Nicolas King to Celebrate New Album With NYC Concert and National Tour Dates

Nicolas King will celebrate his recent album Act One: Celebrating 25 Years of Recordings from Club44 Records with a string of concert dates throughout the summer including New York's The Green Room 42 on August 5 at 7:00 PM. Other shows include The Napoleon Room in Boston, MA (July 27), Music at the Mansion in Bloomfield, NJ (July 31), The Art House in Provincetown, RI (August 26), and Oshkosh Jazz Festival in Oshkosh, WI (August 28). The east coast shows feature Mike Renzi, the renowned two-time Grammy Award-nominated pianist and music director for Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and Mel Tormé. To stream or download Act One, please visit Club44.lnk.to/ActOne. For concert tickets and information, please visit www.TheNicolasKing.com

Act One: Celebrating 25 Years of Recordings - which was released earlier this year - looks back with a lively history of King's already multi-decade career. While focusing on his suave vocals, and showcasing both eternal standards and newer songs, the album boasts guest appearances from stage and screen luminaries Liza Minnelli, Tom Selleck, Jane Monheit, and Norm Lewis. The recording also features major musical contributions from two-time Grammy Award nominee Mike Renzi and Charles Calello (arranger and producer for Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Ray Charles). Music legend Connie Francis provides liner notes. The album's leading single is "What a Wonderful World," a duet with celebrated Broadway leading man Norm Lewis. The label is planning an all-new Nicolas King album to be released in 2022.

Club44 Records recently presented an all-star online album release party, featuring Nicolas's friends dropping in to congratulate him, including Tom Selleck & the cast of "Blue Bloods," Carol Burnett, Fran Drescher, Max von Essen, Michael Feinstein, Connie Francis, Linda Lavin, Norm Lewis, Jane Monheit, Christine Pedi, Linda Purl, Billy Stritch, and more. The show is available on YouTube HERE.

"I started compiling Act One merely so that I had something fun to sell at concerts," says Nicolas. "But once the pandemic hit, I found myself with loads of free time and began uncovering so many recordings from the past 25 years. This tiny project ballooned into something much bigger than I anticipated, but it turned into an opportunity to look back at what brought me to this point. I think of this album as the ending of my childhood chapter and a wonderful setup to the next! I thank all my musical guests for their contributions, but I'm especially grateful to musical titans Mike Renzi and Charles Calello. They both have extraordinary legacies, and I am humbled to be added to the list of iconic artists they've collaborated with."

Label co-owner Wayne Haun adds, "When I was first introduced to Nicolas, I was mesmerized by his ability to put across a lyric and the way he effortlessly holds the audience in his hand. It feels fitting to release this collection as we prepare to enter the studio for an all-new studio album. We're thrilled to take the journey with Nicolas as he continues his trajectory as one of the most exciting young vocalists of his generation."

Act One: Celebrating 25 Years of Recordings is a compilation of sparkling new studio tracks, selections from his previous solo albums, and vintage archival gems from early in his career. The collection opens with a spoken live introduction by Liza Minnelli, a memento from the decade Nicolas toured the world with her. The new selections include a lushly orchestrated version of "But Beautiful," performed with jazz singer Jane Monheit. "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," a charming duet with Tom Selleck, was taped onstage when they appeared together in the Broadway play A Thousand Clowns when Nicolas was just 10 years old.

"I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together" - the inimitable TV theme to "The Carol Burnett Show" - is heard in a medley with "My Shining Hour." The pairing is dedicated to Ms. Burnett and her late daughter Carrie Hamilton, whom Nicolas worked with on the Broadway play Hollywood Arms. Other highlights include a loose, jazzy rendition of the Four Seasons standard "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and a pensive interpretation of The Irving Berlin classic "How Deep Is the Ocean," elegantly accompanied only by Alan Bernstein's bass. Nicolas's take on the beloved "Sesame Street" favorite "Sing" swings with the razzle dazzle of a driving big band arrangement. He also makes sure to present new songs written in the classic style, including "Looks Like They're in Love" (Alex Rybeck & Bob Levy) and "The Only One" (Tracy Stark).

The storied entertainment anthem "There's No Business Like Show Business" provides a fitting coda to the album. The track, merging a delightful early recording with a brand-new studio cut, showcases both his roots as a young budding showman and his present-day vocal prowess, musical intelligence, and ebullient verve.

Will Friedwald - noted author and Wall Street Journal scribe - perhaps said it best: King "is a compact dynamo, a whirlwind of a performer who balances incredible excitement and high energy with restraint and nuance. He gets the crowd in his pocket within the first 30 seconds of walking out on stage and keeps them there for the rest of the night."