The Piano Men is a musical celebration of the 1970’s- year by
year, hit by hit-from the songs of Billy Joel and Elton John.
Dove Award nominee and Canadian Juno Award nominee, recording artist Jim Witter
and his band lead an expertly crafted tour of an entire decade that begins with
“Your Song” and winds us along on a musical time machine, saluting two of the
century’s most popular contemporary songwriters.
Utilizing rear-screen projection, we return to the newspaper headlines, the
automobiles, the people, the events, the toys and even the tv commercials that
shaped a decade. Along the way, the sounds of “My Life”, “Candle in the Wind”,
“Rocket Man”, “Just the Way You Are”, and many more classic hits create an
evening that’s just too much fun to let it end. By the time you hit 1979, you’re
begging these musicians to just move back to 1971 and start all over again. With
Witter at the grand piano and his sizzling musicians on keyboards, guitar, bass,
flute, sax and drums, the music is not an attempt to “recreate” or “mimic” the
evening’s long list of familiar hits. Instead, Witter unleashes his golden tenor
on hit after hit to created fully-formed mental and emotional return visits to
specific landmarks in a pop culture timeline.
If you can remember where you were when Elvis may have died, this show’s for
you. If you can smell the interior of your 1973 VW Beetle, you’ll recognize
every song. If you watch re-runs of Gilligan’s Island or Green Acres, you’ll
find yourself singing along. And if you still have your bell-bottom jeans and
Puma running shoes, then you probably need more help than Witter can provide…
In 2004, Jim Witter entered the company of such notables as Steven Curtis
Chapman, CeCe Winans, Sandi Patty & others when he was nominated for the Dove
Award’s Inspirational Album of the Year for his recording Forgiveness.
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