Heritage Series kicks off Oct. 30 with performance by The Campbell Brothers
OXFORD, Miss. – The Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Mississippi introduces a new series Thursday (Oct. 30) that celebrates artists who have contributed to America’s musical heritage.
The Heritage Series opener at 8 p.m. on the Ford Center stage is The Campbell Brothers’ presentation of “Sacred Steel,” a blending of African-American gospel music with the electric steel guitar and singing.
Listen to the Campbell Group’s “Morning Train”
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Concert tickets are $25 for general admission seating with discounts
for UM students available prior to the day of the performance. Tickets
are available by calling the UM Box Office at 662-915-7411 or by
visiting the Box Office in the Ole Miss Student Union from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. or the Ford Center Box Office from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Tickets can also be purchased online.
At noon Friday (Oct. 31), the group is slated to give a brown bag
lecture and demonstration in the Ford Center’s Rehearsal Hall. It is
free and open to the public.
“The development of the Heritage Series stemmed from our desire to
entertain you, as well as from our mission to preserve and promote the
live performing arts through engaging performers of note who have made
significant and lasting contributions to their discipline and our
culture,” said Norm Easterbrook, Ford Center director.
The Campbell Brothers band consists of brothers Chuck Campbell on pedal
steel guitar, Darick Campbell on lap steel guitar and Phil Campbell on
electric guitar. Rounding out the band are Phil’s son drummer Carlton
Campbell, vocalist Katie Jackson and bassist Malcolm Kirby.
“The Campbell Brothers’ gutsy gospel vocals helped elevate the ensemble
to a level of energy and expression that defies description and could
only be labeled ‘legendary,'” Easterbrook continued.
While the steel guitar was introduced in church services in the late
1930s, sacred steel is a musical tradition just now emerging from the
House of God Keith Dominion Church, where for more than 60 years it has
been an integral part of worship. As The Campbell Brothers move the
music from sanctuary to concert hall – including the Hollywood Bowl and
the Kennedy Center – larger audiences are able to appreciate a
performance that is both devoted and rocking.
Other Heritage Series concerts include soul and gospel legend Mavis
Staples on Feb. 27 and Arlo Guthrie’s “The Lost World Tour” on March 9.
For more information on The Campbell Brothers, visit
http://www.campbellbrothers.com/ .
For a complete list of performances
at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, visit
http://www.olemiss.edu/fordcenter/ .
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