The Big Teddy Bear

Fayetteville Set to Host Ville City Blues Festival at Crown on November 4

Heads up Fayetteville, the Ville City Blues Festival is set for November 4 at the Crown Theatre and this is a can't-miss show. North American Entertainment is bringing the show here, with performances from some of the elite blues musicians in the country. "The Blues Is Alright Tour debuts in Fayetteville at Crown Theatre with The Ville City Blues Festival on Saturday, November 4 at 7 p.m. The Blues is musical storytelling filled with stark emotion and a revolving reality check. It’s authentically raw; transforming tragedy, adversity and heartache into a visceral and cathartic experience. This special night of emotive lyrics and guitar-driven accompaniment features performances by King George, Tucka, Calvin Richardson, Pokey Bear, Theodis Ealey and J-Wonn." Tickets are on sale now, and start at $59, plus additional taxes and fees. Tickets for the Ville City Blues Festival can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, at the Crown Complex Box Office and at the Leisure Travel Center on Fort Liberty. VILLE CITY BLUES FESTIVAL SHOW DETAILS: Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023 Showtime: 7:00 p.m. Venue: Crown Theatre, located in Crown Complex, 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville, NC 23806 Prices: $79, $99, $125 Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2D005EA72482910F From North American Entertainment: ABOUT KING GEORGE Bursting onto the Southern Soul scene with his signature party-centric sound filled with R&B flair, King George has quickly become a fan-favorite. Based out of Hopkins, SC, King George exploded on the Southern Soul scene and rose quickly to headliner status on The Blues Is Alright Tour this past Spring 2023. His highly anticipated album, Juke Joint Music was released in 2022 after launching onto the music scene via YouTube in 2020.  For old-school music lovers, King George’s music is the perfect combination of R&B, soul, and funk that is sure to get anyone to do a little two-step. With his rich tone and satin-smooth vocals, his songs, “Keep on Rollin”, “Too Long”, “Friday Night” and “Leave & Party” are his top hits. There can only be one king: King George. For more information on King George, visit www.803kinggeorge.com and follow @King George on Facebook and @803kinggeorge on Instagram. ABOUT TUCKA Equally influenced by R. Kelly and Barry White, Louisiana's Tucka James is an R&B singer who can deliver "pillow talk" songs that recall the grooves of the 70’s, 80’s, and 2010’s. He kicked off his career in 2007, singing lead vocals with Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band. He introduced his solo career in 2008, along with his nickname "the King of Swing." He soon became a regional Louisiana favorite, and opened gigs for Mystikal and Lenny Williams. His Love Rehab album landed in 2009 with songs like "Sex on My Mind" and "Myspace Love." Forever King followed in 2011, then in 2015 he released Love Rehab 2. For more information on Tucka, visit https://www.tuckajames.com/ and follow @TUCKA on Facebook and @tuckakingofswing on Instagram. ABOUT CALVIN RICHARDSON Born and raised in Monroe, North Carolina, Calvin Richardson is the fifth of nine children and the son of a Gospel singer. His life as a performer goes back to childhood: as a kid, Calvin's mother led a Gospel act called The Willing Wonders and Calvin was the group's youngest member. His first solo album, Country Boy, was released in 1999 by Universal Records and featured the singles "True Love" (featuring Chico DeBarge) and “I'll Take Her” (featuring K-Ci Hailey). After being dropped by Universal, Calvin eventually rebounded and landed another record deal, this time with Hollywood Records. In September 2003, he released his second album, 2:35 PM. The album, which was named after the time that his son Souljah was born, featured the Grammy-nominated hit "More Than a Woman," featuring Angie Stone. Other singles from the album were "You've Got Me High" (featuring Slum Village) and "Keep on Pushin'." Most recently, Calvin signed with Shanachie Records. His first Shanachie album, When Love Comes came out May 27, 2008. It was followed by the Grammy-nominated Bobby Womack tribute album Facts of Life in 2009 and an all-new album, America's Most Wanted, in 2010. For more information on Calvin Richardson, visit  www.iamcalvinrichardson.com and follow @IAmCalvinRichardson on Facebook and @iamcalvinrichardson on Instagram. ABOUT POKEY BEAR Wardell “Pokey Bear” Brown was born on February 2, 1970 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is known for his soulful sound of music in the Blues/Southern Soul genre; however, he did not start out that way. Pokey Bear began his career as a rap music artist, but after doing it for a while decided to try other styles. His venture off into other styles of music would lead him to be the soulful singer that he is today. He was first recognized in music for his first two projects produced by Beat Flippa. Particularly his songs entitled “They Call me Pokey” and “Side Piece,” The song “Side Piece” happened as a result of a hook that was written by Heavy in which he asked Pokey to write lyrics to. He has worked with artists such as Tyree Neal, Adrian Bagher, Ms. Pat, Veronica Raelle, and Cupid. For more information on Pokey Bear, follow @Big Pokey Bear-JSP on Facebook and @bigpokeybearjsp on Instagram. ABOUT THEODIS EALEY Blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and entertainer……just a few of the titles that describe the phenomenon of Theodis Ealey. This Mississippi native first picked up an instrument when his older brother, “Y” “Z” Ealey first taught him how to play at the age of 4. Ichiban Records, a respected blues label in Atlanta, recognized Theodis’ multiple talents and immediately signed him to a deal in 1991. Over the next 6 years, Theodis and Ichiban Records would enjoy 4 very successful albums. The “Bluesman Lover” made lemonade out of lemons when Ichiban Records eventually closed its doors. Seizing the moment, Theodis Ealey used this opportunity to create his new label home, IFGAM Records. The 2004 “Stand Up In It” project was a runaway success as the #1 Single on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles Sales Chart for 5 consecutive weeks, debuting at #5 on Billboard’s Blues Album Chart and #69 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop Charts. For more information on Theodis Ealey, visit www.Theodis Ealey.com  and follow @Theodis Ealey Official on Facebook,  @theodisealey on Instagram and @theodisealey on Twitter. ABOUT J-WONN ​Jawonn Smith, better known by his stage name J-Wonn, is a soul singer that hails from Jackson, MS and has built a name for himself following the release of his hit single “I Got This Record”. His love of Blues came from growing up around his mother and grandmother, who would often sing around the house. At the age of 13, J-Wonn began writing music of his own and went on to write for many Blues and Soul singers. One of his proudest writing credits came from penning a track for the legendary soul artist Lenny Williams. During high school, he was a member of a hip hop group that also included elements of R&B. The group gained an artist development deal and it helped Smith to learn a lot about navigating the music industry. It also gave him an opportunity to grow as an artist. J-Wonn's latest single entitled "Move On" is available on all digital & video platforms.” J-Wonn followed up “I Got This Record” with several other hits that were in continuous rotation on Southern Soul radio stations across the Southeast region. He has also won several awards from various outlets including Best Entertainer, Artist of the Year, and Best New Single. He finished working on his second full-length album The Legacy which had led to collaborations with a wide range of different artists and an expansion of his brand of J-Wonn’s world to new ears. His latest single entitled "Move On" is doing great J-Wonn also released the video on his VEVO channel. For more information on J-Wonn, please visit www.J-WONN.com and follow @jwonn on Facebook and @iam.jwonn on Instagram.                                                                                         This performance is produced by North American Entertainment Group Inc., one of the leading independent promoters of entertainment tours and live events in the United States, in conjunction with Heritage Entertainment Group.