
PHILADELPHIA MUSIC ALLIANCE WELCOMES KEVIN EUBANKS
HOME FROM HOLLYWOOD TO CONTINUE CELEBRATION
OF CITY’S CULTURAL LEGACY AS 1ST 2010
INDUCTEE

LONGTIME ‘TONIGHT SHOW’ BANDLEADER TO RECEIVE
NEXT BRONZE PLAQUE ON PHILADELPHIA WALK OF FAME
Germantown Jazz Guitarist-Composer to be Honored at
Festive
Induction Ceremony along Avenue of the Arts,
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Watch this video montage of Kevin Eubanks’ ‘Tonight
Show’ Memories
PHILADELPHIA (June 10, 2010) –The
Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame,
a living tribute to Philadelphia’s rich music history
and a vital force unifying the city’s diverse cultural
communities along the Avenue of the Arts, will welcome
home a man who’s been a nightly fixture on late-night
television for the past 15 years when longtime
Tonight
Show band leader
KEVIN
EUBANKS will be honored as recipient
of the 113th commemorative bronze plaque
along the Avenue of the Arts.
Ceremonies
are scheduled for Thursday, June 17 from noon-2 p.m.
The induction of this latest Philadelphia music legend
furthers the renewed commitment by the Philadelphia
Music Alliance (PMA), supported by the Avenue of the
Arts, Inc. (AAI), the Rhythm & Blues Foundation,
Philadelphia International Records and A Fight for the
Cause to shed new light on the City's cultural legacy
and incredible contribution to the world of music past,
present and future as a major tourist attraction. This
agenda to recognize more local music greats in all
genres is part of the community based, not-for-profit
organization's overall mission to encourage the
creation, celebration and historical preservation of
Philadelphia music, and the foundation of a renewed
commitment to schedule several induction ceremonies each
year.
Eubanks’ return to Philadelphia to be inducted along the
Walk of Fame will be his first major honor since
stepping down as music director of the
Tonight
Show band at the end of May to pursue his
recording career and work with high school music
programs. During his late-night tenure (which included
writing the show’s closing theme, “Kevin’s Country”),
Eubanks regularly championed his Philly roots, in
repartee with host Jay Leno and in wardrobe showcasing
various Philadelphia sports teams. Eubanks’ Philly
pride, career integrity and dedication to music
education combined with his accomplishments as a
seasoned and respected jazz musician to make his
selection an easy decision for the Philadelphia Music
Alliance.
“Kevin Eubanks is a shining example of the type of
stellar recipients who embody the magnitude of the Walk
of Fame and its continued impact on the Avenue of the
Arts and Greater Philadelphia,” says
Joseph
Tarsia, vice president and founding
member of the PMA. “Not only have his accomplishments
had a significant impact in the world of music, but he
also is a devoted ambassador of his home town.”
Karen Lewis,
executive director of AAI, said, “We’re excited about
the ongoing resurgence of the Walk of Fame as it
represents a unique opportunity to recognize
Philadelphia legends. And as the premier destination for
performing arts, the Avenue of the Arts is the perfect
location for this tribute.”
Adds music icons and original inductees
Kenny
Gamble and
Leon Huff,
creators of the Sound of Philadelphia:
"Philadelphia has created some of the biggest music
stars in the world and their music continues to impact
people’s lives. The induction of Kevin Eubanks continues
to celebrate that legacy in a special way with artists
who are clearly among Philadelphia's Music Royalty, and
are among the legendary unsung heroes and heroines
deserving this honor."
Eubanks is a gifted musician and prolific composer whose
own band, the Kevin Eubanks Quartet, has been evolving
for close to 20 years. In his solo career and 18 years
on the
Tonight Show, he has won over audiences as a
consummate guitarist with a laid back style and
affability that have made him a household name for TV
viewers.
Eubanks was born into a musical household in the
Germantown section of Philadelphia and exposed to
world-class music in his formative years. His mother,
Vera, is a gospel and classical pianist and organist
with a Masters Degree in music education. Vera's
brother, Ray Bryant, is a journeyman jazz pianist who
has recorded and toured with jazz greats such as Miles
Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Sarah Vaughn.
Eubanks began his musical journey on violin, and with
his older brother Robin, an accomplished trombonist,
played in small groups around Philadelphia. Kevin
studied trumpet before committing to guitar and entering
Berklee College of Music in Boston, which has since
awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in music. He
played with some of the stalwarts of jazz, like Ron
Carter, Slide Hampton, Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Sam
Rivers, and Roy Haynes before forming his own quartet
and touring around the world. Eubanks also has taught at
the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada, Rutgers
University and at the Charlie Parker School in Perugia,
Italy. His first album documented a sophisticated,
nuanced voice on the guitar, and was so well received
that it led to a seven album contract with the GRP
label.
In 1992, Eubanks moved to the West Coast to assume the
guitar spot in the
Tonight
Show Band, and became the band leader three
years later. He has been writing scores for TV movies
and feature films, and has devoted himself to his love
of volunteer work for charities, particularly The
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Eubanks continues to
travel the country
with his touring band, and plans to
release several CDs by other distinguished artists on
his new label, Insoul Music. In March, he was named
Artistic Diretor of the
Jazz in the
Classroom Program for The Thelonius Monk
Institute of Jazz, where he works with young
up-and-coming middle and high school musicians in the
Los Angeles public schools. As one of the most
accomplished guitarists of his or any generation,
Eubanks has deservedly become known to millions through
music, TV and what so many artists know so well, "lots
of hard work."
* * *
Past PMA programs have included a Musical Instrument
Donation Program in partnership with the Mr. Holland's
Opus Foundation, an annual piano competition, the
Philadelphia International Airport Music Project, Music
In The Schools, music education scholarships and grants,
a speakers bureau, as well as music business seminars
and workshops - all designed to not only encourage our
City's continued stellar contributions to the cultural
heritage of the world but to fill a void created by
shrinking budgets for cultural programs in our City and
in our schools.
In 2008, the Philadelphia International Airport unveiled
an exhibition spotlighting the Walk of Fame and the
City's contribution to American music to visitors from
all over the world.
The Alliance also serves as a resource to students,
educators, musicians, city agencies, and other cultural
institutions. The PMA has worked with the Greater
Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation,
Multicultural Affairs Council, Philadelphia Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Philadelphia Commerce Department,
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences,
Franklin Institute, Corporation for the Aging, Trane
Stop, University of the Arts and the City
Representative's Office on various projects.
The Walk of Fame is a stunning demonstration of the
great talent that Philadelphia has produced. This talent
spans many musical genres and time periods, and includes
Leopold Stokowski, Frankie Avalon, the Dixie
Hummingbirds, Patti LaBelle, Hall & Oates, Solomon
Burke, Marian Anderson, Mario Lanza, John Coltrane, Todd
Rundgren, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Teddy
Pendergrass and Dick Clark.
The Philadelphia Music Alliance was founded in June 1986
as a community based, not-for-profit organization
dedicated to the preservation of Philadelphia as a vital
contributor to the international music landscape.
Established by music executives and concerned citizens
in order to recognize the vast impact Philadelphia
continues to have on all musical genres, the
Philadelphia Music Alliance serves to encourage the
creation, celebration and historical preservation of
Philadelphia music.
www.philadelphiamusicalliance.org
www.avenueofthearts.org
www.rhythm-n-blues.org
www.gamble-huffmusic.com
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