shooting just weeks before, “Parade” is his most moving and critically acclaimed record to date. He followed that up with the album “Listening Booth: 1970” in 2010.

 

In March 2016, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his debut album, Cohn released “Careful What you Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities” and the bonus album, “Evolution of a Record”, featuring never-before-heard songs and demos dating back to years before his debut album and the Grammy Award that followed.

 

For a video of his recent musical work, visit here.

 

There will be a post-concert “Meet-the-artist” reception open to all ticket-holders with the opportunity to meet Cohn and obtain signed CDs of his releases.

 

For more information visit scmc-online.org.