CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. – May 30, 2023 – The Robert Cray Band will be touring the US and UK for the first time since the 2020 release of his album, “That’s What I Heard.” and they’re coming to Raue Center September 8, 2023, @ 8 p.m.
“Funky, cool and bad,” is how Cray describes the Grammy-nominated album, produced by longtime collaborator, Steve Jordan, who adds, “I thought, if we could get this thing that Sam Cooke used to have, the kind of sound that early Sam Cooke records had, that we could pull this off.”
“Robert Cray is not only making music, he’s making history,” writes Guitar Player Magazine. Over the past four decades, Cray has created a sound that rises from American roots, blues, soul, and R&B, with five Grammy wins, 20 acclaimed studio, and live albums that punctuate the Blues Hall of Famer’s career. On That’s What I Heard, Robert celebrates the music of Curtis
Mayfield, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Sensational Nightingales, and more, alongside Cray’s own songs. Cray and Jordan go way back, having met during the making of the Chuck Berry documentary Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll, in 1987. They started working together in 1999, when Jordan produced the Grammy-winning Take Your Shoes Off, and the recent Grammy-nominated LP, Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm. That’s What I Heard is their sixth album. “Once you start working with Steve, it’s kind of hard to get away from him,” said Robert.
“Robert is just a great person besides being extraordinary talent,” adds Jordan. “People gravitate to his guitar playing first, but I think he’s one of the best singers I’ve heard in my life. Not only because of his singing ability but his interpretations. He’s such an honest soul in my opinion.”
Robert’s band features Richard Cousins (bass), Dover Weinberg (keyboards), Terence F. Clark (drums), and Steve Jordan (drums, percussion).
Tickets for Robert Cray start at $50* ($35* for RaueNOW Members) Purchase tickets online at rauecenter.org or via the Box Office at 815.356.9212 or 26 N. Williams Street in downtown Crystal Lake. Become a RaueNOW Member and get 30% Off Tickets and early access to upcoming shows.
About Raue Center For The Arts
Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 20 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available, and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination.
For additional information, visit rauecenter.org, facebook.com/RaueCenter, and twitter.com/RaueCenter.
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