Sue Matthews Sings Hoagy Carmichael at the Mainstay

The Mainstay welcomes back vocalist Sue Matthews for another installment of her “American Songbook” series Saturday October 26, 2019 at 8pm. Tickets are $20 online or $25 by phone reservation or at the door. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website at www.mainstayrockhall.org

Vocalist Sue Matthews and pianist Robert Redd pay tribute to the music of Hoagy Carmichael, the composer of such standards as “Stardust” and “Lazy River” in another installment in the Songbook Series Sue and Robert have created celebrating the composers and tunesmiths whose works are part of the Great American Songbook. They will be joined by Randy Reinhart on cornet and trumpet and Tommy Cecil on bass.

Hoagy Carmichael was honored by the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame as “one of the most inventive and adventurous of the great American songwriters.” Born in 1899, his long career as a composer and songwriter lasted from the 1920s until the 1960s. His jazz infused songs include such classics as “Stardust,” “Skylark,” “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” “How Little We Know,” “Lazy River,” “Lazy Bones” and “Rockin’ Chair.”

Carmichael grew up in poverty in Indiana and vowed never to be poor again after the death of a sister. He earned a law degree and worked for a law firm briefly before moving to Manhattan to pursue a career in music. He performed and recorded as a singer and his early songs caught the attention of some of the major recording artists of the day. He later moved to California, continued to write hits for such artists as Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby, songs for film and had a secondary career as an actor.

Sue Matthews is a superb singer with a silky voice, exquisite phrasing and passion for finding every bit of meaning in a song. Robert Redd tours internationally as the pianist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Randy Reinhart has been playing cornet and/or trumpet since he was nine and plays regularly in New York with groups such as Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, as well as performing as a headliner. Tommy Cecil is a long-time Mainstay favorite whose sound has made him one of the most in-demand players in the region.

# ## #

The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region and is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website www.mainstayrockhall.org.