The legendary Tommy Hooker will take the stage of the University Theatre at Cameron University during the annual Country/Jazz Fusion concert, joining the CU Jazz Ensemble and the Lawton Jazz Orchestra for a toe-tapping evening of dance hall music and jazz standards. The concert takes place on Tuesday, November 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, military members and students K-12. CU students, faculty and staff are admitted free with CU-ID. To reserve a seat, call (580)581-2346 during business hours.
A native of Pecos, Texas, Hooker has been making music in honky tonks and dancehalls for more than 50 years, luring even the shyest boots to the dance floor. Renowned in Western Swing circles for his unmistakable vocals and love of traditional country music, he has shared the stage with legends including Leon Rausch, Darrell McCall and Hank Thompson. Hooker has appeared at music festivals around the world, including the esteemed International Country Music Festival in Caithness, Scotland, which was aired live on BBC Television.
In 2008, his recording of “Texas In My Soul” was named Western Swing Song of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists, and in 2016, he won the Pure Country Album of the Year award for “It Should Be Easier Now.”
No stranger to dancehalls across Texas, Hooker also performs an annual events such as the Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping in Hereford, Texas, and the Western Swing Festival in Snyder, Texas. He also appears on Thursday nights at the Grove Events Center at the Hidden Oaks Golf Course in Granbury, Texas, and at the legendary Stagecoach Ballroom in Fort Worth on Sunday evenings. In addition to his solo outings, Hooker performs regularly with his son, Jake Hooker.
The Cameron University Jazz Ensemble, composed primarily of CU music students, will open the concert with Lerner and Lowe’s “Almost Like Being in Love” and Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” both featuring vocalist Emmalee Hamilton. The ensemble will also perform “Blue Bossa” by Kenny Dorham and “Arnge Drank” by Paul Baker.
Hooker will then join the Cameron University Jazz Ensemble for classics including “Turn Me Loose and Let Me Swing,” “Please Don’t Talk About Me,” “Fly Me To The Moon” and “My Home in San Antone.”
Following a brief intermission, the Lawton Jazz Orchestra, made up of musicians from the Lawton/Fort Sill community, will collaborate with Hooker for a selection of popular standards. They will perform “Night Life,” “In The Mood,” “Secret Love,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Milk Cow Blues” and “Fraulein.”
This concert is made possible by a generous contribution from Cameron University Lectures and Concerts.
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PR#22-139
