ROCK AND ROLL LEGEND GARY U.S. BONDS HEADLINES FIRST-EVER
LIGHT OF DAY FOUNDATION SHOW AT HARD ROCK NEW YORK ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013
Concert at Hard Rock Cafe New York Features Additional Performances by
Willie Nile, the Liza Colby Sound and Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan
Rock and roll legend Gary U.S. Bonds and his band, The Roadhouse Rockers, headline the Light of Day Foundation’s first-ever show at the iconic Hard Rock Cafe New York in Times Square on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Additional performances include Willie Nile, the Liza Colby Sound and Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan. Proceeds from the show benefit the Light of Day Foundation (www.lightofday.org), which funds research into possible cures, improved treatments and support for patients who suffer from Parkinson’s disease and other neuromuscular disorders. Proceeds from show will also go to Team Fox, the grassroots community fundraising program at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
The New York show kicks off an extended weekend of Light of Day concerts that include more than 20 events in Asbury Park, New Jersey from January 17 through January 21, 2013. Vincent Pastore, who played Sal Bonpensiero on the HBO hit show, The Sopranos, is hosting the Hard Rock Cafe New York show along with radio disc jockey Rich Russo, whose free-form show, “Anything, Anything,” airs weekly on 107.1 The Peak in Westchester County and 105.5 WDHA in northern New Jersey.
Bonds first rose to prominence in the early 1960s, when his song, “Quarter to Three,” released in June 1961, reached Number 1 on the Billboard chart. Bonds’ other Top 10 hits at the time included “New Orleans,” “School is Out” and “Dear Lady Twist.” He headlined a 1963 European tour, which also included The Beatles.
In the early 1980s, Bonds had a career resurgence when he collaborated with Little Steven Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen for the albums Dedication and On the Line. His comeback song, “This Little Girl,” hit Number 5 on the rock chart in 1981. Bonds has been a dedicated supporter of Light of Day for many years and has appeared at various Light of Day events in the U.S. and Canada.
Gary recently released a Christmas CD titled, Christmas is ON!, over the holidays and his new book, By U.S. Bonds: That’s My Story is slated to come out early this year.
Singer-songwriter Willie Nile’s last three albums, Streets of New York, House of a Thousand Guitars and The Innocent Ones have received great critical acclaim. His hometown paper, The Buffalo News, called the three albums, “three of the finest recordings to ever straddle the worlds of singer-songwriter fare and good ol’ street-tough rock n’roll.” A long-time Light of Day favorite, Nile is known for his scintillating live performances.
Joe D’Urso is a singer-songwriter “blessed with one of those unmistakable whisky-tainted Asbury Park, New Jersey voices that makes the story in every song come alive,” according to a show review by Paul M. Sinclair. D’Urso and his band Stone Caravan have been part of Light of Day since its start 13 years ago. D’Urso serves on the board of directors of LOD.
Liza Colby formed her current band in 2009, combining her own original style with influences from the late 1960s, early 1970s and the British Invasion. Colby describes her sound as “rockin’ soul” that will make you get up and dance!
$25 for general admission and $75 for a seated VIP ticket, available through Ticketweb at www.ticketweb.com.
About Light of Day
The Light of Day concert series is now in its 13th year. What began as a single concert at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey has grown into 35 shows in 12 countries in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
This year Light of Day concerts in Asbury Park, New Jersey will take place from Thursday. January 17 through Monday, January 21, 2013. The nearly weeklong run of events are about to formally be declared as Light of Day Week by the Asbury Park City Council for the second consecutive year. The concerts have become a full-fledged festival.
The funds raised are donated to help the fight against Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses by funding research into better treatments, cures and support for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses.
The Asbury Park shows in 2012 raised nearly $300,000. September of 2012 saw the release on DVD and VOD of Just Around The Corner. The documentary tells the story of Bob Benjamin and the Light of Day Foundation.
Light of Day fields a team in the annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York’s Central Park. Over the last five years the Light of Day team has raised $80,000 which helped the Walk raise over $3 million for Parkinson’s research.
Light of Day has received press coverage in/on NBC Nightly News, CBS New York TV News, Talk Philly on CBS TV Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rolling Stone, Billboard, the New York Times, Backstreets.com, NJ Star Ledger, Asbury Park Press, the Home News Tribune, the Aquarian Weekly, New Jersey Monthly Magazine and many other regional, local and trade outlets.
About Hard Rock International
With a total of 178 venues in 56 countries, including 139 cafes, 18 hotels and 8 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the companies’ two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Florida, both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida., as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Biloxi, Chicago, Cancun, Las Vegas, San Diego and Singapore. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include Santiago, Nabq, San Jose and Guatemala City. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Aruba, Riviera Maya, Abu Dhabi and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. New Hard Rock Casino projects in development include Hungary and Northfield, OH. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.