Western Reserve Public Media and The Kent Stage to present live concert with Spencer Davis Group and Badfinger starring Joey Molland

Rockers to perform classic hits “Day After Day, “No Matter What,” “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “I’m a Man” and more at British Invasion concert on April 12

KENT, Ohio — Feb. 6, 2008 — Tickets are now on sale for A British Invasion With the Spencer Davis Group and Badfinger starring Joey Molland, to be held on Saturday, April 12 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at The Kent Stage in downtown Kent.

Reserved seats are $30. Gold Circle tickets are $50. The Gold Circle level includes best-in-house seats, plus a private reception and meet-and-greet with members of the bands. Tickets can be purchased at The Kent Stage Web site, www.kentstage.org; Woodsy’s Music at 135 S. Water St. in Kent; Spin More Records at 165 E. Main St. in Kent; or by calling The Kent Stage at (330) 677-5005.

“Spencer Davis and Badfinger’s Joey Molland are both renowned artists whose many hit songs are part of the baby boomer songbook,” said Lisa Martinez, vice president of marketing and development at Western Reserve Public Media. “This is going to be a great concert with two performers who were moving in the rock ‘n’ roll circles of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.”

Formed in 1963, the Spencer Davis Group originally included Spencer Davis, Pete York and brothers Steve and Muff Winwood. They toured with the Rolling Stones and the Who when they were still working clubs. The band produced close to a dozen top-10 hit songs, including “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “I’m a Man,” “Somebody Help Me” and “Keep On Runnin’.” The popularity of those songs lives on: Spencer Davis recently accepted an award from BMI in London for over 3 million broadcast performances of “Gimme Some Lovin’” since its release in 1967. Spencer Davis alone represents the group today, on the road a good part of the year and still playing the band’s greatest hits.

Joey Molland was one of three primary songwriters in Badfinger, formed in 1968 and revered by critics as one of the outstanding melodic pop bands of all time. These protégés to the Beatles were the darlings of Apple Records. In the late 1960s, Badfinger stormed world pop charts with hits such as “Come and Get It,” “No Matter What,” “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.” During Molland’s association with Apple Records, he made guest appearances on two George Harrison albums, “All Things Must Pass” and “The Concert for Bangla Desh” and the John Lennon album “Imagine.” After this very promising start, however, devious business dealings and litigation left the four members of the group virtually penniless. Key songwriter Pete Ham committed suicide in 1975. Bassist Tom Evans did the same thing eight years later. With Tom Evans’ death in 2005, Joey Molland is the only surviving member of the band.

The Kent Stage, located at 175 E. Main St., has 640 seats and offers an intimate venue for this event.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit Western Reserve Public Media and The Kent Stage, both nonprofit organizations.

 

About Western Reserve Public Media
Western Reserve Public Media is owned and operated by Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, Inc., a private, nonprofit corporation and consortium of Kent State University, The University of Akron and Youngstown State University. A trusted community resource, Western Reserve Public Media uses the power of commercial-free television and related services to enrich the lives of people through high-quality programming and educational services that teach, illuminate and inspire. The only broadcast television service that reaches all of northeast Ohio, Western Reserve Public Media is available to 1.8 million households and 4.6 million people in the Cleveland and Youngstown designated market areas. In an average week, over 500,000 households tune in. Through funding from eTech Ohio, the organization provides K-12 educational technology training and instructional television programming to 21,500 educators and 257,400 students in eight Ohio counties. For more information about Western Reserve Public Media, visit www.WesternReservePublicMedia.org or call 1-800-554-4549.

About The Kent Stage
Constructed as the Flannigan and Steele Theater in 1927, the Kent Stage is the only remaining downtown theater of its kind in Portage County. The building opened as a vaudeville and movie theater and has entertained audiences in Kent for 80 years. The Western Reserve Folk Arts Association opened up the Kent Stage in 2002, continuing a tradition of providing quality entertainment in downtown Kent. More information is available at www.kentstage.org.