NASHVILLE |DATE: JUNE 23, 2010
FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI/MITCH SCHNEIDER
BONEY JAMES
TO RETURN TO THE ROAD FOR FIRST TIME
AFTER RECOVERY FROM MAY 15 CAR ACCIDENT
Just six weeks after being hit by a drunk driver in a fiery freeway crash, saxophonist-songwriter BONEY JAMES will return to the concert stage for string of U.S. dates starting July 3 in Northern California. BONEY–one of today’s most respected and best-selling instrumental artists and performers–was driving home from a show in Los Angeles May 15 when he was stuck in freeway traffic and his car was rear-ended at 70 MPH, causing a jaw fracture, broken teeth and 14 stitches in his chin.
“I’m really excited to get back to playing shows,” says the three million-selling and three-time Grammy nominee, whose “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (introducing Quinn)”–from his current album SEND ONE YOUR LOVE (Concord)–received a “Best Traditional Vocal R&B” Grammy nomination last year. “I broke my two front teeth in the accident and couldn’t blow for six weeks. I still have a brace on them and might still lose the teeth, but I’m able to play and need to get back on stage. I do feel very lucky to be alive, and being able to play my horn again is the best thing in the world.”
BONEY has released 12 albums since his 1992 debut and has also made a name for himself playing in front of fans. A Boston Globe live review said, “…his music is muscular and gritty, whereas most smooth jazz has all the texture and complexity of a cue ball…. James swaggered across the stage like a blacktop hero draining treys on an overmatched opponent. He even weaved his way through the audience, never missing a beat and all but daring the crowd not to have a good time (6/17/05).”
After the accident, Boney recuperated at home in Los Angeles (with the help of his wife, actress Lily Mariye, who was on “ER” for 15 years) and wrote music for his forthcoming CD, which he will begin recording this summer.
| DATE | LOCATION | VENUE | |
| Sat | 7/3 | Healdsburg, CA | Rodney Strong Vineyards |
| Thu | 7/8 | St. Charles, MO | Ameristar Casino-Bottleneck Blues Bar |
| Fri | 7/9 | Kansas City, MO | Ameristar Casino & Hotel Kansas City |
| Sun | 7/25 | Winter Park, CO | Winter Park Jazz Festival |
| Sat | 7/31 | San Diego, CA | Humphrey’s |
| Fri | 8/13 | Long Beach, CA | Long Beach Jazz Festival-Rainbow Lagoon Park |
| Fri | 8/27 | Philadelphia, PA | Penn’s Landing |
| Sat | 9/18 | Sacramento, CA | Radiisson Hotel |
| Fri | 10/15 | Rehoboth Beach, DE | Rehoboth Beach Convention Center |
| Sat | 10/16 | Cincinnati, OH | Aroness Center |
| Fri | 11/12 | Charleston, SC | TBA |
| Sat | 12/4 | Las Vegas, NV | Boulder Station Casino |
| Fri | 4/29 | Newark, OH | Midland Theatre |
| Sat | 4/30 | Greenville, SC | Niswonger Performing Arts Center Greenville |
| Sat | 5/21 | High Point, MO | High Point Theatre |
About BONEY:
Making his saxophone sing like a human voice–that’s BONEY JAMES. Soulful and gifted, the three million-selling saxophonist and songwriter is one of today’s most respected and best-selling instrumental artists and performers. With his latest album SEND ONE YOUR LOVE (Concord)–featuring the Grammy-nominated song “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”–BONEY furthers his longstanding reputation as a major force in both the worlds of Contemporary Jazz and R&B. The East Coast-raised and Los Angeles-based artist has not only sold over three million albums–he’s earned a string of 12 hit records (including 8 Billboard Contemporary Jazz #1’s) and garnered an array of honors: a Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album, three Grammy nominations–two for Best Pop Instrumental Album and one for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance–and an NAACP Image Award nomination. 2009 was truly a watermark year for BONEY. Billboard ranked him the #1 “Hot Smooth Jazz Artist” as well as the #2 “Top Contemporary Jazz Artist.” Send One Your Love has been on the “Top Contemporary Jazz Album” chart for 70 weeks since its February 3, 2009 release and was ranked #2 for that chart overall for 2009.
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