Blues at the Crossroads 3 Set for Segerstrom Center Tonight

Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents the third in a popular series of Blues at the Crossroads concerts tonight, February 7, 2015 with The Soul of the Blues, a musical celebration of songs by Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Etta James, Sam & Dave, Bobby Womack, James Brown and others. Performing on the Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall stage are "Soul Queen of New Orleans" Irma Thomas, vocalist Lee Fields, up-and-coming star Alecia Chakour and jazz/funk guitarist Eric Krasno, all backed by The Dynamites.

The two popular genres of blues and soul meet, once again, in this third annual Blues at the Crossroads tour. Blues at the Crossroads is a tribute to the great soul singers of our time, with an evening full of covers performed by five artists - Irma Thomas, Lee Fields, Eric Krasno, Alecia Chakour and The Dynamites. The tour encompasses a dozen dates throughout the U.S.

Tickets for Blues at the Crossroads 3: The Soul of the Blues start at $29 and are available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

Irma Thomas, "Soul Queen of New Orleans," has earned the reputation as one of America's most distinctive and classic singers. Thomas first achieved prominence with a string of 1960s hits, including "Time is on My Side" (later covered by The Rolling Stones), "It's Raining" and "Wish Someone Would Care" and toured extensively with her band, The Tornados. After surviving the destruction of her home and business by Hurricane Katrina, she released After the Rain in 2006, which earned critical acclaim and won a Grammy® Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Now celebrating her 50th anniversary in show business, Thomas has received an Offbeat Award, Blues Music Award, Big Easy Award and the MOJO Magazine of London England Legends Award and was chosen by NPR listeners and panel as "One of the 50 Greatest Voices of All Time." A treasure who started during the golden age of soul music, Thomas remains as compelling and powerful today.

Lee Fields' career spans 43 years. The North Carolina native has amassed a prolific catalog of albums with his raucous yet tender voice and has toured and played with such legends as Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon & The Hip-Huggers, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks and Little Royal. Fields has done it all. His catalogue ranges from James Brown-style funk to lo-fi blues to contemporary Southern soul to collaborations with French house DJ/producer Martin Solveig. Today, with The Expressions - Truth and Soul Records' house band - Fields continues to evolve, enmeshed into the group's sweeping, string-laden, cinematic, soul sound. Their latest full-length album Faithful Man, released in March 2012 on Truth and Soul Records, was called, "one smoking mother of an old-sound soul record" by Pitchfork.

Founding member and guitarist of beloved bands Soulive and Lettuce, Eric Krasno is recognized throughout jazz, funk and hip hop circles, having worked with jazz icons Joshua Redman, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Chaka Khan, as well as hip hop visionaries 50 Cent, GZA and Talib Kweli. He has toured the globe with his band, performing in small rock clubs and major festivals in Africa, Japan, Russia, Brazil and more. With an impressive resume that includes opening spots for The Rolling Stones and the Dave Matthews Band and album releases on Velour Recordings, Blue Note, Stax and their own Royal Family Records, it is little wonder the group has developed a reputation as one of the most celebrated instrumental soul-funk trios in the world.

In April 2010, Krasno took his career in a new direction with his first solo record, Reminisce (Royal Family Records), featuring longtime collaborators Adam Deitch (drums) and Nigel Hall (bass, keys, vocals), along with Royal Family artists Neal Evans, Ryan Zoidis and Alan Evans. He stepped into the mixtape game with The Funky President in 2011, remixing everything from James Brown to Jay Z and The Black Keys, while throwing in original tracks from Fyre Dept and Lettuce to create an ultra-funky soundtrack. With over 10,000 plays and 1,500 album downloads in under 24 hours (with no publicity and all word of mouth), Krasno will be taking this dance party on the road.

Dubbed a "breakout young artist" by The New York Times, Alecia Chakour is a blues siren. Armed with a gritty, bellowing voice, she tells stories of love, heartbreak and struggle with the timelessness of an old soul reincarnation. Chakour coalesces gospel harmonies with an ardent rock and blues feel to make remarkably honest music that echoes influences of Bobby "Blue" Bland, Mavis Staples, Bobbie Gentry and Joe Cocker, but with a raw vulnerability all her own. The daughter of a musician, Chakour grew up with R&B and has found her home there. During the past several years, she has appeared with a diverse group of exciting artists, most recently with The Warren Haynes Band. Chakour is now preparing her first full-length album, along with her extended musical family, to create a unique sound.

The Dynamites has evolved from a neck-jerking, backbone-slipping, high octane funk/soul freight train to a well-rounded soul machine that takes very seriously its sacred mandate of carrying the torch of "real" soul music forward, with plenty of the high octane backbone-slipping still in there.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Omaha Steaks International for their support of Blues at the Crossroads 3. The Center also applauds Kia, the Official Automotive Partner of the Center, and United Airlines, the Official Airline of the Center. KJAZZ is the Media Partner of the Jazz Series.

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