Noted Jazz Singer Nicole Henry to Perform
National Anthem for 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl
Kool & the Gang to Headline Seminole Hard Rock, Orange Bowl Halftime Show
Famed international jazz vocalist Nicole Henry will help launch the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl by performing the National Anthem before kick-off on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at Land Shark Stadium. With three top 10 CDs released in the last four years and a stellar list of international jazz performances and awards, Henry performs in a most genuine fashion and sings powerfully to inspire and touch the heart.
The first jazz album for the University of Miami alumna, ‘The Nearness of You,’ sold over 15,000 copies and garnered much critical acclaim both in the U.S. and internationally. HMV Japan named her follow-up CD the “Best Vocal Jazz Album of 2005.” Now Henry releases her third CD, “The Very Thought of You,” which features love songs produced by music veteran Hal Batt (Jean Carne, Regina Belle, Julio Iglesias) with an assist from Executive Creative Producer, Don Mizell (co-producer of Ray Charles’ 2005 Album of the Year Grammy winner Genius Loves Company). She has performed internationally at clubs and festivals in Japan, Spain, London, Jamaica, Korea, China and Mexico.
The 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl, to be held on January 5 at 8 p.m., will feature ACC Coach of the Year Paul Johnson and his Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against Big Ten Coach of the Year Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes. Through the years it has played host to the brightest stars on the field and at halftime. Both the game and Seminole Hard Rock, Orange Bowl Halftime Show will again be broadcast by FOX Television. For tickets, log on to www.orangebowl.org or call 305-341-4702.
The Orange Bowl Committee (OBC) previously announced the legendary Kool & The Gang will headline the Seminole Hard Rock, Orange Bowl Halftime Show during the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl game. They are the latest internationally-celebrated performers to entertain South Florida and a global audience in the famed halftime show, one of the most entertaining and prestigious halftimes in all college football.
Kool & The Gang has sold over 70 million albums worldwide and influenced the music of three generations. Thanks to songs like “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness” and “Open Sesame,” they’ve earned two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums. Kool & The Gang has performed continuously for the past 35 years, longer than any R&B group in history. Their bulletproof funk and tough, jazzy arrangements have also made them the most sampled band of all time.
Kool & The Gang found a special sound at the unique intersection of jazz, r&b, funk and pop. Their music has been created by the same core of playe
rs for over thirty years: Robert “Kool” Bell, his brother Khalis Bayyan, their longtime friends Dennis “DT” Thomas and George “Funky” Brown, and past members Robert “Spike” Mickens, the late Charles Smith, Ricky West, and Woody Sparrow.
About the Orange Bowl Committee
The Orange Bowl Committee is a not-for-profit, 330-member, primarily-volunteer organization. It is a self-sustaining, independent organization that supports and produces activities and events that enhance the image, economy and culture of South Florida. The Orange Bowl Festival features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 5, 2010. In 2013, the OBC will again double-host both the FedEx Orange Bowl and the BCS National Championship. Other OBC core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships and Orange Bowl Sailing Regatta Series.
For more information on the 2009-10 Orange Bowl Festival and its events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to www.orangebowl.org.