Bobby Rush
Since 2007, Michael Anderson, head of the local concert promotions firm AMS Productions, has been helping turn Martin Luther King Jr. Day into a weekend-long affair with the "Peace & Freedom Weekend," a multievent celebration of the slain civil rights leader filled with music and laughter.
The idea for the weekend started when National Civil Rights Museum president Beverly Robertson noticed crowds showing up at the Downtown museum, site of King's assassination in 1968, over the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Unfortunately, there was little for visitors to do besides tour the museum, so Robertson contacted her friend Anderson about putting on a show to appeal to the throngs and help raise money.
"It's a good relationship between me and the Civil Rights Museum," says Anderson, who has donated more than $20,000 to the museum over the past five editions of the "Peace & Freedom Weekend." "I enjoy doing it, and I enjoy being able to give them a little money and really promote the museum through the advertising of the weekend."
With the holiday on Monday, Anderson has a pair of concerts on tap this weekend at Sam's Town Casino River Palace Entertainment Center (1477 Casino Strip Blvd.).
The weekend kicks off Friday with a stop by the "More Funny 4 Your Money" comedy tour. Hosted by "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show" regular Karl "Special K" Douglas, the show is scheduled to include a host of young comedians such as Memphians Prescott and Lester Bibbs, Joe Clair, Pierre, Lavar Walker, Ronnie Jordan and female comic Luenell.
Then on Saturday, the blues take center stage at Sam's Town with a concert featuring self-proclaimed "King of Southern Soul" Sir Charles Jones and chitlin' circuit superstar Bobby Rush, who last spring released his latest album, Show You A Good Time.
Tickets to Friday's comedy concert are $25; Saturday night concert's is $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster with a portion of the proceeds going to support the National Civil Rights Museum. For more information, call (800) 456-0711, or visit amsconcerts.com.
Also in Tunica
Over his 50-plus-year professional career, Willie Nelson has written some of the most famous songs in all of country music, including "On the Road Again," "Hello Walls," and "Crazy." He's written so many hits, in fact, it's easy to forget that there are other songs just as worthy of being lauded.
Nelson hasn't forgotten. In November, the legendary Texas troubadour, who turns 79 this April, released Remember Me, Vol. 1. The record, the first in a proposed series that easily could keep him busy for the rest of his life, finds Nelson covering some of his own favorite songs from the country canon, including the Tennessee Ernie Ford classic "Sixteen Tons," George Jones' "Why Baby Why," and his fellow Highwayman Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down."
Friday night, Nelson is expected play some of those songs and more when he returns to Gold Strike Casino's Millennium Theater (1010 Casino Center Drive, Tunica Resorts, Miss.) for a 9 p.m. show.
Tickets are $79.95 and $89.95 and are available by phone at (888) 747-7711 and through Ticketmaster. For more information, call (888) 245-7529, or visit goldstrike.com.
- |
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.