Okanagan fans of the pop music era of the late 1960s to the early 1980s are in for a special treat.
The Gary Cable Project – a nine-piece band with full horn section, comprised of ‘A-List’ live and session musicians who have performed with the likes of Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Barbara Streisand, Joe Cocker, Ian Tyson, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, and more – will perform three shows in three nights at the end of September in Penticton, Vernon and Kelowna.
Titled Legendary Rock Live!, Cable and company will perform classics by Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Billy Joel, Toto, Steely Dan, Earth Wind and Fire, Santana, Supertramp, Elton John, Tina Turner and more.
The show will be performed in Penticton at the Cleland Theatre Thursday, Sept. 28; the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Friday, Sept. 29; and the Kelowna Community Theatre Saturday, Sept. 30.
Each concert starts at 7:30 p.m., and each show will donate proceeds to the region’s community foundations (Community Foundation of South Okanagan Similkameen, Community Foundation North Okanagan, and Central Okanagan Foundation).
“We’ve performed this show for an audience in North Vancouver, and the reaction was over the top,” said Cable. “After the show, the band will hang around and talk to the crowd. The show was great.”
There will be a silent auction at each venue with a chance to win a signed Sabian drum cymbal from the band, gifts from the show’s various sponsors, and the big-ticket item, an autographed Stratocaster guitar, signed by Canadian music legend Burton Cummings.
“I expect that guitar will fetch quite a bit of money,” said Cable (piano, keyboards, lead and background vocals, musical director, arranger), who has put together a tremendous band for the trio of shows which includes some Okanagan talent. Cable himself lives in Kelowna.
Aaron Anderson of Armstrong plays drums and percussion. Anderson is co-founder of the North Okanagan band The Goods, and has played with Canadian Music Hall of Fame members Trooper.
Bob Rogers plays trombone and sings backing vocals. He is a long-time music educator from Revelstoke who now lives in Vernon.
Nick Dyson plays trumpet and hails from Kamloops.
Also joining Cable on-stage will be Vancouver’s Gord Maxwell on bass guitar. He is the current bassist for Canadian Music Hall of Famers Chilliwack; singer Ariana Whitlow (lead and BG vocals) and Robert Walsh (guitar, lead and BG vocals), both from Edmonton; New Westminster’s Steve Hilliam on saxophone and BG vocals; and Gordon Lee Worden from Langley on guitar, keyboards, lead and BG vocals.
Each musician was hand-picked by Cable for his latest project.
Special guest for all three evenings will be Danny McBride, the lead guitarist for 12 years for longtime singer Chris DeBurgh. McBride’s godmother is the late Tina Turner.
“There really isn’t anybody Danny doesn’t know in music,” said Cable. “He’s world renowned. He was part of the Canadian band named China and we will be doing one of their songs at the show.”
McBridge moved to the Interior of B.C. and became a painter. His paintings of ladies in hats have become quite well-known.
Tickets for the shows are available at ticketseller.ca/tickets/event/legendary-rock-live or by phoning 250-549-7469.
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