MAVIS STAPLES and

 BOOKER T. & THE MG’S TO

HEADLINE BENEFIT CONCERT FOR OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC

AT HARRIS THEATER, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1

Photo: Duck Dunn, Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper

UPDATE:

LIMITED NUMBER OF TWO-FOR-ONE TICKETS AVAILABLE:

October 23, 2008 – A limited number of two-for-one tickets at all price levels are now available for the Mavis Staples and Booker T and the MG’s benefit concert for Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Saturday Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.

Single tickets were originally priced from $250-$75.  A limited number of two-for-one tickets at those prices are now available at the Harris Theater Box Office, by phone at 312.334.7777 or by visiting harristheaterchicago.org. 

“Although intended to be a fundraiser, we realize these are tough economic times and discretionary income is at a premium. In the Old Town School spirit of community, we have decided to offer a substantially discounted ticket so that as many Chicagoans as possible can enjoy this legendary concert experience,” explained Bau Graves, Executive Director of the Old Town School of Folk Music. “It is too good a pairing to miss!” 

Expect the Harris Theater roof to be raised when two legendary soul superstars -  Mavis Staples and Booker T and the MG’s – perform in a dynamic one-night-only concert to benefit Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Saturday Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.

Each performing their own hit-filled set, the concert marks a rare 40-year reunion for the pair, having first played together in Memphis in 1968 as fellow artists on the Stax record label.

“Old Town School is incredibly proud to host Mavis Staples – a legend of Chicago roots music – for our 2008 benefit concert.  But to enjoy Mavis on the same bill with the ‘house band of soul music’ – Booker T and the MG’s – just puts this event in a class by itself.  This concert will be a true celebration of the musical community that finds a home at Old Town School,” said Bau Graves, Executive Director of the Old Town School of Folk Music. 

Tickets for the Nov. 1 benefit concert, which range from $250-$75 are now on sale at the Harris Theater Box Office, by phone at 312.334.7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org

Soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. From her early days sharing lead vocals with her groundbreaking family group, The Staple Singers, to her powerful solo recordings, Mavis Staples is an inspirational force in modern popular culture and music.  Her voice has influenced artists from Bob Dylan to Prince (who dubbed her "the epitome of soul") and she has appeared with everyone from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Bill Cosby, Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton, to Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Santana and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and has recorded with Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Aretha Franklin, Marty Stuart and many others.

Staples’ performance at the Harris precedes by mere days the release of her first live solo album – Mavis Staples Live: Hope at the Hideout (Anti- Records) – on November 4, fittingly the same day the United States elects its 44^th President in one of this country’s most momentous elections.  Staples’ dedication to social justice and freedom spans over 40 years of modern history; first as lead singer of The Staple Singers, where her voice became the living soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement, continuing through to 2007 when she won a Free Speech award created to honor artists that have incited discussion and worked against the status quo through their music and their actions. Live: Hope at the Hideout, recorded at the intimate Hideout venue here in Staples’ Chicago hometown, features a dozen iconic Staples selections such as “For What It’s Worth,” “Why Am I Treated So Bad,” and “I’ll Take You There”- many certain to be showcased at the Harris.  

Booker T. and The MG's – considered by many to be the greatest soul instrumental band of all time - features 1992 Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame inductees Booker T. Jones (keyboards/ horn), Steve Cropper (guitar) and Donald 'Duck' Dunn (bass).  Between 1963 and 1968, as the house band for the Stax/Volt labels, Booker T. and The MG’s appeared on more than 600 recordings, including classics by such artists as Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, The Staple Singers and William Bell. As a result of Stax’s affiliation with Atlantic Records, the group also worked with Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, and Albert King. Moreover, Booker T. and the MG’s were a successful recording group in their own right, cutting ten albums and fourteen instrumental hits, including “Green Onions” (#1 Billboard hit of 1962), “Hang ‘Em High,” “Time Is Tight” and “Soul-Limbo.” The group gradually disintegrated after the sale of Stax in 1968, and the artists pursued individual writing and recording careers. In 1990, the remaining three members (a fourth, Al Jackson was murdered in 1975) reunited and soon after, backed Neil Young on tour. In 1994, they released That’s the Way It Should Be (Sony), their first album in more than 20 years, garnering a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.  Stax/Fantasy released a Booker T. and The MG’s box set, Time is Tight in 1998.  

Founded in 1957, Old Town School of Folk Music is the nation’s largest independent community arts school, dedicated to teaching and celebrating music and cultural expressions rooted in the traditions of diverse American and global communities. Old Town School serves close to 6,000 students per week with 650 accredited class offerings in music, dance, theater and visual arts across two facilities (4544 N. Lincoln and 909 W. Armitage). The School presents 180 performances and a summer festival for 85,000 patrons every year, and is supported by 3,000 members, 400 volunteers, 300 staff and faculty, and a $10 million annual budget. Outreach programs serve 2,400 children in 20 public schools and care facilities across Chicago, and our field trip concerts attract 9,000 students and teachers annually with interactive and educational performances.

This concert is dedicated to Marjorie Benton for her long and outstanding support and service to the Old Town School of Folk Music. 

Tickets for the Nov. 1 benefit concert, which range from $250-$75 are now on sale at the Harris Theater Box Office, by phone at 312.334.7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org

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