“The Music of Ray Charles” featuring Joe McBride Missouri-born keyboardist, singer & acclaimed recording artist makes a roaring return to NE Ohio by way of Dallas for a soulful tribute to the legendary R&B, gospel, and blues icon, Ray Charles! Featuring Joe McBride, Wilbur Krebs, Myron Gardner.

Born and raised in Fulton, MO, keyboardist/singer Joe McBride began playing the piano at age four. His uncle Bake McBride was an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians. His earliest influences were gospel music, bebop, straight-ahead jazz, Motown, and ’70s R&B and funk. As a teenager, he began singing and playing at jazz clubs. Around this time, McBride was stricken with a degenerative eye disease that eventually claimed his sight, but his passion for music didn’t diminish. He continued his musical studies at the Missouri School for the Blind and Webster University in suburban St. Louis, where he majored in jazz performance. He also attended the University of North Texas. Around 1983, McBride trekked to San Diego, CA, a bastion of smooth jazz radio. He began playing with the band Fattburger and guitarist Steve Laury.
 
In 1985, McBride visited his brother in Dallas, TX. What was originally planned as a two-week visit evolved into an abundant opportunity. He was flooded with performing offers, leading to McBride becoming a popular musician of the city’s jazz club scene. During that time he met a young trumpeter named Dave Love at a function for North Texas State University. The two became fast friends and when Love ventured into the other side of the music business and started the Heads Up International label, the executive remembered the soulful pianist/vocalist he had met in Dallas and signed him to a record deal. In 1992, the keyboardist was featured on Heads Up labelmate Kenny Blake’s debut, “Interior Design,” and began touring with the Heads Up Superband along with Blake, Gerald Veasley, and Henry Johnson. McBride has also been the opening act for Whitney Houston, Larry Carlton, and the Yellowjackets. His reputation has reached overseas, making McBride a favorite in Europe and Spain.
 
McBride’s debut album, Grace, released in 1992, instantly made him a core artist at smooth jazz radio. McBride’s other albums released during the ’90s include “A Gift for Tomorrow” (1994), “Keys to Your Heart” (1996), and “Double Take” (1998). A stellar guest list of artists that have appeared on his releases includes Grover Washington, Jr., Richard Elliot, Phil Perry, Peter White, Dave Koz, Rick Braun,and Larry Carlton, among others.
 
At the start of the 21st century, McBride’s long sought-after dream was realized: an album that featured his band, the Texas Rhythm Club. His CD Texas Rhythm Club was recorded in his home base of Dallas and issued by Heads Up International on June 27, 2000. Highlights are “Howzit in Dallas,” “Everything Remains the Same,” the tender ballad “It’s You,” the snappy “Lone Star Boogie,” and the humorous “Texas Blues Cruise.” His recorded output has continued during the new millennium, as 2002 saw the release of “Keepin’ It Real,” while “Texas Hold’em” came out in 2005. “Lookin’ for a Change” appeared in 2009 from Heads Up Records.
 
Join us for an incredible evening at BLU Jazz+ as we celebrate the musical legacy of the late Ray Charles with one of the finest keyboardists & entertainers in the country – get your tickets today!
 

About Joe McBride

Not even blindness can stop vocalist/keyboardist Joe McBride. His status as one of today’s most popular contemporary jazz musicians is rooted in a solid foundation of talent. Born in 1963 in Fulton, Missouri, he began playing piano at age four and started singing in high school. As a teenager, McBride contracted a degenerative eye disease and eventually lost his eyesight, but his passion for music was never impaired. He continued his studies at the Missouri School for the Blind and at Webster University in suburban St. Louis. McBride trekked to the sunny shores of San Diego for a while before enrolling at North Texas State University to study jazz and performance.
 
When McBride finally stepped out as a leader in 1992 with Grace, his first CD for Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, he quickly became a favorite in the contemporary jazz genre. His next recordings – A Gift for Tomorrow (1994), Keys to Your Heart (1996) and Double Take (1998) – featured some of the giants of contemporary jazz, including Grover Washington Jr., Peter White, Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Larry Carlton, and others. His 2000 release, Texas Rhythm Club, included Dallas musicians and was a loving tribute to the Lone Star State’s underappreciated jazz scene. Among McBride’s many credits that year was a major supporting role in The Riff, a feature film about the New Orleans jazz scene (directed by Mark Allen and produced by Bernie Pollack).
 
Refusing to confine himself to any particular style, McBride’s recordings are loaded with songs that merge his many talents and interests. “There are times when I find myself starting to float back to the old ideas,” he says. “I have to tell myself, ‘No, I don’t want to do that again,’ because I’ve already been there. I’m always looking for new opportunities to move forward.”
 
On his 2002 release, Keepin’ It Real, McBride complemented his signature keyboard sound with inspired exotic influences reflecting the many loves of his musical life, include his gospel background, Brazilian samba and the music of South Africa. In 2005, he delivered Texas Hold ‘Em, a set of eleven, mostly original, contemporary jazz/blues-based tunes in the classic McBride style. One of his strongest overall recordings, the poker-oriented titles are as much fun as the tunes they belong to: “Big Slick,” “Double Down” “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “In & Out,” “No Limit,” “All In,” and “One Eyed Jack.”
 
McBride moved north in 2005 and made Cleveland, Ohio, his home. He soon met other musicians and quickly became a fixture of that city’s jazz scene.
 
“I have a trio with some of the finest artists in the Cleveland-Akron area,” says McBride. “Guitarist Dan Wilson resides in Akron, and he’s a monster – he’s got the stylings of George Benson or Henry Johnson. Elijah Gilmore is a very talented drummer from the Cleveland area. Roger Hines is an upright bass player from Columbus. He played with Ray Charles and Diane Schuur, so he’s used to dealing with blind folks. It’s really refreshing to work with these young cats, because they’re so excited to be involved.”
 
With the help of his new acoustic trio, McBride adds another significant title to his impressive discography with the July 2009 release of Lookin’ for a Change. On his latest Head Up recording he features songs originally written and recorded by a range of pop luminaries, including Gnarls Barkley, Coldplay, John Mayer and Seal and reinterprets them via straightahead jazz arrangements.
 
“To be honest, I really wanted to try to reach a different audience with my new album,” McBride says. “I’m all about growth. It’s all about making the old things new. It’s okay to look back for just a moment, but the more important idea is to keep our eyes on the future.”

$18