The Canadian performer has been a frequent visitor to Springfield in recent years doing tributes to the music of Simon and Garfunkle, Elton John, Billy Joel and, most recently, Barry Manilow.
Notice a pattern: Those performers are all singer-songwriters.
So which top talent will Witter channel at this year’s Richard and Barbara Kuss Memorial Concert? Let’s just say he’s splitting the difference this time out.
“Fire and Rain: The Songs of James Taylor and Carole King” will see Witter joined by special guest performer Tiffany Desrosiers at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Clark State Performing Arts Center.
Admission is free, but tickets are required and available at the Performing Arts Center box office.
The concert is sponsored by the Carleton F. and Ruth Davidson Trust and is part of the annual Clark State Circle of Friends Gala, which supports events at the PAC.
The early 1970s saw the rise of the singer-songwriter in the mainstream, and Taylor and King were at the forefront, taking them all the way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both continue to perform today.
Taylor had his first top five hit, “Fire and Rain,” in 1970 and his first No. 1, “You’ve Got a Friend” a year later. That song was written by King and earned Grammy Awards for her and Taylor.
King co-wrote dozens of pop hits in the 1960s for other performers. Her solo career skyrocketed in 1971 with the album “Tapestry,” one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.
King is the most successful songwriters in the second half of the 20th century with 118 Billboard Hot 100 hits she’s written or co-written, such as her double-sided No. 1 single “It’s Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move.”
“As a singer, you look for well-written, fun, dynamic tunes,” Witter told the News-Sun in a 2016 interview. He also added he enjoys being welcomed back to Springfield.
The concert is named for Richard and Barbara Kuss, who were benevolent-minded Springfield residents and the namesakes for the Performing Arts Center’s Kuss Auditorium.
Contact this contributing writer at bturner004@woh.rr.com.
How to go
What: “Fire and Rain: The Songs of James Taylor and Carole King”
Where: Clark State Performing Arts Center, Kuss Auditorium, 300 S. Fountain Ave., Springfield
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, April 15
Admission: Free; tickets are required
More info: 937-328-3874 or go to http://pac.clarkstate.edu/events
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