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COOL VOICE OF RITA COOLIDGE TO RESONATE AT SENECA NIAGARA CASINO
Niagara Falls, NY, January 2005 - Two-time Grammy� Award winner Rita Coolidge will lift audiences with her hits, including "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" when she takes the Bear's Den Showroom stage at Seneca Niagara Casino at 9 p.m. on Sunday, February 20. Tickets are $25 and available at SenecaNiagaraCasino.com, Eight Clans Gift Shop, ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's stores.
Coolidge is a versatile singer blessed with a clear, pure voice. She is equally capable and comfortable with rock, pop, rhythm and blues, country and rock. Her February 2004 double CD set is a career retrospective entitled, "Rita Coolidge - Delta Lady - Anthology." Her new CD of jazz standards and "other surprises" is scheduled for release mid-year.
Born near Nashville, Tenn. in 1944, Coolidge, who is part Cherokee, first sang in the church where her father was a minister. She studied art at Florida State University, singing and writing songs on the side. She decided to give a career in music a shot before settling into teaching. Moving to Memphis, she worked singing commercial jingles, sometime with her sister, Priscilla, and soon landed a job touring with Delaney and Bonnie as a backup vocalist. Her reputation as a talented backup singer led to working with rock royalty, including tours and recordings with Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell and Stephen Stills. She worked with Joe Cocker and was a featured soloist on his "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour, performing a song she co-wrote, "Superstar," which would later be a huge hit for The Carpenters. Coolidge soon landed her own solo contract with A&M.
In 1971, she released a debut self-titled album, "Nice Feelin'" and more than a dozen other albums in the years that followed. Most notable is her 1978 Platinum album, "Anytime, Anywhere." Several hits became classics, including "We're All Alone," "Higher and Higher" and "The Way You Do The Things You Do." She performed with high profile musicians, including George Harrison, Roger Water, Robbie Robertson and Jimmy Buffett.
In 1973, she married singer, songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson. During their marriage, they teamed up for a number of hits and were twice named Country Duo of the Year. Coolidge's "Love Came For Me" appeared on the soundtrack of the movie "Splash" and "All Time High" was the theme for the James Bond thriller "Octopussy." Coolidge and Kristofferson's final duet album was "Natural Act" before their marriage ended in 1979.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Coolidge devoted more time, energy and talent to other concerns. Her Cherokee heritage inspired involvement in projects that called attention to Native American music, culture and issues. She joined the group "Walela" (Cherokee for "hummingbird") with Priscilla and their niece, Laura Satterfield. The trio has performed worldwide, including at the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Coolidge headlined the historic grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in September 2004 in Washington, D.C. She has been honored with a Lifetime of Musical Achievement Award at the 2002 First Americans in the Arts Awards.
Seneca Niagara Casino is New York State's first full-service casino featuring reel-spinning and video slot machines. Just a few blocks from world-famous Niagara Falls, the Casino is located at 310 Fourth Street. The 112,590 square feet gaming floor houses more than 3,200 slot machines and 97 table games. A separate smoke-free casino, Turtle Island, is also available to patrons along with the Poker Room and the high-stakes Blue Heron Room.
In addition to gaming, Seneca Niagara Casino offers several restaurants including Thunder Falls Buffet, Morrie's Place and The Western Door: A Seneca Steakhouse. The Bear's Den Showroom, a 443-seat showroom-style theater and Club 101, a unique music venue located in the heart of the gaming floor, provide live entertainment. Free parking is available to patrons through complimentary valet services, self-parking areas and a four-story garage with covered walkway. The Casino is owned and operated by the Seneca Nation of Indians.
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