Little Anthony and The Imperials (2009 R&R H.O.F. Inductees)

"Two People In The World"
The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame starts selling induction ceremony tickets today

The public gets its first crack at tickets to the upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions during a walk-up pre-sale today at the Rock Hall box office.

Metallica, Run-D.M.C., Bobby Womack, Jeff Beck and Little Anthony and the Imperials will be among the honorees enshrined at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Cleveland's Public Hall.

Tickets are $35 and $75 for seating in the balcony, where about 5,000 people will be accommodated for the ceremony.

The pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. today, with fewer than 1,000 tickets set aside.

Remaining tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday at ticket master.com and Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone, 1-800-745-3000.

Rock Hall officials expect the event to sell out quickly.

There is a two-ticket limit on all orders.

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Little Anthony shares experiences with Cleveland fans at Rock Hall

CLEVELAND -- In celebration of Black History Month, a famed soul group from the 1950s and 60s shared their experienced with fans Friday.

Little Anthony and the Imperials were at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its "Hall of Fame Series" of presentations.

The rhythm and blues, "soul-doo-wop group," had such instant hits as "Tears on My Pillow" and "Goin' Out of My Head."

The group says they enjoy sharing their history with others.

"To have these kinds of programs, to be able to educate these kids, you're only going to get great dividends from that in the long run, because they're going to feel 'wow, I'm part of a country, America, that has all this...well maybe there's a place for me,'" Little Anthony Gourdine said.

Little Anthony and the Imperials will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the ceremony here in April.

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Little Anthony at the Rock Hall

February is the time for Black History Month (infoplease.com/spot/bhm1.html). During the month, many places are holding special events to celebrate some of the special people that have made the country great. One of the places that are holding such events is The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (rockhall.com). This week, the Rock Hall has been holding some of those events. One of the events that are still to take place happens tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Friday, February 13th, 2009, the Rock Hall welcomes Little Anthony and the Imperials (littleanthonyandtheimperials.com). The band is one of the artists that will be inducted into the Rock Hall for the 2009 Class of Inductees.

During their time in the industry, Little Anthony and the Imperials have released many albums, from the “We Are The Imperials” album in 1959, to the recently released album, “You’ll Never Know” (http://www.amazon.com/Youll-Never-Little-Anthony-Imperials/dp/B001FBSMXK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1234466235&sr=1-5).

Little Anthony and The Imperials will be inducted in a little over two months. However, Little Anthony will be coming to Cleveland a little early to make a stop at the Rock Hall tomorrow, February 13th, 2009. The musician will be part of an interview session that will be taking place in the Rock Hall’s Theater. This event will be part of the Rock Hall’s Hall of Fame Series.

If you were a fan of the group, or want to be part of history, as the musician gets ready to be inducted, this would be the perfect time to check out Little Anthony up close and personal as he answers questions in front of an audience at the Rock Hall. To be a part of the audience at this event, contact the Rock Hall via e-mail at edu@rockhall.org. Or, you can call and request a spot in the audience by calling (216) 515-8426.

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Little Anthony vows to rock Opry house

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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Rock Hall sweet music to Little Anthony's ears

It was one of the all-time great birthday gifts, though "Little" Anthony Gourdine had nothing to unwrap.

On Jan. 8, Gourdine turned 69, and his best present came in the form of a conference call.

During it, he learned that the group he's fronted since he was a teenager, R&B staples Little Anthony & the Imperials, had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2009, which was announced Wednesday.

"It was a heck of a birthday present," Gourdine said with much relish Wednesday afternoon, the words lingering on his tongue as if they came coated in honey.

The group had been eligible for the Rock Hall for some time before getting the nod this year along with heavy metallers Metallica, rappers Run-DMC, guitarist Jeff Beck and soul singer Bobby Womack.

"A lot of people were really lobbying for us," Gourdine said, breathing hard on a power walk before hitting the gym shortly thereafter. "Paul Shaffer, Billy Joel and Paul Simon, who we worked with, they were all lobbying."

The Imperials are rounded out by Ernest Wright, founder Clarence Collins and Harold Jenkins (who replaced singer Sammy Strain upon his retirement), the latter three of whom also live in Vegas.

Beginning in the late '50s, the group notched a slew of hits such as "Tears on My Pillow," "Goin' Out of My Head," "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)" and "Hurt So Bad," driven by Gourdine's high-pitched, boyish lilt and the group's chocolate-rich harmonies.

Though one of their signature songs is doo-wop novelty standard "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop," Gourdine says the Imperials quickly outgrew the doo-wop tag, and he doesn't appreciate being labeled as such.

"We've always been a group that's been a bit different. That's why I always tell people, 'Do not call us a doo-wop group,' " Gourdine said. "We are an R&B/pop group. Listen to our music. It would disrespect all these great producers and great writers (that the Imperials worked with over the years) to say that we're a doo-wop group. I don't like that."

As his words suggest, Gourdine remains a lively, animated presence, and he still performs regularly with the Imperials, who've remained a solid draw in Vegas and elsewhere.

In the past couple years, the group has played in town with some frequency at The Cannery and the Tropicana, as well as the Aquarius in Laughlin.

"We're really well-entrenched here," said Gourdine, who notes that the group might partake in semi-regular gigs at The Orleans in the near future. "That's why I live here."

The Imperials still tour every year, and the group recently celebrated their 50th anniversary with a performance on "The Late Show With David Letterman."

Unlike many of their peers, Little Anthony & the Imperials continue to boast most of their classic lineup, even after five decades. From boys to men, the group has managed to grow up together without growing old.

"We're the real deal. We never really lost it," Gourdine said. "We weren't cut out of the same cloth that everybody else came out of. We knew how to sing, we knew how to make harmony and we knew how to make it sound good. That's what's kept us together these 50 years, more than anything else."

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Little Anthony & The Imperials - Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Pop (Dj Chon remix)

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