Laurel Canyon was more than just a neighborhood in Los Angeles. It was a hub for a flourishing music scene in the 1960s and 1970s and a place where songwriters forged friendships and worked together.
An April 29 fundraiser features the music of that time and location while emulating the spirit behind those performers.
“One of the big things we talked about is we have seven vocalists together,” said Brooke Lundy one of the singers in the Laurel Canyon Tribute, scheduled for 8 p.m. April 29 at the Imperial Theatre. “All of the composers and bands of Laurel Canyon all collaborated together.”
The night will feature the music of performers such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Monkees, The Byrds, The Eagles, James Taylor, Jackson Browne and others.
For Lundy and other female vocalists participating, they are excited about the wealth of music created by the Laurel Canyon women who include Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King and Bonnie Raitt
While they don’t want to give too much away about their April 29 performance, singer Jaycie Ward said one of the numbers she’s most excited about is “Natural Woman,” which was written by King.
The concert is the latest in a series of Ryan Abel and Friends performances. Abel brings together his talented friends often to raise money for a good cause.
The cause in this case is the Junior League of Augusta, and Ward said she likes that she’s helping an organization that empowers women who in turn help other women and children.
The Junior League is “an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable,” according to the organization’s website.
Its members participate in a variety of volunteer efforts as well as raising funds to help other groups. In addition to the arts endowment grants, the League provides community enabling grants and classroom enrichment grants
At the April 29 concert, the Junior League will announce the recipients of its arts endowment grants, according to a news release from the Junior League.
The grants will be given to Augusta area arts organizations. The endowment began in 1986; originally, the grants were limited to the Augusta Symphony, Augusta Opera and Augusta Ballet, but the League expanded the eligibility to other organizations in 1993, according to the Junior League of Augusta’s website.
Tickets range from $20 to $42 and will benefit the Junior League’s training and community service programs, the news release said.
For tickets, visit the Imperial Theatre website at www.imperialtheatre.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
