FITZ AND FRIENDS Take The McCallum Stage For One Very Special Evening Of Music!

The McCallum Theatre presents jimi FITZ and Friends on Friday, November 17, at 8:00pm. This hometown celebration features local musicians including Faults of Andreas, Lauri Bono, Kal David, Will Donato, Kevin Henry, John Stanley King, Ronnie King, Steve Madaio, Barry Minniefield, Penny Unniversity, Sergio Villegas and more!

jimi FITZ
jimi FITZ, CV 104.3's Jim "Fitz" Fitzgerald, returns to the McCallum stage with a stellar group of musical friends who call the Coachella Valley home. Blessed with one of the Valley's most recognizable voices, Jim "FITZ" Fitzgerald, originally hails from the East Coast. He had two hit music videos on rotation in the early days of MTV, and he's shared bills and stages nationwide with The Ramones, James Brown, Mitch Ryder, and Johnny Cash(to whose haunting and legendary voice Fitz's is often compared).

Fitz has recorded a number of albums infused with his own brand of multi-faceted contemporary rock, collaborating and recording with myriad musicians and bands. Though partners in business and life for decades, it's only in the last several years that Fitz has been collaborating musically with his wife Wendy who writes lyrics (under the name WJ Rene) and is always quick to give an opinion! No Easy Way Out, his latest jimi FITZ album, was released in June and has been enthusiastically received by critics and fans alike.

You can hear Fitz on his CV104.3 radio show weekdays 6 to 10am, and around the world at www.cv1043.com. With his eclectic and varied career and multitude of roles -radio personality, musician, songwriter, entertainment producer and host - Fitz has maintained his spot on the McCallum Theatre stage for 18 years introducing artists and performers for his annual series Fitz's Jazz Café.

Performers, bands, team members and crew have all come to know Fitz not only as a friend and musical family member, but an impassioned advocate for artists who call the Valley home. It is his honor to perform with them on this great stage showcasing some new music with his band Faults of Andreas.

FAULTS OF ANDREAS
In just one short year, Faults of Andreas has garnered great reviews and a loyal fan base after their stellar debut at last year'sjimi FITZ and Friends. Faults of Andreas is comprised of jimi FITZ (lead vocals/guitar) Jimmy Palmer (guitar) Jeff Bowman (drums) Charlie Ellis (keyboards/bass) and Mike Pygmie (bass). You will be seeing a lot of this band of musical brothers with their crowd pleasing on stage chemistry performing original songs or putting a unique twist on some classic rock favorites. They're excited about what's in store for them in the coming year!

KAL DAVID & LAURI BONO
Kal David, highly acclaimed blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter has played with the likes of Peter Cetera, Paul Cotton and the band Poco. Vocalist Lauri Bono met David at Woodstock where both were playing with their own respective bands, a chance encounter led to a lifetime of writing and performing and emotional style of blues together at hundreds of venues internationally and being honored with a star on the Walk of Fame in Palm Springs. They call their band the Real Deal because musically they are real and true to their passion for music and for each other.

WILL DONATO
Originally from Aurora, Colorado, Will Donato is an award winning national recording artist, composer and saxophonist. He is one of music's most dynamic performers, gifted with the ability to bond and connect with his audience. Donato is known for recording with a long list of well-known musicians of many genres including Rick Braun, Al McKay, Bruce Conte, Richard Marxand more. He can also be heard on several movie soundtracks including Thelma and Louise, The Wedding Planner, Under the Boardwalk, and No Man's Land. Donato is a compelling sax performer praised by NewJazz.com as "a must see show!"

KEVIN HENRY
Detroit's own native son Kevin Henry stands out as one of the motor city's highly talented entertainers. Henry's repertoire and passion for music has brought him both critical acclaim and popular success. Involved with music since childhood, at 13 he studied guitar with another Detroit success story, Earl Klugh. With Klugh's encouragement Kevin continued to play while studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music; he soon emerged a proficient and well-rounded musician.

Relocating to the Coachella Valley with his talented mother Ce Ce Grant, Henry performed with her throughout California until forming his own band, he then went on to perform all over the world. Industry greats such as jazz guitarist, Phil Upchurch utilized his vocal, keyboard and writing abilities on his record Revelation, and Henry backed British recording artist Robert Palmer on his "Super Heavy Nova Tour" throughout Canada and the United States. Kevin now brings his musical expertise to entertain the guests at The Nest Restaurant.

John Stanley KING
Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, John Stanley King comes from generations of musical talent. A master of many instruments, he also plays many styles, including acoustic, jazz and classic rock, and is known for his undeniably crowd-pleasing showmanship and memorable voice. King makes a guest appearance on jimi FITZ's American Dream album adding his guitar chops on jimi's cover of "Time Has Come Today."

RONNIE KING
Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, Ronnie King is an Oscar and Grammy nominated producer, composer, and musician as well as a popular Coachella Valley philanthropist, founder of Ronnie King Music and co-founder of Ronnie King Entertainment. Kings's talents are as unlimited as the love in his heart for producing great music and helping those in need. Hailing from generations of musical talent King has collaborated with such diverse artists as Mariah Carey, Tupac Shakur, Snoop DogandRancid. He also co-produced and plays keyboards on jimi FITZ's album American Dream.

STEVE MADAIO
Originally from Brooklyn, trumpeter and recording artist Steve Madaio started playing when he was just 6 years old with strong support and encouragement from his parents. By age 15, he was playing in professional orchestras on Broadway. He went on to perform with Paul Butterfield Blues Band at the Monterey Pop Festival and at Woodstock in 1969. An exceptionally talented and diverse musician, Madaio toured with The Beach Boys, Janice Joplin, Stevie Wonderand did two world tours with The Rolling Stones. Resolving to pursue his "dream role" as a session player he worked with John Lennon, Madonna, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Rod Stewart and Barbra Streisand to name just a few, and became one of the most sought after recording session artists of his time.

Eventually settling in the Coachella Valley where he still happily resides, Madaio continues to tour and do session work. "When your motive and intent are in the right place, everything else will follow," he says, still gratefully crediting his parents for allowing him to follow his dreams.

BARRY MINNIEFIELD
Barry Minniefield was once dubbed "Hollywood's Singing Chef" for his acting, singing, and cooking skills. He spent ten years as a gourmet chef for some of Hollywood's best-known celebrities. In the early 1990s, he began developing his talent as a comedian and entertainer and, finally, a vocalist making it to the final round (and placing second) on "The Voice." Blake Shelton, a musician and coach on the show, called Minniefield's voice "larger than life;" coach/vocalist Pharell Williams likened its "soulful essence" to the sounds of the great soul singers of the past. The exposure ignited Minniefield's singing career, and he's still pushing it forward, ready to take on the musical world with his one-of-a-kind blend of emotion and soul.

JIMMY PALMER
Coachella Valley native, guitar player, and luthier, Jimmy Palmer is widely known as "the Guitar Doctor" for his skill in building beautiful, unique custom guitars and his expert guitar maintenance. His handiwork is treasured by a range of artists, form local independents to stars like Aerosmith and the Eagles' Jesse Hughes. Palmer makes his magic in a shop in his garage, where he can explore musical ideas when they pop into his mind while crafting the instruments musicians need to make magic of their own.

PENNY UNNIVERSITY
Established in 2010 and hailing from Palm Desert, the band Penny Unniversity masterfully plays an eclectic array of original music ranging from world, jazz, flamenco, pop, rock, and beyond. Not binding themselves to any specific genre, songwriter, Michael Gagliardi and bass player and producer, Ted Walker frequently write music that provides an open door for guest artists to record and perform with them. If they were forced to sum up their sound with one word, "global" would be it.

SERGIO VILLEGAS
Multi-instrumentalist, Sergio Villegas was born in Santiago, Chile, attended music conservatory at age 5 and was a professional musician by the age of 15. He's lived in the United States since 1980 but has continued to play and tour with several groups worldwide and to record tracks for movies, TV shows, and commercials. Villegas currently performs his unique style of pop, soul, flamenco and Latin guitar at many Coachella Valley venues.

Sponsors for jimi FITZ and friends are SoCal Pianos, Architectural Blue, Studio Dentistry, Big Rock Pu, United American Mortgage Corporation, Impression Design, General Air Conditioning & Pluming, CBS Local 2 and CV 104.3.

Tickets for this performance are priced at $67, $47, $37 and $27. Tickets are available at the Theatre's website at www.mccallumtheatre.com or by calling the McCallum Theatre Box Office at (760) 340-ARTS. The McCallum Theatre, located at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert CA 92260, accepts payment by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

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