Niswonger PAC welcomes Blues Hall of Famer Robert Cray Sept. 18

Published 11:14 am Thursday, September 8, 2022

GREENEVILLE — The Niswonger Performing Arts Center presents The Robert Cray Band, Sunday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. After more than four decades, Blues Hall of Famer Robert Cray remains as viable as ever. Bridging the lines between blues, soul and R&B, the five-time Grammy Award winner has created a sound that rises from American roots and arrives today both fresh and familiar.

Cray’s band features Richard Cousins (bass), Dover Weinberg (keyboards), Les Falconer (drums), and Cray (vocals and guitar). The group has recorded 20 studio releases, 15 of which have been on the Billboard charts, and played bars, concert halls, festivals and arenas around the world.

The band’s latest album, That’s What I Heard, was released in February 2020, has a soulful Memphis sound and includes some deep gospel as well. On the album, Robert celebrates the music of Curtis Mayfield, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Sensational Nightingales and more, alongside four newly written songs. “Funky, cool and bad,” is how Robert Cray describes the album. “I thought if we could get this thing that Sam Cooke used to have, the kind of sound that early Sam Cooke records had, that we could pull this off,” says producer Steve Jordan. “Robert is just a great person besides being extraordinarily talented,” adds Jordan. “People gravitate to his guitar playing first, but I think he’s one of the best singers I’ve heard in my life. Not only because of his singing ability, but his interpretations. He’s such an honest soul in my opinion.”

Tickets start at $35 and are available online at www.npacgreeneville.com, in person at the NPAC box office, or by phone at 423-638-1679.