B.B. King Blues Club Announces Upcoming Shows And Events

B.B. King Blues Club & Grill is located at 237 West 42nd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues) New York, NY 10036

Tickets may be purchased via Ticketmaster - www.ticketmaster.com / 1-800-745-3000 or at the B.B. King's Box Office: 10:30am - Midnight ($2 per ticket service charge)

We are a full-scale restaurant. Our menu is American Continental with a Southern flair. We also have a full bar with all premier liquors and domestic and international cold beer. You can have the option of eating in Lucille's Grill next door, or you can eat while watching a show. We serve a full menu at all of our concerts. A $10 food and/or beverage minimum is standard for table seating during shows.

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are suitable for all ages and offer general admission seating. Seating for all shows is first come, first seated; we do not take advance table reservations, except where noted as a condition of a VIP ticket. Standing room for all shows is available at our bar.

For further show information, directions to the venue and for the latest updates visit us on the web at www.bbkingblues.com or call 212-997-4144.

All events are subject to change.

NEW SHOWS JUST ADDED

A NIGHT OF SALSA
FEATURING HERMANO MORENO,
HERMAN OLIVERA & CONJUNTO IMAGEN
Thurs. Apr. 14 - 8PM

GARY U.S. BONDS
ANNUAL BIRTHDAY SHOW WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
Tues. Jun. 7 - 8PM
*Tix go on sale April 13 @ 2PM

SAUL HERNANDEZ
Mon. Jun. 13 - 9PM

GIN BLOSSOMS
Fri. Jul 15 - 8PM
*Tix go on sale April 12 @ 11AM

ROBI DRAVO ROSA
Sat. Jul 16 - 8PM
*Tix go on sale April 11 @ 11AM

NEW SHOWS COMING UP

Keb' Mo'
Tues. Sept. 20 - 8PM
*Tix go on sale April 13 @ 1PM

MONTROSE
FEAT. RONNIE MONTROSE
Fri. Oct. 14 - 7:30PM
*Tix go on sale April 13 @ 10AM

BLAZE BAYLEY
(Ex-IRON MAIDEN VOCALIST)
Sun. Oct. 30 - 8PM
*Tix go on sale April 15 @ 12PM

Darlene Love CHRISTMAS SHOW
Sun. Dec. 11 - 8PM
*Tix go on sale April 14 @ 1PM

THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
Sun. Dec. 18 - 8PM

PHIL KEAGGY BAND
Fri. Mar. 9 - 8PM

 

FREE LIVE MUSIC NIGHTLY - 8PM - AT LUCILLE'S BAR & GRILL

(Located right next door inside B.B. Kings)

 

 

We have a great rotating cast of live bands performing daily.

For the complete Lucille's schedule:

http://www.bbkingblues.com/lucilles/index.shtml

 

For the Complete Schedule to Date, please visit:

http://www.bbkingblues.com/schedule/index.shtml

SCHEDULE TO DATE

 

EVERY SATURDAY:
BEATLES BRUNCH
STRAWBERRY FIELDS

EVERY SUNDAY:
GOSPEL BRUNCH
Harlem Gospel Choir

April 11 The Music of The Gipsy Kings Tribute Performed by LOS CINTRON
April 12 DAMN THE TORPEDOES A Tribute to TOM PETTY + The Heartbreakers
April 13 John Oates BAND featuring SAM BUSH
April 14 A Night of Salsa: Feat. Hermanos Moreno, Herman Olivera, & Conjunto Imagen
April 15 Will Downing
April 16 THE GOOD RATS
April 17 RAEKWON (WU-TANG) + Special Guests
April 18 The Shirelles
April 19 Evolve Wrestling
April 20 RUN THE NIGHT - DANCE COMPETITION
April 21 Robben Ford & Renegade Creation
April 22 Good Friday Harlem Gospel Choir Matinee - 1PM (E)
April 22 MELANIE - 8PM (L)
April 22 WHO'S NEXT - The Ultimate WHO Tribute
w/Sp. Guest GODFREY TOWNSEND
Performing "Who's Next" In Its Entirety
40 Year Anniversary - 11PM
(Late Night)
April 23 BADFISH - Sublime Tribute
April 24 Easter Sunday Gospel Brunch
Feat. The Harlem Gospel Choir (2 Shows)
April 24 Tiffany (L)
April 25 LANCE LOPEZ
April 26 THAT 70's BAND
Studio 54 Revisited: A Classic Disco-Dance Party
April 28 Johnny Markowski Band
April 29 Wishbone Ash (E)
April 29 Les Nubians (L)
April 30 JON ANDERSON - THE VOICE OF YES
May 1 Sunday Gospel Brunch (2 Shows) 11AM & 2PM
May 1 Del the Funky Homosapien (L)
May 3 Ambrosia
May 4 Robert Johnson 100th Birthday Celebration DAVID "HONEYBOY" EDWARDS, Guy Davis, ROY BOOK BINDER & JON PARIS
May 5 DJ Norie Presents: Sanchez
May 6 JAMES COTTON & SUPERHARP (E)
May 6 WHO'S BAD - Michael Jackson TRIBUTE (L)
May 7 Ottmar Leibert & Luna Negra
May 8 Mother's Day Sunday Gospel Brunch (2 Shows) 11AM & 2:30PM
May 8 Harlem Gospel Choir Mother's Day Show - 8PM
May 12 Patty Smyth & Scandal
May 13 UFO
May 14 + 15 THE Tommy EmmaNUEL SHOW FEATURING PHIL EMMANUEL AND THE AUSTRALIAN ALL STAR BAND
May 17 Jim Messina
May 18 EN VOGUE Original Line-Up
May 19 New Riders of the Purple Sage
May 20 John MayALL (E & L)
May 21 Zebra w/ Randy Jackson + Felix Hanemann + Guy Gelso
May 22 KEIKO MATSUI (E & L)
May 24 Walker & The Queens All-Stars
May 25 Popa Chubby + Coco Montoya
May 26 A TRIBUTE TO PINETOP PERKINS
featuring THE PINETOP PERKINS BAND, WILLIE "BIG EYES" SMITH & Special Guests
May 28 Tribute to POISON, SCORPIONS, JUDAS PRIEST, DEF LEPPARD
May 29 Slick Rick "The Ruler"
May 30 Hudson Institute 2nd Annual Film Festival (E)
May 30 Bob Dylan 70th Birthday Bash - Highway 61 Revisited (L)
May 31 George Clinton & The P Funk All Stars
June 1 Loudness
June 2 Patti Austin (E & L)
June 3 Larry Graham & Graham Central Station
June 4 SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & ASBURY JUKES
June 5 DRAGON GATE WRESTLING
June 7 Gary U.S. Bonds - Annual Birthday Show with Special Guests!
June 8 Eric Burdon & The Animals
June 9 ALBITA - A TRIBUTE TO CELIA CRUZ
June 10 Jeffrey Gaines
June 11 GATO BARBIERI
June 12 Roomful of Blues
June 13 Saul Hernandez - Playing the songs of Caifanes & Jaguares!
June 14 Johnny Winter
June 15 Diane Schuur (E & L)
June 16 ROBIN TROWER
June 17 Delbert Mc Clinton (E)
June 17 Tainted Love - Hit's of the 80's (L)
June 18 Chaka Khan (2 Shows)
June 19 Carlos Varela
June 20 The Fabulous Thunderbirds
June 22 URIAH HEEP
June 23 Eddie Palmieri & La Perfecta II
June 24 Roberta Flack (E & L)
June 25 Nancy Wilson
June 27 Almost Queen
June 28 Jonny Lang
July 1 70s Tribute Fest: THE WHO, RUSH, SABBATH & AC/DC
July 2 DR. K'S MOTOWN REVUE
July 3 THE SOFT PARADE - A Tribute to THE DOORS, Jim Morrison 40-Year Memorial Show
July 4 Metal Elvis
July 6 Todd Rundgren
July 8 KIX (E)
July 8 NO TE VA GUSTAR (L)
July 9 THE SUNDOWN BAND
35th Anniversary Show
July 11 + 12 Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
July 15 Gin Blossoms (E)
July 15 The Dave Matthews Tribute Band (L)
July 16 Robi Draco Rosa
July 17 Rory Block
July 21 HURTSMILE Featuring GARY CHERONE
(EXTREME, EX-VAN HALEN VOCALIST)
July 22 Jefferson Starship
July 27 The Cowsills
July 29 MORRIS DAY & THE TIME (E & L)
July 31 Eric Gales & Voodoo Chile: Jimi Hendrix Tribute
Aug 3 Jeremy Camp
Aug 4 Clarence Clemons with Steve Smith & The Nakeds
Aug 7 Reflections: A tribute to Jerry Garcia & the Grateful Dead
Aug 16 MEMORIES OF ELVIS
Aug 19 Ginuwine
Aug 20 BLACK DOG - Zeppelin Tribute
Aug 21 Underground Music Awards
Aug 22 The Tubes
Feat. Fee Waybill
Aug 24 THE OUTLAWS with Sp. Guest Blackberry Smoke
Aug 26 La Renga
Aug 28 Maxi Priest
Sept 2 Big Shot - Billy Joel Tribute
Sept 14 Corky Laing & The Memory Thieves
Sept 17 Basia
Sept 20 Keb'Mo'
Sept 22 Bruce Springsteen Birthday Bash featuring THE BSTREET BAND
Sept 23 Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers
Sept 24 SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES
Sept 28 The Buckinghams
Sept 29 The Irish Comedy Tour, Half-Way to St. Paddy's
Oct 14 Montrose feat. Ronnie Montrose
Oct 30 Blaze Bayley (Ex Iron Maiden Vocalist)
Nov 5 Jeffrey Osborne
Nov 25 Hammer of the Gods
Dec 3 SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES
Dec 11 Darlene Love Christmas Show
Dec 18 The Marshall Tucker Band
Dec 19 + 20 A John Waters CHRISTMAS
Dec 22 Bending Towards the Light- A Jazz Nativity
Feb 24 Johnny Cash Tribute Featuring: Michael Patrick's Ring of Fire Band
Mar 9 Phil Keaggy Band

The following are the complete and current upcoming event listings for
APR 25 - MAY 1
at B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, NYC

EVERY SATURDAY AFTERNOON, join us for BEATLES BRUNCH
NYC's Longest Running Beatles Show
STRAWBERRY FIELDS
featuring former members of Broadway's BEATLEMANIA
Doors: 11am - Show: 12pm
Ticket includes All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet, Show, Tax and Tip
$40 adv, $42.50 door
STRAWBERRY FIELDS is a look-a-like, sound-a-like Beatles tribute,
dedicated to bringing you as close to a real Beatles concert as you can get.
They take you on a Magical Mystery Tour beginning in 1964 complete with
mop top hair, black suits with thin ties & the 1st four albums of music. Next
stop, 1967, features the psychedelic era of "Sergeant Pepper Lonely Hearts
Club Band" album with all the costumes & jackets on the album cover. The
last stop includes: "White Album", "Abbey Road" & "Let It Be".

BUFFET MENU: http://www.bbkingblues.com/brunch.shtml

EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON, join us for GOSPEL BRUNCH
THE WORLD FAMOUS Harlem Gospel Choir
Get your dose of the Holy Ghost!
**SPECIAL THIS MONTH**
TWO Shows May 1st & MAY 8th
May 1st = 11:00am & 2:00pm
May 8th = 11:00am & 2:30pm
Ticket includes All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet, Show, Tax and Tip
Doors: 12:30pm - Show: 1:30pm
$40 adv, $42.50 door
Every Sunday, for the past 9 years, the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir has brought their experience of Harlem & the Black Church to BB King's in a foot-stomping, hand-clapping, joyous gospel brunch-buffet show. The homestyle "all you can eat" southern buffet is guaranteed to fill the hole in your soul, and the Choir's joyous performance will have you dancing on the stage.

BUFFET MENU: http://www.bbkingblues.com/brunch.shtml

Mon. April 25th
LANCE LOPEZ
Opening Acts: PATRICK STANFIELD JONES BAND, ROBERT HILL BAND
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=274&o=1
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 7:30PM
$20.00 Advance, $25.00 Day of Show
General Admission Seated Show
First Come, First Seated
Modern day troubadour and jazz/rock/blues man Patrick Stanfield Jones releases A Heart and an Open Road, his solo debut on Motema Music. Fueled by prodigious chops honed over some thirty years as a guitarist, composer and performer, Jones fearlessly - and with a dose of humor - dives into different genres, seamlessly transitioning from one style to the next, to sing a `conscious cowboy's' saga of true love, broken hearts and life on the proverbial road.

Flirting with jazz, toying with country and reveling in rock, Jones and his skilled band draw the best from their many musical influences on this action-packed disc. From the rolling country-rock jam of the title track to the swinging jump blues of "Crazy `Bout You," to a surprising version of the Frank Sinatra hit "The Best is Yet to Come," Jones shows up as a lovable composer/performer with deep passion and unflinching soul. "I guess I write in a `genre-melting pot' style because that's what I have experienced both as a person of multi-ethnic roots, and also as an itinerant performer meeting and playing with so many different kinds of people around this country," says Jones. "At the core, these songs paint my picture of American music."

Tues. April 26th
Tuesday Night Fever!
THAT 70's BAND
Studio 54 Revisited
Disco Party
Slip On Your Boogie Shoes & Get Ready To Party Like Its 1977!
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=558
Showtime @ 8:00PM
Doors Open @ 6:00PM
$12.00 in advance, $15.00 day of show
* Open Dance Floor
* General Admission Seating Available - First Come, First Seated
That 70's Band offers colorful, energetic and powerful sets of groovin' 70s dance music that includes everything from Earth, Wind and Fire to Kool & the Gang, Donna Summer to CHIC, KC & the Sunshine Band to the Spinners, Sylvester to Barry White and much much more! This smokin' 9-piece band plays non-stop Hit after Hit and has their audience singing and grooving all night long! With a very talented and personable vocal front line, tight rhythm section and slammin horns, That 70's Band keeps the audience always wanting more.

Weds. April 27th
CANDYE KANE
SMOKIN' JOE KUBEK & BNOIS KING
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=281
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 8:00PM
$20.00 Advance, $25.00 Day of Show
Reserved VIP booths on floor avail for 4 & 6 people
$40 per ticket - Must buy entire booth.
A booth for 4 = $160
A booth for 6 = $240
General Admission Seated Show
First Come, First Seated
Kanes' live shows are the stuff of legend. She honors the bold blues women of the past with both feet firmly planted in the present. She belts - growls - shouts - croons and moans from a lifetime of suffering and overcoming obstacles. She uses music as therapy and often writes and chooses material with positive affirmations that leave the audience feeling healed and exhilarated. A show that is part humor, revival meeting and sexuality celebration, she'll deliver a barrelhouse-tongue-in-cheek blues tune or a gospel ballad like Jesus and Mohammed, encouraging audiences to leave behind religious intolerance. She'll slay the crowd with her balls out rendition of Whole Lotta Love or glorify the virtues of zaftig women with 200 pounds of fun. She often says she is a "fat black drag queen trapped in a white woman's body" and she dresses the part. Bedecked in bright colored feathers, sequins and rhinestones, Kane's performance is Mississippi by way of Las Vegas with a quick stopover in San Francisco.

Thurs. April 28th
JOHNNY MARKOWSKI BAND
w/ Six Foot Sissy
& Bobby DiBlasio
Opening Act: SIX FOOT SISSY
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=360
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 7:30PM
$20Adv, $25 Day of Show
General Admission Seated Show
First Come, First Seated
Corky Laing & the Memory Thieves has been postponed to Wednesday, Sept. 14.
*Produced By David Kramer Productions
Johnny Markowski, The middle of the three sons of Thomas Jefferson Kaye, the legendary producer and songwriter of the 1960's and 70's. Johnny has always played signature versions of several Kaye masterpieces, alongside brilliant originals of his own. As the founding member of many bands over the 80's 90's most notably being Stir Fried. The band toured extensively across the US, building a solid fan bases on both the east and west coasts. Many musicians have gravitated towards Stir Fried's original yet old school sound due to the magnetic personality of Johnny Markowski. The band has recorded and performed with the likes of Dr. John (keys), Vassar Clements (fiddle-Old & In The Way), Commander Cody (piano), Buddy Cage (pedal steel-NRPS), Jo Jo Herman (keys - Widespread Panic), Bernie Worrell (keys-P Funk, Talking Heads), Derek Trucks (guitar-Allman Bros. Band), Tony Trischka (banjo) The Stir Fried Band found themselves at the top of the jam band scene by 2004. During the last 15 years Buddy Cage and Johnny have been playing in bands together longer than any other band they have ever worked with. Quite a team they make. A few years ago Johnny helped reconnect NRPS member on the phone, than lead to the lovely 4 and a half year (and counting) reunion of NRPS doing over a 120 shows a year since those calls when made. The twist is that the only spot open was the drums...Johnny took the bull by the horns and is now the drummer of NRPS full time he has been voted most impressive drummer of 2007 on www.jamband.com

Fri. April 29th (EARLY)
WISHBONE ASH
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=355
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 8:00PM
$25.00 Adv, $30 Day
Reserved VIP booths on floor avail for 4 & 6 people
$45 per ticket - Must buy entire booth.
A booth for 4 = $180
A booth for 6 = $270
General Admission Seating
First come, first seated
During the early- and mid-'70s, Wishbone Ash were among England's most popular hard rock acts. The group's roots dated to the summer of 1966, when drummer Steve Upton formed a band called Empty Vessels with bassist/vocalist Martin Turner and guitarist Glen Turner. Empty Vessels soon changed their name to Tanglewood and moved to London; during a gig at the Country Club in Hampstead, they were seen by would-be rock manager MiLes Copeland, who was impressed with the jazz and progressive rock influences within the band and offered to be their manager. Glen Turner left the band at that point, and an advertisement for a guitarist resulted in the addition of both David Alan "Ted" Turner and Andy Powell, who provided the basis for the sound of the new lineup with intertwining riffs and phrases drawn from both soul and blues, coupled with Martin Turner's melodic bass sound and Upton's jazz-influenced drumming. A new name was called for, and after several suggestions by Copeland that proved unacceptable, "Wishbone Ash" was chosen from two lists of words. The group rehearsed for weeks at Copeland's home, working out an entirely new repertoire, and played their first gig opening for the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation. It wasn't too long before they were opening for Deep Purple, where a sound check jam between Powell and Ritchie Blackmore led to a recording contract with the American Decca label. Their self-titled first album appeared in 1970; Pilgrimage and Argus followed over the next two years, and each showed a major advance in the band's sound. The release of 1973's Wishbone Four reflected a greater maturity to the group, and was their first fully developed album, with songwriting that didn't hide behind a progressive pose but luxuriated in the members' folk music inclinations, without compromising the harder edge of their music. The album also saw the departure of Ted Turner, who was replaced by Laurie Wisefield. Locked In and New England followed; Martin Turner departed after 1979's Just Testing, to be replaced by ex-King Crimson bassist/singer John Wetton. Wishbone Ash soldiered on through the 1980s, and in 1986 even got back with Copeland, by now a major player in the recording industry by virtue of his management of the Police and his founding of I.R.S. Records. Wishbone Ash's history came full circle with the reunion of Powell, Upton, Ted Turner, and Martin Turner, and the recording of three albums for I.R.S.. They remained a working band into the 1990s, led by Andy Powell and Ted Turner and touring and recording regularly.

Fri. April 29th (LATE)
LES NUBIANS
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=404
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 7:30PM
Doors at 9:30PM, Show at 10:00PM
$40 Adv, $45 Day of Show
General Admission Seating
First come, first seated
Reserved VIP booths on floor avail for 4 & 6 people
$60 per ticket - Must buy entire booth.
A booth for 4 = $240
A booth for 6 = $360
"Music is every moment of our lives"
Helene Faussart - Les Nubians

"Our music is a bridge where people can meet, dance, love and create..."
Celia Faussart - Les Nubians

Grammy Nominated international recording artists Les Nubians have intrigued audiences for over a decade with their inventive and glamorous Afropean style. This distinctive sound embodies the timeless vibrations of Miriam Makeba, Ella Fitzgerald, Doudou N'diaye Rose, Fela Kuti, Edith Piaf, The Fugees, and Soul II Soul.

Recognized for their colorful auras, Les Nubians' vogue is a fusion of Funkin' Fashion and Modern Amazon. Adoring fans pay tribute to the French/Cameroonian sister duo for their continuous flow of jazzy nuances, hard hitting drum `n' bass lines, harmonious melodies, conscious proclamations and humanitarian endeavors.

Their hit single "Makeda" propelled their 1999 U.S. debut album to the top of the charts making `Princesses Nubiennes' the most successful French-language album in decades!

Part of the acclaimed Red Hot & Riot Collective, Les Nubians blaze the mic with Yerba Buena, Dead Prez, Keziah Jones, John Medeski, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Baaba Maal, Manu Dibango, Blackalicious, Tony Allen, Cheikh Lo, and Amadou & Mariam paying tribute to Africa. They have also shared the stage with Lupe Fiasco, Jill Scott, Marcus Miller, James Brown, Zap Mama, Chaka Khan, Miss Dynamite...

With two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards nominations, Les Nubians were honored with the award for Best New Artist, Group or Duo in 1999. These dynamic entrepreneurs have also been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards.

Echos: Nubian Voyager is the first executive production for H?l?ne and C?lia Faussart. "Everywhere we go, we look for music that speaks of Culture: people, history, stories. "Our journeys have given us an opportunity to cross paths with many beautiful souls.

Sat. April 30th
JON ANDERSON
The Voice of YES
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=167
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 7:30PM
$15 adv, $15 day of show
Reserved VIP booths on floor avail for 4 & 6 people
$57 per ticket - Must buy entire booth.
A booth for 4 = $228
A booth for 6 = $342
General Admission Seating
First come, first seated
That voice. It punches through the stratosphere, down along a sunbeam, and straight into your heart. Jon Anderson has been the lead singer of Yes, one of the most long-lived and successful rock acts in history, for more than three decades (give or take a few respites when the drama got too thick). Perhaps more than any other element in this progressive rock flagship, it is Anderson's vocals that instantly identify what you're hearing as Yes Music, a complex, giddy, positive amalgamation of rock's fire and classical music's grace. English folk, American pop, and plugged-in jazz also rear their heads on album oriented FM-radio staples like "I've Seen All Good People," "Owner of a Lonely Heart," and "Long Distance Runaround." Anderson is also the band's lyricist and his stanzas are full of light and cries for peace, wondrous journeys and whales, cosmic travelers and seafarers happily adrift. He remains one of the few people in rock that continues to espouse the same cool values that came out of the '60s social movements around the globe. His voice, a strange otherworldly thing, high and pure, never comes across as anything other than achingly sincere. He believes in the power of music to change the world for the better. He believed that in 1968 when he met bassist Chris Squire and formed a fresh idea for what a rock band might be and he believes it today with a force that's frankly pretty infectious. Talking to Jon, I started to feel that all the gunfire in the distance might actually one day be a thing of the past. It is not a thought that I'm able to capture very often and it speaks to the power emanating from this distinctive spirit.

Sun. May 1st
DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN
Event Details: http://www.bbkingblues.com/bio.php?id=538
Doors at 6:00PM, Show at 8:00PM
$15.00 Adv / $17 Day
Standing Room Only
Limited table seating available
First come, first seated.
Hailing from Oakland, California comes Del the Funky Homosapien no doubt a true innovator and legend in the world of underground Hip-hop. Del got his start rapping behind his cousin, Ice Cube, as a member of his back-up band and crew. After parting ways, Del ventured out as a solo artist, making music that immediately gained attention. Del's music offered a fresh new outlook on an otherwise gangsta rap controlled California Hip-Hop scene. His viewpoint offered a more detached alternative style laced with humorous rhymes and funky beats. After securing a deal with Elektra Records, Del released two critically acclaimed albums, I Wish my brother George was here (1991) and No need for alarm (1993). Despite record sales in the hundreds of thousands, his third album, Future Development, was never commercially released. Fed up with the commercialized music industry, Del began working with his crew, the Hieroglyphics, to create a massive independent network of Oakland based Hip-Hop. The crew began to successfully release projects under their own Hieroglyphics Emporium label. Del, joined by a talented coalition of emcees, including Pep Love, the Souls of Mischief, Casual, and Domino, went on to create a critically acclaimed album called 3rd Eye Vision ( 1998). With the release of the album, "Hiero" went on the road and toured incessantly, supporting the album for much of 1998. Since their inception, the Hieroglyphics crew has developed a cult like following, while giving each one of their artists the creative freedom to expand. For his next solo effort, Del demanded complete control and came out with 17 tracks of pure Del funkiness. He handled the majority of the production on the album but also collaborated with some of Hip-Hop's finest including Prince Paul and El-P(Def Jux). The album, titled Both Sides of the brain, again garnered excellent reviews. Rolling Stone magazine commented, "Del's elastic language is the real star here. Rhyming about everything from The Hobbit to Joe Piscopo, he cements his status as rap's staunchly independent lord of the underground and perhaps the best rapper you've never heard." Continuing to grow in popularity, Del would soon solidify himself as one of Hip-Hop's most versatile artists. Linking up with powerhouse producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura and world-class turntablist Kid Koala, Del helped to create one of the most innovative Hip-Hop albums in recent history. Deltron 3030 received wonderful reviews (4.5 stars from RollingStone) and continued on to further secure Del's place in Hip-Hop history. The ideas and concepts born with Deltron 3030 allowed for the creation of Del's next project, the globally embraced "Gorillaz" collaboration. With Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, Blur's Damon Albarn, Tom Tom Club's Tona Weymouth, Buena Vista Social Club start Ibrahim Ferrer, and Kid Koala working together, the album was an immediate hit. Del's lead vocals on the smash single "Clint Eastwood" helped the Gorillaz sell over 5 million records worldwide. Del has successfully released quality, critically acclaimed material for over 10 years. There seems to be no stopping him and as history has shown. Del's lyrics and wordplay are the Midas touch to his wonderful taste in production. Del the Funky Homosapien has grown from the 17 year-old protege of Ice Cube, to a crafted artist, whose hypnotic voice has transcended the norm, taking underground Hip-Hop to an even deeper level.