Tab Benoit and Queen of Southern Sass among planned performers
CROWLEY — Louisiana-born blues guitarist Tab Benoit will kick off the 11th season at The Grand Opera House, 505 N. Parkerson Ave., on Sept. 21.
A guitar player since his teenage years, Benoit often appeared at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Benoit played alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, learning the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. Soon after, he formed his own trio and they began playing throughout clubs in south Louisiana.
Today Benoit plays around the world and was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2010. He also received the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award.
Masters of Soul — which features music made famous by record labels including Motown and Stax — returns to Crowley for a second time on Oct. 22.
American jazz and pop singer and songwriter Mandy Harvey will perform Feb. 11, 2019.
Harvey, who is deaf and took part in “America’s Got Talent,” will share with the audience her journey of losing her hearing to launching a music career.
On March 9, “Swamp Pop” legends Warren Storm and Willie Tee will perform with their band, Cypress. They will be joined by T.K. Hulin, Charlene Howard and Bert Miller.
The season will come to a close April 5 when comedian Etta May takes the stage. Winner of the American Comedy Awards Comic of the Year, the Kentucky native is hailed as the Queen of Southern Sass because of her high-powered, take-no-prisoners performance.
The Grand is offering two extra performances this season: Louis Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers will be joined by his French fiddle band Michot’s Melody Makers, featuring Ashlee Michot of Soul Creole and Colby and Justin Leger of Plaquemine Brulee. And for a fourth time, Marc Broussard, an American singer-songwriter from Carencro who describes his music style as “Bayou Soul,” will perform.
Both performance dates will be announced mid-December.
Mark Nizer 4-D will kick off The Grand Opera House’s Family Series at 2 p.m. Oct. 14. The show features four Lasers being juggled at 1000 rpms, with the spinning laser beams dancing just above the audience’s heads.
Jason Hudy will perform his magic show at 2 p.m. Jan. 13.
The Birmingham Children’s Theatre will present “The Three Little Kittens” at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 11.
Individual and season tickets are on sale now. For information, contact Kim Gattle at 785-0440 orkim@thegrandoperahouse.org.
The Grand Opera House is located at 505 N. Parkerson Ave. in Crowley.