What do you do with a catalog of hot music? If you’re Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, you team with Tony Award-nominated actor/choreographer Maurice Hines (brother of the late Gregory Hines) for a Broadway musical.
Taking a cue from Twyla Tharp’s use of Billy Joel songs in “Movin’ Out,” “Hott Feett” will feature EW&F hits as well as White solo material. Hip-hop novelist Heru Ptah is penning the four-act musical. Casting is slated for early 2005, with a workshop planned for spring and previews for late summer or fall. The show’s Broadway debut is expected in early 2006.
“Hott Feett” falls under the umbrella of Kalimba Entertainment, which handles White’s non-EW&F activities. Among Kalimba’s divisions is Kalimba Records, which released EW&F’s “The Promise” last year. A White autobiography is also in the works.
— Gail Mitchell, L.A.
Warren Haynes — currently a guitarist in the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and the Dead — will stage his 16th annual Christmas Jam concert Dec. 18 at the Civic Center Arena in Asheville, N.C. The show will feature sets by Haynes as well as Gov’t Mule, along with as-yet-unannounced special guests. Past years have featured the likes of Allmans, Blues Traveler, the Dead’s Bob Weir, the Derek Trucks Band, DJ Logic and members of Phish, the String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic, among many others. Proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity, which in the last three years has taken in more than $200,000 from the shows.
Gov’t Mule is in the mist of a tour that plays San Francisco tonight (Nov. 11) and tomorrow. According to its official Web site, the band will be on the road through the end of the month, and has Dec. 27-29 shows slated in Baltimore and Dec. 30-31 concerts scheduled in New York.
— Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
Commemorating the upcoming 10th anniversary of Roc-A-Fella Records, the label has teamed up with PRO-Keds to develop a limited-edition sneaker. Due to hit stores Jan. 29, the premium leather shoe will be limited to a run of 2,500 pairs.
“It’s a sneaker that’s been around for years and stands the test of time and trends,” says Damon Dash, who founded Roc-A-Fella with Kareem “Biggs” Burke and Jay-Z in 1995. “I am a sneaker fanatic myself, and the possibility of combining a sneaker brand with what I am already doing got me truly excited.”
In addition to the recording label, Roc-A-Fella Enterprises includes the Rocawear clothing line, Dash Films, Armadale Vodka and America Magazine, among other ventures.
— Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.