The Band ABC News Calls the “Best and Most Fun Soul and R&B Band Today” to Perform with Legendary Blues Guitarist Extraordinaire, Steve Cropper at Closing TRIO Blowout Party
LEXINGTON, KY; ELAN Home Systems a leading manufacturer of award-winning Multi-Room audio/video and home control systems, announced today that the world-famous Original Blues Brothers Band will be the headline entertainment for the 2007 TRIO Summit Dealer Thank You and Closing Party. The internationally renowned party down-band will play at TRIO’s Saturday Night Blues Bash held on May 19th at ELAN’s “House of Blues” party in Lexington. The announcement was made by Paul Starkey, ELAN’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
“This is the pinnacle point of our year where we reach beyond anything ever done to find unique and powerful ways to say ‘thank you’ to our Dealers, and this party will do it,” said Mr. Starkey.
Described by ABC News as “probably the best and most fun soul and R&B band today,” The Original Blues Brothers Band has been a legendary force in the music scene since it was founded in 1978 by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as an NBC-TV Saturday Night Live sketch. As Aykroyd and Belushi’s love of the blues grew, so did their band. With the help of influential individuals in the music industry, music talents were added to form the renowned band. The four original members performing at the TRIO Bash were hand-picked by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and have since assembled the ultimate rhythm and blues review and emerged as a powerful entity in their own right.
According to Performance magazine, “They played like the best R&B band in the civilized world — which is, after all, what they are.” Notorious for their legendary music based upon blues, soul, R & B, and jazz and featuring blues guitarist extraordinaire Steve Cropper at the helm, The Original Blues Brothers’ performance will undoubtedly be one of the top highlights of ELAN’s TRIO Summit amazingly strong line-up. Widely recognized as being the greatest party band of all time, The Original Blues Brothers Band regularly headlines the top Jazz, Blues & Rock Festivals worldwide.
Steve Cropper is the co-writer on such legendary hits as The Midnight Hour, Knock-on-Wood, and (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay. He has enjoyed a long, prosperous and productive career as a songwriter, producer, performer and session guitarist, and has been a songwriting partner with Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd and numerous other musical greats. He was the founding member of both Booker T and the MG’s and The Mar-Keys, and has been involved in virtually ever record issued by Stax from the fall of 1961 through year end of 1970.
“We searched high and low for the perfect headline act for our Dealers. The Original Blues Brothers Band continues to deliver the ultimate in Soul, R&B and Blues entertainment and we are thrilled to have them perform for our Dealers and Sponsors at what will undoubtedly be the industry’s most electrifying and not-to be-missed party of the year,” added Cat Fowler, ELAN’s Vice President of Marketing and Customer Services. “Our team is extremely pumped up to put on this Blues Bash for our Dealers in order to thank them for their ongoing loyalty and business.”
Since regrouping in 1988, the Original Blues Brothers Band has triumphantly performed each year in international venues large and small. In Europe the Band played an unprecedented three sold-out nights in Paris’ prestigious Olympia Theater where the seats were removed for the first time in the history of the theater to accommodate the excitement exchanged between the Band and the audience during their performance. They have headlined at most of the leading Jazz and Blues Festivals throughout Europe such as Nimes Fair, France; North Sea Jazz Festival, the Netherlands; Pistoia Blues Festival, Italy; and Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland to audiences estimated at up to 60,000 in one performance.
In the recent past, they performed in Atlanta coinciding with the grand opening of the Summer Olympics, headlined Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans along with James Brown and ZZ Top and starred in the full length feature film “Blues Brothers 2000” with Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman.
In addition to partying down to The Original Blues Brothers Band and all the favors, sights and sounds of ELAN’s “House of Blues Club,” party guests will enjoy great food and drink and have a chance to win a variety of awesome and wacky prices through raffle drawings that will be held throughout the night. The blow-out bash will also feature blues games, giveaways, and a blue costume grand prize that will add to the festivities and further the enjoyment and excitement.
This year’s closing party will be co-sponsored by TRIO Headline VIP popular Sponsors Lutron Electronics, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls, and Middle Atlantic, a leading manufacturer of engineered mounting solutions. Both companies will demonstrate their product offerings, instruct courses, and be available for one-on-one meetings throughout the TRIO daytime events and classes.
The TRIO 2007 Dealer Summit is an exclusive event that will bring together more than 375 of ELAN’s top Dealers, VIA! Integration Partners, Sales Reps and Members of the Media at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, Kentucky, May 17-19. Attending Dealers will benefit from more than 40 classes chock-full of information to help excel their businesses and professional lives, inspiring and relevant Keynote Speakers, and interacting with each other through meals, nighttime activities and first-class entertainment. This unique, growth-focused event is designed for Business Owners, Salespeople, and Installation Managers, all of whom can expect to experience and enjoy an electrifying, action packed program over the span of just a couple of days.
About ELAN Home Systems:
ELAN Home Systems is a leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video and home control systems. Based in Lexington, KY, the company’s systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use “whole house” experience. The company’s unique products provide complete lifestyle, feature-rich solutions, yet can be configured to fit the specific needs of every homeowner. ELAN products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and 58 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.
ELAN is a trademark of ELAN Home Systems, LLC, Lexington, KY. VIA! is a registered trademark of ELAN Home Systems, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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Press Contacts:
Cat Fowler
ELAN Home Systems
Lexington, KY
t) 859-422-7161
f) 859-268-2132
e) cfowler@elanhomesystems.com
Steven Style
The Steven Style Group
New York, NY
t) 212-465-1290
f) 212-465-1299
e) stevens@stylegroup.com
