Blue-Eyed Soul Legend GRAYSON HUGH with POLLY MESSER In Concert at Ridgefield Library, Saturday May 10th

Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter and pianist Grayson Hugh kicks off Ridgefield Library's Opening Week with a Concert on Saturday May 10, at 3:30 p.m.! Performing with Hugh will be his wife singer Polly Messer, who is a former member of the well-know swing band Eight To The Bar. Admission is Free and open to the public.

Hugh is known for his global radio hits ("Talk It Over," "Bring It All Back," and "Soul Cat Girl") and for his songs featured in films "Thelma and Louise" and "Fried Green Tomatoes". He will also perform songs from his acclaimed 2010 release "An American Record" and some new ones as well.

Hugh's music has been called "a soul/rock stew with a dash of blues and a pinch of country" (Stone Phillips, The Today Show) and "a veritable cyclone of soul, drawing its energy from such diverse regions as the swampland funk of Professor Longhair, the testifying soul of Ray Charles, with the rhythms of African drumming and American bluegrass thrown in the mix." - Benny Metten, Ctrl. Alt. Countr

What people have to say about Hugh's duo show with Polly Messer: "Amazing show last night!!! I always expect great music from Grayson Hugh and am never disappointed. But at last night's concert at The Katherine Hepburn Theatre, he took us all to a new level because of the musical chemistry with Polly Messer. It's a magical blend!" - Colin McEnroe, Host of The Colin McEnroe Show, WNPR, April 10, 2011

"Grayson Hugh's debut appearance on the Towne Crier stage was a smashing success. His songs are first-rate, and his powerful and volcanic voice was complimented by the beautiful harmony singing of Polly Messer. I look forward to his return!" - Phil Ciganer, Owner, Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon, NY, February 21, 2013

"Grayson and Polly's performance was fantastic. Grayson Hugh is a master writer and performer of American music - the perfect blend of blues, soul and country. The evening of September 14th will be remembered as one of the best shows of Fall 2012. Great musicians and very nice people". - Adam Grzedziel, Owner, Oldtimers Garage, Katowice, Poland, September 30, 2012

The release of "An American Record" in 2010 was met with praise from music critics and Hugh's loyal fans, who had been waiting over fifteen years for some new music. Pulitzer Prize-winning Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. was moved to write: "In a world where music is often a brittle artificiality, the music he makes is hard and strong, convicted and convincing. And true. Most of all, true. It's there in the gritty lament of his voice, in the roughhouse eloquence of his piano, and the atmospheric poetry of his words. He has that thing Sam Cooke and Ray Charles had, that thing you still hear sometimes in Bruce Springsteen, that lonely, train whistle in the dark thing, that yearning, keening thing that gets right to the heart of what it means to be alive, what it means to be a human being. This is 'An American Record'. Some of us are glad the wait is over at last." - Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald, March 8, 2010

Currently Hugh is writing songs for his next record, which is scheduled for a release sometime in 2014.

This free concert kicks off Ridgefield Library's Opening Weekend Celebrations and is made possible thanks to the Friends of the Library and the Wadsworth Russell Lewis Fund.

For further details call Lesley Lambton 203-438-2282 or visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org

TALK IT OVER
https://vimeo.com/90284547

BRING IT ALL BACK
http://youtu.be/yQqUDR4MWnw

YOU'RE ON MY MIND (Live @ The Oldtimer's Garage, Katowice, Poland 9/14/12)
http://youtu.be/HI85o8dteZA

SOMETHIN' CURIOUS GOIN' ON (Live @ the Blue Note Jazz Club , Poznan, Poland 9/18/12)
http://youtu.be/sQthCx6fQMw