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.

2006 Music Artist: Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins has enjoyed hit songs in four straight decades—a remarkable testament to his exceptional craftsmanship and stamina. A massively successful recording artist and stage performer with 12 platinum albums, Loggins is one of music’s most accomplished vocalists and songwriters. To this day, Loggins continues to write and record at the height of his powers as a singer and a songwriter, something that he proves every time he takes the stage to sing his soulful songs straight from the heart.