‘Guitar prodigy’ Jonny Lang had a young start

BROOKS, Calif. – Blues man Jonny Lang started playing guitar at the age of twelve after his father took him to see the Bad Medicine Blues Band, one of the few blues bands that could be found in his home town of Fargo, North Dakota. Inspired, Lang started taking lessons from Ted Larsen, the band's guitar player. Most stories would end right there. After a few months of lessons many pre-teens would move on to other hobbies or lose interest. One of two might start their own band as a teen, playing birthday parties and family functions. Lang took another path altogether -- after several months of playing, he was dubbed a guitar prodigy and eventually joined the very same band that inspired his love for the blues and hit the road.

Things began to heat up as the group moved to Minneapolis and independently released the album Smokin' when Lang was only fourteen-years-old. At the tender age of 15, he released another album, the critically acclaimed multi-platinum Lie to Me. Things continued to get better as his next release, Wander this World, earned him a Grammy nomination. A few years and albums later, Lang's newest album, the gospel-influenced Turn Around, won him his first Grammy Award in 2006. He will perform selections from these albums in front of a Club 88 crowd at Cache Creek on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m.

The career of this guitar virtuoso has been meteoric to say the least. While kids his age were still playing high school gigs and performing in garages, he was touring with music industry giants like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, trading licks for more than ten years with mentors like B. B. King and Buddy Guy, played for a White House audience including President and Mrs. Clinton, and even made a cameo appearance in the film Blues Brothers 2000 as a janitor.

He’s also shared the stage with other greats such as Blues Traveler, Jeff Beck, and Sting. Eric Clapton asked Lang to play at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. Currently, he’s promoting his collaborative work on Cyndi Lauper’s new album, Memphis Blues. Through it all, he has continued to mature and improve his craft, silencing critics who dismissed him as too young with displays of his God given talent. U.S. News and World Report perhaps summed Lang up best when they lauded him for having “the voice of a grizzled blues veteran … and guitar skills to match.” There can be no better compliment for a blues man who has yet to reach the age of 30 and still has a long successful career still ahead of him.

Tickets are available now through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com or by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com or Cache Creek Casino Resort at the guest services desk for $59 and $45.

Kenny Loggins flies from ‘the danger zone’ onto Cache Creek Casino Resort stage

BROOKS, Calif. – Best known for his driving themes to several 80s blockbuster films such as “Caddyshack,” “Footloose,” and “Top Gun,” rocker Kenny Loggins has entertained audiences for decades as a songwriter, solo artist, and collaborator with many of the industry’s most talented performers. Known by audiences of all ages, he will perform from his stable of hits at Cache Creek Casino Resort’s Club 88 on Aug. 21 at 8 p.m.

Loggins has been many things to many people over the course of his career – “a moving target” as he’s put it. In his time, he’s been a guitar-slinger with a psychedelic rock band, a hot young songwriter with a publishing deal, half of a legendary country-rock duo, a massively successful and accomplished solo artist, a sonic pioneer in the smooth jazz genre, a reigning soundtrack superstar, a rocker, as well as an enduring recording artist and live performer whose most recent works have spoken deeply to both young and adult audiences. At the heart of it all, there remains a brilliant singer-songwriter and guitarist with a lifelong passion for exploring the endless power of the song to communicate.

By any standard, Loggins’ commercial impact has been extraordinary – twelve of his albums have gone platinum and beyond. In a world of one hit wonders and fifteen minute sensations, Loggins has enjoyed hit songs in four straight decades – a remarkable testament to his exceptional craftsmanship and stamina. Through it all, he’s earned the faith of those who’ve followed him along the way.

Loggins first achieved solo stardom with million-selling albums such as Celebrate Me Home, Nightwatch (which included the hit "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Stevie Nicks), Keep the Fire (“This Is It,”) and 1982’s High Adventure (“Don’t Fight It” with Steve Perry and “Heart To Heart”). Loggins’ reputation as one of music’s outstanding vocalists became well established, and in 1980 he won the Best Male Pop Vocal Grammy for “This Is It.” As a songwriter Loggins was also known for inspired collaborations such as co-writing the 1979 Grammy-winning Song of The Year “What a Fool Believes” with his long-time friend Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers.

In the 80s, Loggins became even more famous than ever as the king of movie theme songs, thanks to massive smashes like "I'm Alright" (from Caddyshack), "Footloose" (from Footloose), "Danger Zone" (from Top Gun), and "Nobody's Fool" (from Caddyshack II). Loggins also continued to record albums that were introspective and deeply personal, including 1985’s Vox Humana, 1988’s Back to Avalon, 1991’s Leap of Faith, The Unimaginable Life (1997) and 2003’s It’s About Time. During this same period, Loggins continued to take on new challenges, like recording a Christmas album (1998’s December) and two successful and acclaimed CDs for children: 1994’s radiant Return to Pooh Corner and its worthy follow-up, More Songs from Pooh Corner.

Tickets are available for $75, $65, and $55 through Tickets.com on the web: www.Tickets.com, by phone: (800) 225-2277 or at: www.CacheCreek.com and Cache Creek Casino Resort guest services.

Contact: Cean Burgeson, Communications Manager: (530) 796-5333; cburgeson@cachecreek.com