Chick Singer Night to showcase local talent for 33rd anniversary benefit concert in Oxnard
Men and women alike are invited to attend Chick Singer Night, a musical showcase this weekend featuring from musicians from Ventura, Ojai, Conejo Valley and beyond.
The show – a benefit for Food Share – will take place Saturday starting at 7 p.m. at The Sound Palace in Oxnard, 1681 Beacon Place.
It’s the latest iteration of the Chick Singer Night event series, founded by Lori Maier in Chicago 33 years ago. After hosting her first show with some friends and music students, Maier brought the show to Los Angeles when she moved to California a decade later.
"We wanted to be taken seriously. We wanted to be confident and creative," Maier said. "It kind of just grew into this event that everyone wanted to be a part of."
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Since then, she has spread out her network to 18 cities throughout the country with their own Chick Singer Night.
Maier said she came up with the name Chick Singer Night as a way to reclaim the phrase, but said she does not limit the performances to female vocalists.
“Our theme is pretty much all are welcome: all levels of experience, all genres of music," Maier said.
"Guys are welcome too," she added.
Los Angeles singer Rosemary Butler will headline Saturday’s show. After starting her music career in high school when her band opened for The Rolling Stones, Butler sang backup vocals for Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and others.
Saturday's bill will feature additional performances by four women and a man, Ventura resident Michael Henszey. Other performers include Ojai singer Natalie Gelman; Melanie Taylor, who sang as part of Bette Midler's backing band The Harlettes; Kiki Ebsen, a singer-songwriter and daughter of actor Buddy Ebsen; and Sofia Lewis, a Newbury Park resident who recently competed to appear on "The Voice" and "American Idol.”
All proceeds from Saturday’s show will go toward Food Share, a Ventura County food bank that serves over 75,000 people a month.
"We're not here to make a profit, we're here to help the community," said Newbury Park resident Bill Davis, co-owner of The Sound Palace.
Davis said tickets were running low and only a handful were left for Saturday’s show, which will be held inside the venue's Studio B. Tickets can be purchased for $20 each on the Chick Singer Night’s Eventbrite page. The show will also be available to watch via livestream with a suggested donation of $10. More information can be found at chicksingernight.com.
Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 'Chick Singer Night' features local talent for benefit show in Oxnard
