Clayton Visual Arts invites you to a free “meet-the-artists” reception from 6-7:30 PM.

Exhibits change monthly and feature the work of local artists. Visit  Clayton Visual Arts online for information about each artist.

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The Clayton Center welcomes country music torchbearer Marty Stuart as he celebrates the 20th anniversary of his iconic album The Pilgrim. While he’s too gracious to admit it himself, the GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician is living, breathing country music history. Join Marty Stuart as he shares through story and song his remarkable life.

Throughout his career, Stuart has played alongside the masters, from Cash to Lester Flatt; he’s been a worldwide ambassador for Nashville, Bakersfield and points in between; and he’s safeguarded country’s most valuable traditions and physical artifacts, including its literal shoes: Stuart counts the brogan of Carter Family patriarch A.P. Carter and an assortment of Cash’s black boots among his vast collection of memorabilia.

But most importantly, Stuart continues to record and release keenly relevant music — records that honor country’s rich legacy while advancing it into the future. But this year, Stuart is looking to the past for inspiration. Twenty years after its original release, Stuart is breathing new life into his 1999 concept album, The Pilgrim.  Hailed by critics as a showcase of Stuart’s incredible songwriting and instrumental skills, The Pilgrim is a tale of a love triangle replete with marital infidelity, soul searching and redemption — all the ingredients for classic country success.

martystuart.net

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Carol Sloane recorded her first album for Columbia Records in 1961 and began a successful career appearing in the top jazz clubs in America. She made her New York debut opening for Oscar Peterson at the famed Village Vanguard. She was also the opening act for Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Jackie Mason, Phyllis Diller and Bill Cosby in such places as Mr. Kelly’s in Chicago and the “hungry i” in San Francisco.

Sloane’s extensive discography attests to her long association with major recording labels in the U.S. Among the great musicians with whom she has recorded are Art Farmer, Kenny Barron, Phil Woods, Bill Charlap, Frank Wess, Kenny Burrell, Clark Terry, Bill Mays, Houston Person and Tommy Flanagan. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and Town Hall and The Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center. She also has toured Japan extensively as part of The Concord Jazz Festival and has appeared around the globe including Canada, the UK, Spain, Brazil, Portugal and The North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.

Sloane’s New York jazz club engagements include The Village Vanguard and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Jazz Standard and Birdland.

Sloane was off the scene for years, but she is back and sounding as wonderful as ever. Her concerts, club performances and master classes continue to be rich, living pathways into the music and stories beautifully shared from a life well sung.

Please note: This is an exclusive engagement of The Clayton Center and is not a part of the Palladian Series. Tickets to this event must be purchased separately.

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Clayton Visual Arts invites you to a free “meet-the-artists” reception from 6-7:30 PM.

Exhibits change monthly and feature the work of local artists. Visit  Clayton Visual Arts online for information about each artist.

Join Johnston County native Jonathan Levin and the Clayton Piano Festival in commemorating and celebrating the Town of Clayton’s 150th birthday. CPF presents local history through music and documentary film clips that capture the people and influences of the region.

Tickets to this event are $20, plus sales tax & fees. Note: This is an exclusive engagement of The Clayton Center and is not a part of the Palladian Series. Tickets to this event must be purchased separate from the Palladian Series.

PURCHASE

Clayton Visual Arts invites you to a free “meet-the-artists” reception from 6-7:30 PM.

Exhibits change monthly and feature the work of local artists. Visit  Clayton Visual Arts online for information about each artist.

WATCH VIDEO

Melinda Doolittle is a soul–stirring songstress. Her flawless vocals, irresistible artistry and effortless style compells her audiences to keep listening.

Tone deaf as a child, Doolittle’s choir teacher would plead with her not to sing, but just silently move her mouth. Undaunted, her love of singing drove her to enter a talent show in the seventh grade where she stunned the audience with her miraculously spot on vocals and beautiful voice. She never looked back!

After graduating with a music degree from Belmont University in Nashville, Doolittle became a highly sought after background vocalist singing for musical icons including Michael McDonald, Aretha Franklin, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Aaron Neville and Jonny Lang.

Doolittle became a household name during season six of American Idol in 2007. Although she came in third in the voting, she was first with Simon Cowell, who called her his “personal favorite.” She became the sweetheart of the season, winning over the hearts of all with her stunning powerhouse vocals and her personal charm.

In 2009, Doolittle released her debut album Coming Back to You, which garnered rave reviews from critics, including The New York Times, which hailed her as one of the most “phenomenally gifted” singers in years. In 2013, she released her sophomore album You’re The Reason. Between her album releases, she penned her book Beyond Me: Finding Your Way to Life’s Next Level. Doolittle was also the well-loved co-host of TV Line’s Reality Check.

Doolittle continues to thrill audiences everywhere from the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame to The White House, from the Copa Room to Carnegie Hall. In addition, she has been a featured guest with the Boston Pops, Charlotte Symphony and United States Air Force Orchestra to name a few, and was a featured performer at the 2015 Boston Pops Fourth of July Spectacular. She is currently headlining her own soulful show Great American Soul Book.

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Two recent Palladian Series favorites return to perform in one exciting and entertaining show. Singer-songwriters Susan Werner and David Myles take the stage for an engaging evening of eclectic music.

Celebrated performing songwriter Susan Werner has made a name for herself coast to coast. From her 1995 major label folk/rock debut Last of the Good Straight Girls to her 2007 collection of agnostic gospel hymns The Gospel Truth to her 2017 travelogue An American In Havana, Werner writes ambitious concept albums with subject matter and sounds to match.

Spring 2019 brings a fresh set of songs from Werner, this time a New Orleans inspired piano throwdown titled NOLA. One of the few songwriters to have been featured on legendary Marian McPartland’s NPR Piano Jazz, Werner indulges her considerable piano chops with riffs and grooves reminiscent of Dr. John, James Booker, Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint.

Meanwhile, Canadian troubadour David Myles’s song and dance mastery keeps getting more and more impressive — 2017’s award-winning, vintage rock ‘n’ roll hip-swiveler Real Love and the spectacular, lush Francophone pop of 2018’s Le grand départ stand testament to that. But Myles is compelled to rush forth toward new challenges and accomplishments.

This past year he released Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo, a children’s book based on his beloved modern holiday classic, and dove back into the world of public radio, broadcasting his smooth baritone over Alberta’s CKUA airwaves on his new show Myles From Home. Not to mention he does it all while adhering to an unrelenting tour schedule that has seen him and comrades Kyle Cunjak (bass) and Alan Jeffries (guitar) grace stages around the world.

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Direct from Dry Bar Comedy… Don Friesen and Brad Upton!

If you missed Don Friesen‘s hilarious Showtime one-hour special, Ask Your Mom, you’ve got to catch him live at The Clayton Center. Engaging, clever and just flat-out funny, Don captures the irony of parenting, marriage and everyday absurdities through characters, voices, parodies and some of the best written routines around.

As the only two-time winner in the 41-year history of the prestigious San Francisco International Comedy Competition, Friesen ignites the stage with a playful, high-energy spoof of his life as a modern suburban dad trying to get through the day with a bit of money in the bank and a scrap of dignity intact. He’s a wanna-be geek who constantly upgrades to the latest tech, but can never get it to work, leading to signature bits about tech support, Idiots Guides, texting and passwords.

Friesen’s credits include Showtime, Live at Gotham, The Lewis Black Christmas Special, and Comics Unleashed. He was also featured in TBS’ The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas and is a wildly popular on KLOS’ 5:00 Funnies, 100.3 The Sound’s Laughter at 45 After, and XM Sirius satellite radio.

Brad Upton was a 4th grade teacher and high school track coach when he stepped on stage for the very first time in September of 1984. He’s never looked back. He quickly rose through the standup ranks making numerous television appearances and headlining comedy clubs from coast-to-coast.