Twist & Shout: Soul Legends Celebrate The Beatles is a special event that will taking place on February 6th 2014 at the famed Apollo Theater and will feature veteran music legends, including one star who toured with The Beatles and another whose father toured with The Beatles.This is the latest special event announced for the upcoming the 'NYC FAB 50' series which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in New York which launched Beatlemania and sparked the British invasion. We were sent the following details:
Kitoto Von Hebb, the daughter of two musical parents, one being "Sunny" author/singer Bobby Hebb, is from a family with deep and impressive musical roots. Her great uncle, Harold "Hal" Hebb was a member of the Marigolds, the group that performed for Elvis Presley at the Governor's Mansion in Tennessee.
Bobby Hebb toured with The Beatles and was a friend of theirs. His biggest hit, "Sunny," was recorded in New York City. Released as a single, it reached #3 on the R&B charts, #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. When Hebb toured with The Beatles in 1966, "Sunny" was, at the time of the tour, ranked higher than any Beatles song then on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. BMI rated "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century."
Kitoto has recorded with producer Joe Viglione (producer of the "Sunny" boxed set) and her recordings of Bobby Hebb's "Proud Soul Heritage" and "Love You" feature Grammy winning drummer Steve Holley (Paul McCartney's Wings/Joe Cocker/Ian Hunter/Elton John) and her cousin Thomas Hebb among others.
This is her first appearance at the legendary Apollo Theater, and her first time performing in a tribute to The Beatles.
She will be joining a line-up of world-renowned soul, jazz and R & B legends at the Apollo Theater on Thursday, February 6, 2014 for "TWIST & SHOUT: Soul Legends Celebrate The Beatles." The slogan for the gala charity concert is "Twist & Shout: HELP! End Hunger" with 100% of the net proceeds from ticket sales to benefit the Food Bank for New York City.
Also confirmed for the star-studded evening are such artists as... Lloyd Price, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artist, is one of the legends and pioneers of rock & roll. He is known worldwide for his hits "Personality," "Stagger Lee" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" topped the R&B charts for seven weeks and was covered by the likes of Elvis Presley (who performed it on his 1968 NBC-TV special), John Lennon and Elvis Costello.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is a three-time Grammy Award and Tony Award winning singer and songwriter who has toured the world and performed on Broadway in "The Wiz." She most recently garnered rave reviews starring as the late, great Billie Holiday in the Off-Broadway production "Lady Day."
Gary U.S. Bonds" is an honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, a "favorite son" of the Blues Brothers and his classic recording "Quarter to Three" appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" list. His first hit was "New Orleans" and he teamed with Bruce Springsteen for his comeback hit "This Little Girl." The Beatles backed Bonds on an early European tour, but were actually fired from the tour.
Bettye LaVette is a Grammy Award nominee who has performed at the Kennedy Center Honors and is heralded for re-inventing songs from the British bands who were initially influenced by American R & B music. She joined Todd Rundgren, Patti Austin and others for a Hollywood Bowl concert dedicated to The Beatles, and has thrilled audiences at the annual John Lennon charity tribute concert held in New York.
Melvin Van Peebles is the ultimate Renaissance man: actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist, visual artist and composer. Best known as a revolutionary film-maker (and to younger movie-goers as the father of Mario Van Peebles), his music has run the gamete from soul, funk, jazz rap and improvisational. An album released on The Beatles U.S. label, Capitol, was described as "filled with stylistic curveballs, Broadway-like compositions, and his animated verbal delivery."
Rich Pagano of the Fab Faux is the musical director for the concert, and more performers are being added to the bill.