Saturday, April 7, 7 p.m.
Broadway Presbyterian Church, 710 23rd Street, Rock Island IL
Appearing in a concert benefiting local organizations for peace, cultural diversity, and human rights, folk singer/songwriter Charlie King performs his annual area show at Rock Island's Broadway Presbyterian Church on April 7, an event being held six months after King received the esteemed Phil Ochs Award in recognition of his music and activism for social and political justice.
Born in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1947, King has been at the heart of the American folk-music scene for over half a century and has been writing songs for the past 45 years. Citing the folk revival of the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War era as his chief inspirations and influences, his songs have been recorded by such legendary performers as Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, and Arlo Guthrie, and the artist has released a dozen solo albums since 1976, plus three with the touring ensemble Bright Morning Star. Folk icon Peggy Seeger is quoted as saying, “If we had more Charlie Kings in the world, I'd be less worried.”
King is currently touring in support of his latest recording Life & Love, Tears & Laughter, released in February 2017, and the singer/songwriter boasts a plethora of professional laurels and citations that include the War Resisters League’s 1998 Peacemaker Award; the 1999 Sacco-Vanzetti Social Justice Award (for which he was nominated by Pete Seeger); the 2009 International Labor Communications Association Award; and the 2014 Joe Hill Award, given for King's lifetime of excellence in the field of labor culture. As King states on his Web site: “I try to cover a broad emotional landscape in my concerts. The stories I collect and the songs I write take the listener on a journey of humor, heartache, and hope. What I most value in a song is the way it helps us see an old reality in a totally new light.”
Charlie King's April 7 concert at the Broadway Presbyterian Church takes place at 7 p.m., with a suggested donation of $8-10 and hand-crafted items representing Guatemalan and Native American cultures available for purchase. For more information, call (309)786-6944 or visit CharlieKing.org.
