April 21, 2015 Media Contact: Savannah Whaley Pierson Grant Public Relations 954.776.1999 ext. 225 Jan Goodheart, Broward Center 954.765.5814 THE ROBERT CRAY BAND WITH SPECIAL GUEST SHEMEKIA COPELAND COMES TO PARKER PLAYHOUSE FORT LAUDERDALE – Five-time Grammy Award-winner Robert Cray brings the Robert Cray Band to Parker Playhouse with special guest Shemekia Copeland on Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. Cray’s unique playing style and signature blend of rhythm and blues, pop, rock, soul and traditional blues bridges traditional and contemporary blues. The Robert Cray Band has taken home Grammy Awards for Take Your Shoes Off as Best Contemporary Blues Album and “Strong Persuader” and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” for Best Contemporary Blues Recordings, while Cray has also been honored with two Grammy Awards for collaborations with other artists. Recognized for his masterful work as a guitarist and multi-talented singer, songwriter and producer, Cray's musical resume reads like a who's who in contemporary music. He has performed alongside Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and B.B. King and other music icons including Tina Turner, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Dixon. Copeland, daughter of late Texas blues legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, is a two-time Grammy Award nominee for her wide-open vision of contemporary blues, roots and soul music in the rich tradition of soul-drenched divas like Ruth Brown, Etta James and Koko Taylor. Both the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, by official proclamation, have declared Copeland to be the new "Queen of the Blues.” She has earned eight Blues Music Awards and a host of Living Blues Awards including the prestigious 2010 Blues Artist of the Year. Copeland has opened for The Rolling Stones and played with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, James Cotton and many others. Tickets are $23 to $53. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center, Parker Playhouse and affiliated venues. Buy tickets online at BrowardCenter.org, ParkerPlayhouse.com or Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954.462.0222 or TTD/TTY at 800.359.2525; in person at Ticketmaster outlets or the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office. Know who you are buying from when you purchase tickets. We CANNOT PROVIDE REFUNDS OR CUSTOMER SERVICE for tickets purchased from unauthorized sites, brokers or secondary ticket sellers. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Parker Playhouse box office Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Parker Playhouse, located in Holiday Park at 707 N.E. Eighth Street in Fort Lauderdale, is an affiliated venue of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which provides programming and management of the facility. All dates, times, programs, artists and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. Sun Sentinel is a proud sponsor of the Parker Playhouse. ### BRIEF: Five-time Grammy Award-winner Robert Cray brings the Robert Cray Band to Parker Playhouse with special guest Shemekia Copeland on Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. Cray’s unique playing style and signature blend of rhythm and blues, pop, rock, soul and traditional blues bridges traditional and contemporary blues, while Shemekia Copeland’s wide-open vision of contemporary blues, roots and soul music has led to her title of the new “Queen of the Blues.” Tickets are $23 to $53. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center, Parker Playhouse and affiliated venues. Buy tickets online at www.BrowardCenter.org, www.ParkerPlayhouse.com, www.Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800.745.3000, TTD/TTY at 800.359.2525, Ticketmaster outlets or the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Parker Playhouse box office Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Parker Playhouse is located in Holiday Park at 707 N.E. Eighth Street in Fort Lauderdale. .