October 23rd and 30th: Bill Champlin!!!

Save these dates! The last two Mondays in October we will be blessed with and blown away by the magnificent presence of 2-time Grammy winner Bill Champlin, on stage with Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns. Bill has long been known to most music fans as the razor-voiced lead singer for the world-renowned Chicago (below, Bill on the right).

It goes far beyond that, though. Founder of the incredible "Sons of Champlin" in the '60's, Bill has been a huge contributor to American music throughout his long career. Read more about this amazing cat on my July 28th blog post and the Wiki.

Consider the props offered by none other than megastar Michael McDonald:

Bill Champlin Fans, Over the years I've had the occasional great pleasure of working with Bill both in the studio and on stage. Not only is he one of the all time great pop/R&B vocalists, but an accomplished instrumentalist, arranger and more specifically, killer B-3 player. In the US it seems that among musicians Bill Champlin has been considered one of the greats since his days with "Sons of Champlin" band. Although mainstream audiences are mostly familiar with his work with the group "Chicago" (another great group). Some of you may or may not be aware of the fact that Bill has written with David Foster some of the biggest R&B hits of all time on the American charts, ("After The Love Is Gone" Earth wind & Fire). I know I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know but speaking as an American musician, it's great to see this guy get at least some of the recognition he deserves. If you haven't already heard his solo and "Sons Of Champlin" albums, do yourself a favor and find them.

Yeah, dude. Here's more, a cool Keyboard Magazine piece on Bill.

Save the dates. It doesn't get any better than this, folks. And, for no cover, no minimum. There's no way to overstate the coolness of what Jerry Lopez and the band can deliver to y'all. This is gonna be amazing. Bill Champlin has been my musical hero since Day One. I'm fixin' to be clinical on the 23rd and 30th.

As Jerry puts it:

Bill Champlin has been like a big brother to me from the day we met. Since then, my dream has come true in the fact that I played and sang with Bill in his band, and have been lucky enough to record several things with him. I can tell you honestly that all of the things that I have accomplished since he took me under his wing are a direct result of his influence and direction. He is the King, undisputed, and I would jump in front of a truck for him or any of his family.

UPDATE from JOE BERGERON

Below: Alex Leone is a good friend of mine who plays in Gloria Estefan's band. This is the real deal. If you like Salsa and Latin music, be there! Si tu quieres la salsa, vamo!! (Perdona mi gramatica.) - Joe