News

My good friend, David McDonald, at the age of 55 just joined the Peace Corp and is now serving in Morocco. David produced two documentaries from two songs on my new sound recording, Don’t Stand Still. (You can see them on YouTube). Last Monday David dropped by before flying out to northwest Africa and I gave him a signed copy of Don’t Stand Still to give as a gift to the Ambassadors to Morocco, Sam & Sylvia Kaplan, who are also friends. Three days later  I received this wonderful photograph of beloved David with Ambassadors Sam & Sylvia Kaplan in Morocco. It is such a small and wonderful world. Peace!

Check it out:

We Shall Overcome

Featuring Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Bruce Cockburn, Guy Davis, Ruby Dee, Ani DiFanco, Emmylou Harrish, Larry Long, Scarlett Lee Moore, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Toshi Reagon, Tao Rodriquez-Seeger, Pete Seeger, Dar Williams

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 10th, there will be a ‘Celebration of the Life of Marv Davidov’ in stories, poetry, song, and film. Speakers and performers include Larry Long, Garrison Keillor, Jamela …Pettiford, Clyde Bellecourt, Tony Bouza, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Carol Connolly, Bill Tilton, Jerry Rau, Steve Sato, the MacDonald Sisters, and others.

Where: Woulfe Alumni Hall on the third floor of the brand new Anderson Student Center at St. Thomas University
Northeast corner of Cretin and Summit Aves., St. Paul, Minnesota.

Gathering and visiting: 1:00 to 2:00 PM
Formal Program: 2:00 to 3:30 PM
Open Mic: 3:35 to 4:05 PM
Exhibits and refreshments: 3:30 to 5:00 PM

Suggested $5 minimum donation to the Marv Davidov Peace and Justice Fund (c/o Tilton & Dunn P.L.L.P, U.S. Bank Center, 101 East Fifth Street, Ste. 2220, St. Paul, MN 55101)

Visit the event’s Facebook page and see the memories, photos, and links to Marv memorabilia from those affected by Marv’s amazing life of dedication. Add your own contributions to this treasure of remembrances:

https://www.facebook.com/events/305995852784674/See More

The benefit, Friends of Carrie, with the legendary members of “Hang Dynasty” raised over $12,000 for Carrie Stenson-Hansen’s fight against cancer.   Larry wrote and performed a song especially written for the occasion with Hang Dynasty, called Friends of Carrie.

 Friends of Carrie

Friends of Carrie
We are bathing in your love

Love for your mother
Love for your father
Love for your family and friends

Love for each other
Sisters and brothers
With a love that has no end

Friends of Carrie
We are bathing in your love

Love for the healing
Power of giving
Your love to somebody else

Love has the power
To do for others
What’s hard to do for yourself

Friends of Carrie
We are bathing in your love

Love from a power
So far greater
Than the love we ever known

To open up
To let it in
To love and not let go

Friends of Carrie
We are bathing in your love

Love in the morning
Love in the evening
Love to set things right

Love for the moment
We’re together
With love for you tonight!

Friends of Carrie
We are bathing in your love

With a little bit of money and a prayer
We want to show you that we care

Friends of Carrie
We are bathing in your love

Words & music by Larry Long. Copyright Larry Long Publishing 2012 / BMI

Larry will be performing at a benefit concert for Park Avenue Youth & Family Services. Hosted by T. Mychael Rambo with special guests Greta Oglesby, Larry Long, Van Nixon, Kingdown Road and more.

Friday, March 2, 2012
6:30 Reception – 7:30 – 9:30 concert

Where: Profile Event Center
2630 University Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414

Tickets: $75 VIP Seating   $50 General Seating
(www.payfs.org/)

All proceeds from this fundraiser will go to support the amazing programs of Park Avenue Youth and Family Services.

About Park Avenue Youth and Family Services (PAYFS)

Park Avenue Youth and Family Services (PAYFS), (formerly the Park Avenue Foundation), is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization affiliated with the Park Avenue United Methodist Church. PAYFS was organized to give a stronger identity to outreach programs started by the church in the late 1960s.

Since 1985, Park Avenue Youth and Family Services has reached out to nurture and empower the children, youth and families of our community through academic programs, summer camps and family services. PAYFS programs are open to everyone, regardless of religious belief.

Join Larry on February 22, 2012, from 6:30 to 9:00pm, for a Book Release Party for This with my last breath and a 112th birthday celebration for Meridel LeSueur. Featuring performances by Barb Tilsen, Gayla Ellis, Louis Alemayehu, Steve Sklar, Fernando Silva, Larry & Jacqueline Long Sandy Spieler and Marcie Rendon.

Wednesday February 22, 2012 6:30-9:00 pm

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theater
1500 E. Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN

Celebrate Midwest Villages & Voices’ publication of This with my last breath featuring the previously unpublished final writing of Meridel LeSueur.

On February 16th at 1:00 PM Larry Long & JD Steele will be giving a one hour seminar for Black History Month entitled Freedom, Oh Freedom: The Power of Song at the Minneapolis Media Institute, College of Media Arts, in Edina, MN.  The Recording Campus is in the old Flyte Tyme Studios, where Grammy Winners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis created countless gold and platinum records.  MMI is accredited by ACCSC.  For more information, go to www.MediaInstitute.edu.

Larry Long will be joining Hang Dynasty and the Leech Lake Honor Guard  in Cass Lake, January 27-28 in a benefit concert to raise money for “Bring A Vet Home” (BRAVE), an organization devoted to helping homeless U.S. military veterans.

“Hang Dynasty” is a four-piece rock-and-roll band whose members have played with some of the most successful acts in rock history, including The Steve Miller Band, Prince, Bob Dylan, Boz Scaggs, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Loggins and others.

The concerts will be held at Cadillac’s Northstar Grille in Cass Lake on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28. Both shows are scheduled to run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Hang Dynasty members include:

• Billy Peterson. Billy has performed with The Steve Miller Band, Bob Dylan, the Righteous Brothers and many others
• Kenny Lee Lewis. Kenny Lee has provided lead guitar and vocals for many acts including The Beach Boys, The Steve Miller Band, Edgar Winter and B.B. King
• Ricky Peterson. A keyboarder and vocalist, Ricky has performed with The Steve Miller Band, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer and Stevie Nicks
• Paul Peterson. Paul’s musical resume includes percussion and vocals alongside Prince, Kenny Loggins and Boz Scaggs, in addition to The Steve Miller Band

Groups being helped by this event are the Salvation Army, which provides transitional housing and support services to homeless U.S. military veterans and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.

Tickets are:  General Admission $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and are available at Cadillac’s Northstar Grille, the Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce and online at www.bringavethome.com. A limited number of reserved seats are available at the same outlets for $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Studies by the Veterans Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimate that on any given day, 67,000 military veterans are battling with homelessness. Veterans make up more than one-third of the homeless population.  Many suffer from psychological problems brought on by the trauma of combat, while others suffer feelings of isolation that make it difficult to assimilate back into society.

Larry Long will be featured this evening at 6 PM on ‘Centerstage Minnesota’, KAXE, Grand Rapids.  The program that will include an interview with Larry and music from his just release CD, Don’t Stand Still.  It will also air Saturday at noon.   This segment will also be posted on the KAXE.org webpage.

For more information, contact:
Music Director/Arts & Culture Producer
Northern Community Radio, 91.7 KAXE
260 NE 2nd St, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
(218) 326-1234
www.kaxe.org

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (12/15/11) — On Sunday, January 15, 2012, from 4-6 p.m., the University of Minnesota will host the 31^st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert featuring Committed, winners of NBC’s The Sing-Off, plus Larry Long with musical guests Tonia Hughes, Billy Peterson, and Billy Steele. The concert will take place at the University’s Ted Mann Concert Hall (2128 4th Street South, Minneapolis, MN 55455, U of M West Bank campus). This program honors Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Reginald Buckner, founder of the MLK, Jr. Concert.

When the University of Minnesota’s Martin Luther King Jr. Concert began more than 30 years ago, it was the only tribute of its kind in Minnesota. The late Reginald Buckner, School of Music professor and an accomplished performer and composer, founded the concert and began the tradition of celebrating the life and accomplishments of Dr. King through the performing arts. After professor Buckner’s death in 1989, the University continued to honor Buckner’s memory and artistic genius by carrying on the inspiring legacy of this annual program. The Martin Luther King Celebration is now a joint program of the University of Minnesota’s Office for Equity and Diversity and the School of Music.

The concert is free of charge and open to the public; no advance tickets or reservations are required. For more information about the program, or for disability accommodations, contact the Office for Equity and Diversity at oed@umn.edu or 612-624-0594. Visit z.umn.edu/MLK2012 for more information.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Committed is a highly sought-after a cappella singing group comprised of six young men who love creativity, music, and God. The group began in 2003 at Forest Lake Academy and solidified their sound while at school at Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL. Members of the group include Maurice Staple, Alain “Tommy” Gervais, Theron “Therry” Thomas, Robbie Pressley, Dennis “DJ” Baptiste, and Geston Pierre.

Committed has been compared to a cappella groups like Take 6 and Boyz II Men. What sets Committed apart is its versatility – four out of the six members are instrumentalists, and all of them are able to sing various styles of music from gospel, pop, R&B, contemporary worship, and jazz.

The group was featured on the second season of NBC’s hit singing competition, “The Sing Off,” and emerged as the season two champions. It has been their strong faith, hard work, and creativity that has gotten them to the point of being called one of the nation’s top ten a cappella groups. Committed truly believes that “with God all things are possible,” and they continue to work toward inspiring people through music. More on Committed’s website.

Larry Long, called “a true American Troubadour” by author Studs Terkel, has made his life work the celebration of American stories and heroes. Long’s hundreds of ballads readily capture the American history of our time, while embracing our common humanity with stories about those history makers who are known and those who are unknown. He has worked in urban communities with Latin, Somali, African-American, and Scandinavian students. He has worked in southern rural communities combining black, white, Native American and Latin stories.

Now a Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, Long has sung at major festivals, concerts and events throughout the U.S. and internationally. Long is a recipient of the prestigious Bush Artists Fellowship, the Pope John XXIII Award and In The Spirit of Crazy Horse Award for his work in forgotten communities. For more information, visit Larry Long’s website.

Tonia Hughes has spent the last five years broadening her appeal in the Twin Cities by garnering critical acclaim in musical theatrical productions throughout the area. Her latest and long-awaited release I’m Ready Now is uniquely different from anything that she has done to date in that it embodies all that she is vocally and spiritually.

In addition to serving as a lead vocalist with the Grammy and Stellar Award nominated Excelsior Chorale Ensemble, Hughes has provided background vocals at various events featuring Tremaine Hawkins, Rance Allen, and William Murphy. Because of her versatile vocal ability, Hughes has opened for various events featuring legendary music artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Little Richard. However, she’s most grateful for the experience garnered while working with industry powerhouses Fred Hammond, Mary J. Blige, and Judith Christie McAllister.

Billy Peterson is one of the premier bass players in the world, as well as a successful producer and arranger. He has worked with Ben Sidran, Eddie Harris, Leo Kottke, Bob Dylan and Steve Miller, to name a few. Peterson was also the bassist for the Steve Miller band for 20 years. More at Jazz.com.

The youngest of the Steele siblings, Billy Steele performs, writes, and produces for the Grammy Award-winning ensemble, the Sounds of Blackness, for who he is currently serving as Assistant Director. He is the co-recipient of three Grammys via this talented ensemble. He continues to write and produce for various artists, including the Steeles. His voice has been heard on soundtracks with artists such as Rod Stewart, Luther Vandross and many more. Recently, he collaborated on the Disney soundtrack Legends, The John Henry Story, narrated by James Earl Jones. More at the Steele’s website.