The Henry Turner Jr. Solo Concert Series returns this summer, with soulfully curated performances by the Baton Rouge native and musician every Saturday, from May 25 to June 22.
Turner, an award-winning singer and songwriter, has dabbled in different genres of music, media platforms, founded festivals and toured with hit singers during his 30 years in music. He says the five-week concert series—held at Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room Heritage Museum on North Street and streamed live on Facebook—tells a personal story.
“I normally do a combination of things that I have done over the span of my career. So, I may put a couple of reggae pieces in there, some blues, soul and funk,” Turner says.
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The series will feature selections from Turner’s blues discography, including “I Love My Soul Food,” and “Baton Rouge Theme Song,” as well as ballads from the 2019 documentary about Baton Rouge’s blues history, Music Dreams: An American Story.
“You can expect a walkthrough of my music and me narrating about the songs … what the songs mean, why I wrote them,” Turner explains.
And though Turner will be the headliner, the concerts will also feature special guest performances, including acts by King Solomon Willis and Kevin “Famous” White, who will bring their unique blues sounds to the series.
The series is made possible through a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, which supports schools, artists and arts-based nonprofits throughout the state, according to its website.
Turner launched the solo concert series about three years ago, and he has been streaming it on Facebook Live ever since. The streams have attracted international audiences, he says.
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“We have a viewership that’s worldwide because of my history of performing worldwide. … We have a lot of music tourists that come to the listening loom, so there’s no telling who will be in that listening room on one of those nights or who will be listening or watching from where,” Turner says. “That’s the idea of the Facebook Live and why we stream it that way.”
Soulful music lovers who can’t make it out to the series can tune in here on Facebook Live.
The Henry Turner Jr. Solo Concert Series will be held on Saturdays from May 25 to June 22, 10–11 p.m. The Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room Heritage Museum is at 2733 North St. Find more information here.