"The timeless quality of the Beatles' music has made it endure long since the Fab Four broke up in 1970. No one knows this better than Alameda's Drew Harrison, who has performed the group's hits as a member of Beatles' tribute band The Sun Kings and as a soloist focusing on John Lennon's later work. Harrison will bring his Lennon solo tribute show, "In the Spirit of Lennon," to Alameda's Immanuel Lutheran Church this Sunday. Accompanying Harrison on stage will be pianist Tommy Cosentino."
"Harrison says the moment he went from being just another Beatlemaniac to becoming a tribute artist came in the Czech Republic during the late 1990s, when he was asked to sing "Ticket to Ride" in front of about 6,000 people with a local band. "People went nuts," says Harrison, who attributes the reaction in part to the fact that many in the crowd had not had the opportunity to hear Beatles tunes from behind the Iron Curtain, which had only recently lifted."
"Convinced he could make a Beatles tribute band work stateside, Harrison says he formed The Sun Kings when he returned to Alameda in 2001 and has been "all Beatles all the time" ever since. He's also the only original member of the tribute group left. About 10 years ago, inspired by the old MTV show "Unplugged" on which singers would perform acou"
Drew Harrison is a 64-year-old Alameda musician who performs Beatles hits with tribute band The Sun Kings and presents a John Lennon solo tribute, In the Spirit of Lennon. Pianist Tommy Cosentino will accompany him at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Harrison grew up in New York and admired Lennon for his peace-loving ideals, identifying with him as a teenager and later taking inspiration to play and sing his music. A late-1990s performance of “Ticket to Ride” before about 6,000 people in the Czech Republic convinced him tribute shows could connect with audiences. Harrison formed The Sun Kings in 2001 and remains its only original member; about a decade ago he developed an unplugged-style Lennon solo show.
Read at The Mercury News
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