Ray Charles rolls on with busy summer tour schedule >> Tour dates and concert ticket info >> LiveDaily

Ray Charles rolls on with busy summer tour schedule

Published May 16, 2003 04:04 PM

By Jon Zahlaway / LiveDaily Senior Writer

R&B legend Ray Charles [ tickets ], who this year will celebrate his 73rd birthday, is spending his golden years on the road rather than in retirement.

Charles kicks off his lengthy tour itinerary with a May 23 performance at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre, and is scheduled to traverse the U.S. and Canada almost non-stop through the end of August. The outing includes multi-night stands in Montreal, Atlantic City and New York City.

"Thanks for Bringing the Love Around Again," Charles' most-recent album, surfaced last year, and is his first collection of new studio material since 1996's "Strong Love Affair." The singer-pianist used the new set to launch his new record label, Crossover Records.

Charles--who started his first label (Tangerine Records) in the '70s, but later returned to major labels--said in a recent statement that he set out on his own again in order to have more control over how his albums are handled.

"Working with big companies, they pay you, but they don't promote you like they should," he said. "That is my assessment. So I thought, 'I had that record company back about 30 years ago, why not re-open it?' That way I could do my own promotions and everything, and if it works, it works."

Five tracks from "Thanks for Bringing the Love Around Again" are streaming at Crossover Records' website.

Charles' recording career spans more than 50 years, during which he has racked up a dozen GRAMMY^® awards. His best-known hits include "Georgia," "Hit the Road Jack" and "America the Beautiful."

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

May 2003
23 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
24 - Aptos, CA - Santa Cruz Blues Festival

June 2003
6 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
7 - Fairfax, VA - Capital Jazz Festival
13 - Biloxi, MS - Beau Rivage
14 - Robinsonville, MS - Sam's Town
15 - Eureka Springs, AR - City Auditorium
18 - Louisville, KY - Whitney Hall
19 - Mount Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino
20 - Chicago, IL - Orchestra Hall at the Symphony Center
25, 26 - Montreal, Quebec - Place des Arts
27 - Toronto, Ontario - Hummingbird Centre
28 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre

July 2003
4-6 - Atlantic City, NJ - Resorts International
10 - Lancaster, PA - American Music Theatre
11 - Worcester, MA - East Park
12 - Highmount, NY - Belleayre Music Festival
17 - Buffalo, NY - Center for the Arts
18 - Richmond, VA - Landmark Theatre
19 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Casino
25 - Kansas City, MO - Ameristar Hotel & Casino
26 - Renfro Valley, KY - Renfro Valley Entertainment Center
27 - Boardman, OH - B&B Backstage

August 2003
1, 2 - New York, NY - B.B. King's Blues Club
3 - Portland, ME - Merrill Auditorium
9 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10 - Vicksburg, MS - Ameristar Casino
15 - Bow, WA - Skagit Valley Casino
16 - Spokane, WA - Riverfront Park
22 - San Diego, CA - Harrah's Rincon
23 - Las Vegas, NV - Texas Station Casino
24 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's
29 - Saratoga, CA - Historic Mountain Winery
31 - Long Beach, CA - Blues Festival

September 2003
6 - Cedar Falls, IA - University of Northern Iowa
19 - Missoula, MT - Symphony

December 2003
6 - Tucson, AZ - Desert Diamond Casino
7 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre