Toots and The Maytals Unplugged Acoustic Tour 

Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Nov. 13

Durango, CO – Ska and reggae music comes to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 as Toots and The Maytals take the stage with the band’s Unplugged Acoustic Tour. Special guest Anders Osborne will open the show at 7 p.m.

Considered legendary in ska and reggae music, Toots and The Maytals offer a unique and original sound that blends gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock. Front man Toots Hibbert is revered as one of the great voices of Jamaica, and together with The Maytals, has helped chart the course of Jamaican music with unrivaled delivery and dynamism. The Maytals set new standards of excellence and have become the most enduring of all of Jamaica’s groups.

Toots and The Maytals’ career began in Kingston’s Studio One. The group’s debut release, Hallelujah, proved to be an immediate hit throughout the island, and featured the mix of rhythms and gospel influence that would continue to mark much of The Maytals music. The band endured ups and downs until signing on with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong – a collaboration which produced three classic albums and a string of hits in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s including “Do the Reggay,” the single credited with coining the word “reggae.” The group was also featured in one of reggae’s top breakthrough events – The Harder They Come, the film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff and named as one of Vanity Fair’s Top 10 Best Soundtracks of all time.

A 2005 Grammy winner for best reggae album True Love (an album that included the band’s classics alongside popular and legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards), Toots and The Maytals remains a relevant influence on today’s global music scene with artists from Amy Winehouse to Sublime re-recording classic tracks.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Anders Osborne, originally from Sweden, is called one of the most original and visionary musicians performing today. In the studio and in concert, Osborne is said to channel the music throughout his entire body, becoming a whirling dervish of pure energy.

At a young age, Osborne became fascinated with the singer/songwriters of the ‘60s and ‘70s, but when tracing those artists’ roots, he discovered the blues and made the sound his own. He began traveling on his own at 16, and he hitchhiked across Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, earning money by doing odd jobs and performing on the street or in bars at every opportunity. He wrote constantly, soaking up the life experience and honing his craft.

After landing in New York in 1985 with only $5 in his pocket, Osborne hitchhiked to New Orleans to meet up with a friend. There he finally felt “at home,” and he has been based there since 1990. With music that blends blues, funk, soul and classic R&B, Osborne is ranked as one of the Big Easy’s favorite musical heroes.
View a live performance by Toots and The Maytals at www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2V1m4V0R4Y&feature=related. A performance by Anders Osborne can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1OhEfl_q4Q.

Tickets for Toots and The Maytals Unplugged Acoustic Tour with special guest Anders Osborne – $40/$50 – are available by calling 970.247.7657, on the web at www.durangoconcerts.com, or visit the ticket office inside the Welcome Center at 8th St. and Main Ave. in Downtown Durango. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6:30 p.m.

On show day, the box office at the Concert Hall will be open one hour prior to curtain, and remain open through intermission. When no intermission is scheduled, ticket sales will continue one hour past curtain. Purchase tickets to three or more Concert Hall productions in one sales transaction and receive 10 percent off each ticket. Discounts cannot be combined, and all sales final.

The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.