Entertainment

2012 Music Artist: Chris Isaak

Mr. Lucky -- Chris Isaak’s stunning new masterpiece -- perfectly balances the ecstasy of great romance with the agony of pure heartbreak. Mr. Lucky offers passionate music that feels decidedly lived-in. Like some rocking Sinatra album for the 21st Century, Mr. Lucky is a song cycle about the good luck we earn and the bad luck we just can’t seem to shake. Right from its killer opener -- the wonderfully tortured “Cheaters Town” -- to the concluding and uplifting “Big, Wide Wonderful World,” Isaak takes us all on a dark but beautiful ride -- one you will likely recognize as your own.

“For better or for worse, the songs on this album do reflect where I am at in my life right now in one way or another,” Isaak confesses. “I couldn’t define where that is exactly, but suffice to say when I hear these songs, they all make sense to me. The truth is I do put a lot of myself into my music. If people out there listening feel that it’s me in these songs, that means I’m probably doing my job. At the same time, I believe that anyone who’s ever fallen in love -- or out of love -- should be able to hear themselves in this album too.”

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2011 Music Artist: The Doobie Brothers

The V Foundation Wine Celebration is proud to announce the Doobie Brothers as our 2011 Featured Musical Artist.

Gone Crazy is another chapter in one of the great American music stories, but it’s neither comeback nor nostalgia. An exhibition of aggressive and emotional performances, evocative storytelling, unapologetic attitude and world class musicianship, the collection is its own justification.

In a sense, World Gone Crazy is an analogy for the Doobie Brothers as a whole. With founding members Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons, and 30 year-plus veterans John McFee and Michael Hossack, the Doobies have perfectly honored the band’s legacy with an offering that grows in unexpected new directions.

The songs on World Gone Crazy all feature Johnston and Simmons as writers and lead vocalists. Adding dimension to the project, in some cases there were co-writers involved, as well as some notable contributions or “guest appearances” by other vocalists.

Like the nation that spawned the many musical styles they’ve adopted, the Doobie Brothers’ deepest traditions are change, growth, striving and an abiding faith in the future. And so World Gone Crazy pays tribute to the Doobie Brothers legacy the most appropriate way possible … by moving resolutely forward.

The Doobie Brothers Live Lineup Is (in alphabetical order):

Guy Allison – Keyboards/Vocals
John Cowan – Bass/Vocals
Michael Hossack – Drums (currently absent on health leave)
Tom Johnston – Vocals/Guitar
John McFee – Guitar/Strings/Vocals
Tony Pia – Drums
Marc Russo – Saxophones
Pat Simmons – Vocals/Guitar
Ed Toth – Drums

2010 Music Artist: Huey Lewis & The News

Huey Lewis and The News have been defying the rock oddsmakers for three decades. 2009 marks the group’s 30th anniversary. Formed from two rival Bay Area bands in 1979, their contagious brand of straight-ahead rock n’ roll has outlasted countless trends, selling over 20 million albums worldwide in the process. Huey Lewis & The News have carried the banner as the quintessential American rock band, endearing them to millions of fans and earning them the right to mark their place on the pop history map.

These Grammy Award winners have written and performed such classic Top Ten Hits as “Heart of Rock & Roll”, “Stuck With You”, “I Want A New Drug”, “If This Is It”, “Hip To Be Square” and “Workin’ For A Livin’”. The group also wrote and performed “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” for the hit film Back To The Future. “The Power of Love”, which was nominated for an Academy Award, went all the way to #1 on Billboard’s singles chart.

As great a recording career as the band has had, it’s their live performances that remain the stuff of legend. They have toured worldwide continuously for 30 years. Huey Lewis & The News incorporate a variety of musical influences, including R&B and soul, to create their own unique sound. One of the highlights of their show is their a cappella rendition of early rock n’ roll classics such as “Sixty Minute Man”, “Under The Boardwalk” and “It’s Alright”.

Huey Lewis & The News are: Huey Lewis (vocals and harmonica), Johnny Colla (saxophone, guitar and vocals), Bill Gibson (drums, percussion and vocals), Sean Hopper (keyboards and vocals), Stef Burns (guitars and vocals) and John Pierce (bass). Their live show features a horn section of San Francisco bay area luminaries: Marvin McFadden (trumpet), Johnnie Bamont (baritone saxophone) and Rob Sudduth (tenor saxophone).

Website: www.hln.org

2009 Music Artist: The Pointer Sisters

Private Performance by Grammy & American Music Award Winning Artists

The Pointer Sisters began their formal vocal training in West Oakland, California and were later hailed by critics as “the most exciting thing to hit show business in years”. A series of gold singles and albums topped the Billboard Charts with hits such as “Fire”, “He’s So Shy”, “Slow Hand”, “Jump (For My Love)”, “I’m So Excited”, and “Neutron Dance”. The Pointer Sisters have been honored at the Soul of American Music Awards, the Soul Train Hall of Fame, and received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2008 Music Artist: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Frankie Valli is a true American pop music iicon. His incredible career as a solo artist with the Four Seasons has produced 19 top ten hits and sold over 100 million records world wide. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and named longevity champ of the rock era by Billboard Magazine. Possessed of one of the most distinctive voices in all of Rock and Roll, Frankie Valli continues to dazzle audiences throughout the world both with his recordings and live performances making him one of Rock and Roll’s most enduring performers.

2007 Music Artists: Daryl Hall & John Oates

Daryl Hall and John Oates started working together in the early 1970’s and went on to become the most successful duo in rock history. Meeting in a freight elevator while escaping a riot at the Adelphi Ballroom during the club’s legendary Battle of the Bands, Daryl and John would join forces to become the pioneers of Rock & Soul. With over 60 million albums sold, Daryl Hall & John Oates’ rich repertoire has garnered a total of eight #1 hit singles along with dozens of hits throughout the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, including 2002’s “Do It For Love.” Other top singles include: “Rich Girl,” “Kiss On My List,” “Maneater,” “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” “Sara Smile,” “She’s Gone,” and “One On One.” Their trademark sound of rock ‘n’ soul can be heard in the harmonies of today’s young pop stars, in the return to radio of sophisticated R & B, even in the black/white demographics of hip-hop and rap-rock fusion.