Little Richard is not the only rock legend gracing the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House on Saturday. Opening act Little Anthony & the Imperials ("Hurts So Bad," "Tears On My Pillow") are about to become certified rock royalty: They'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.
"It feels great," leader Anthony Gourdine said. "When all of your peers tell you that you're cool, it can't get any better than that. We didn't lobby for it. All these years, we've heard that we were nominated, but we never made the first cut . . . but the announcement couldn't have come at a better time. I got the call on my birthday. I would have waited all those years to get that (moment)."
Gourdine says the opportunity to perform at the Opry is an honor, and passes on a message to his prospective audience:
"We're going to perform at a very high rate, I guarantee them. You ain't seen nothin', folks."
Little Richard, Little Anthony & the Imperials and The Tams perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Grand Ole Opry House (2802 Opryland Drive, 871-6779.) Tickets are $60-$95, available through Ticketmaster.
Heidi Newfield's guest room shocker
From Tennessean music writer Peter Cooper:
Heidi Newfield's five ACM nominations weren't just a surprise to many along Music Row. They were a surprise to Heidi as well.
"My manager called and woke me up and said, 'Turn your TV to the CBS Early Morning show,' " said Heidi, who was part of country trio Trick Pony before starting a solo career in 2008 with the Tony Brown-produced What Am I Waiting For? "I thought immediately that something was up. My husband and I don't have a TV in the master bedroom, so we crawled into bed in the guest bedroom."
We wonder aloud, "What did your guests think about that?" And we're ignored by Heidi, as she talks about her excitement and elation.
Two years ago, Heidi's career was in something of a holding pattern when she went to the ACM Awards in Vegas. Last year, she had completed her album and released a single, but the finished product was not yet in stores. This year, her five nominations — including one for best female vocalist — mean she probably has an inside track to a performance slot on the show.
"In all my time doing this, after all the venues and fairs and festivals and the shows with Trick Pony and the shows on my own, I've never had the chance to perform on a major awards show," she said. "That's including Trick Pony having won a best new artist award at the American Music Awards in 2001, and a best new group award at the ACMs in 2002. I've always thought of that as a big mile marker, having an opportunity to get up onstage and throw down and show people what I can do."
Hold onto your hats, it's a jazz rally
From Tennessean music writer Peter Cooper:
The jazzers are up in arms, which is good for our ears.
Here's the thing: Not sure if you've heard, but the economy isn't in particularly great shape right now. Mandatory furloughs are all the rage, and layoffs are pretty hip, too. And then there's fund-slashing. Lots of businesses and schools are into fund-slashing.
The fund of greatest concern to the Nashville jazz community is the one that supports WMOT 89.5 FM, a station that has been broadcasting cutting-edge jazz for 40 years from the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. State budget cuts have imperiled this Tennessee institution, and jazz musicians are banding together on Sunday afternoon to raise money in hopes of saving the station.
"The need for this station goes beyond just the jazz community," Nashville Jazz Orchestra's Jim Williamson said. I don't know any musician who doesn't have WMOT as a preset on his or her radio. In jazz, there are experimentations with harmony and rhythms and orchestrations, and all of that finds its way into pop music eventually. Jazz is always out in front, and musicians in Nashville know that, and pay attention."
Williamson's orchestra will play Sunday at Limelight, with guests including Felix Cavaliere (of The Young Rascals) and Diane Marino (of Diane Marino). Others on the bill include Rod McGaha, Victor Wooten, The Pat Coil Sextet, Christina Watson and El Movimiento (ah, que bueno). The show begins at 3 p.m. Admission is $15, with all proceeds going to WMOT.
"We're calling this a rally, not a benefit," Williamson said. Limelight is at 201 Woodland St., right across from LP Field.
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