The Blues Is Alright Tour returns to Chrysler Hall for the 3rd Annual 7 City Blues Festival. The Blues is musical storytelling filled with stark emotion and a revolving reality check. It’s authentically raw; transforming tragedy, adversity and heartache into a visceral and cathartic experience. This special night of emotive lyrics and guitar-driven accompaniment features performances by King George, Calvin Richardson, Pokey Bear, Lenny Williams, Ronnie Bell and Theodis Ealey.
ABOUT KING GEORGE
Bursting onto the Southern Soul scene with his signature party-centric sound filled with R&B flair, King George has quickly become a fan-favorite. Based out of Hopkins, SC, King George exploded on the Southern Soul scene and rose quickly to headliner status on The Blues Is Alright Tour in spring 2023. His highly anticipated album, Juke Joint Music, was released in 2022 after launching onto the music scene via YouTube in 2020. For old-school music lovers, King George’s music is the perfect combination of R&B, soul and funk that is sure to get anyone to do a little two-step.
ABOUT CALVIN RICHARDSON
Calvin Richardson’s first solo album, Country Boy, was released in 1999 and featured the singles “True Love” (featuring Chico DeBarge) and “I’ll Take Her” (featuring K-Ci Hailey). His second album, 2:35 PM—named after the time that his son Souljah was born—featured the Grammy-nominated hit “More Than a Woman,” featuring Angie Stone, “You’ve Got Me High” (featuring Slum Village) and “Keep on Pushin’.” His album When Love Comes was followed by the Grammy-nominated Bobby Womack tribute album Facts of Life and America’s Most Wanted.
ABOUT POKEY BEAR
Wardell “Pokey Bear” is known for his soulful sound of music in the blues/southern soul genre. He began his career as a rap music artist, but after doing it for a while decided to try other styles, which led him to be the soulful singer that he is today. He was recognized in music for his first two projects produced by Beat Flippa. He has worked with artists such as Tyree Neal, Adrian Bagher, Ms. Pat, Veronica Raelle and Cupid.
ABOUT LENNY WILLIAMS
The ultimate soul crooner, Lenny Williams possesses one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. With his rich, passionate vocal style, he is rightfully regarded as one of R&B’s most influential soul men. Williams began his musical career making records that have subsequently become R&B and pop classics, tunes like the mega-hit “Cause I Love You” and “So Very Hard to Go,” which he recorded as the lead singer for Tower of Power. Lenny Williams’ style has transcended into the new millennium, influencing many of today’s newest R&B and pop vocalists.
ABOUT RONNIE BELL
Ronnie “RnB” Bell is a church-reared independent R&B singer whose voice recalls the likes of Brian McKnight, Tank and Jaheim. His material has alternated between contemporary commercial sounds and slower numbers more in line with deeply Southern soul-blues. After two years of attending Delta State University, he transferred to Southern University and joined the Southern University Concert Choir. Bell also opened on-campus gigs headlined by the likes of 112 and Erykah Badu. A self-titled three-song EP was released in 2012. Several singles such as “Cotton Candy” followed during the next few years and led to a longer EP, #BBMyself, in 2015.
ABOUT THEODIS EALEY
Blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and entertainer … just a few of the titles that describe the phenomenon of Theodis Ealey. Ealey and Ichiban Records enjoyed four successful albums including the “Bluesman Lover.” Ealey created a label home in IFGAM Records. The 2004 “Stand Up In It” project was a runaway success as the #1 Single on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles Sales Chart for five consecutive weeks.
This performance is produced by North American Entertainment Group Inc., one of the leading independent promoters of entertainment tours and live events in the United States, in conjunction with Heritage Entertainment Group.
