The Sun Kings — considered one of the premier Beatles tribute bands — will open the 2021-2022 Ripon Arts League concert series on Sept. 30.
The non-profit is staging five concerts at the Ripon High multi-use building, 301 N. Acacia Ave. All concerts start at 7:30 p.m. They are open seating.
Membership fees start at $40 for adults and $10 per child. Membership allows you to attend all five concerts.
You can download the online form at RiponArts.org and mail it to Ripon Arts League, P.O. Box 134, Ripon, CA, 95336. Membership information is also available by contacting Louise Spurgeon at (209) 838-2841.
A rundown of the five concerts are as follows:
*THE SUN KINGS, Thursday, Sept. 30: The Sun Kings’ repertoire spans the entire Beatles epoch and is performed using vintage instruments.
*THE SHELLEY, BILL & EDDIE SHOW, Thursday, Nov. 4: The trio performs Dixieland, swing and a variety of music with a healthy dose of humor. Disney/jazz festival pros Bill Dendle and Eddie Erickson team with Shelley Burns from Avalon Swing on vocals. Erickson is a 2020 inductee in the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.
The group that was part of the annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee will perform Dixieland, jazz, swing, virtuoso banjo numbers, novelty tunes, rock and roll from the 1950s, sing-a-longs, and country-western.
*FRANC D’AMRBROSIO, Tuesday, Feb. 8: Franc D’Ambrosio is the star of the Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco where he performed the lead role more than 2,100 times over the course of its 5 1/2 year run. He will perform the Best Of Broadway for the Ripon concert. D’Ambrosio is also known for his role as Anthony Corleone, the opera-singing son of Al Pacino’s character in Godfather III.
*HIGHLAND WAY, Thursday, March 10: The Highland Way is returning to Ripon to share Scottish and Irish music and songs. The charismatic Brian Caldwell who hails from Glasgow leads the full Highland Way band in songs of work and play, conflict, love, and the gathering of friends.
*TÁKE3, Tuesday, April 5: The trio performs classical, pop, and Americana favorites. They are known for combining the refinement of classical music with rock-star charisma. If they sound familiar it’s because their music can be heard on the popular Netflix series, “The Witcher”.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
