Library Events, SOPAC Performances This Weekend

Free Dog and Cat Rabies Vaccination

12 to 2 p.m.

Maplewood Fire Department, 105 Dunnell Rd.

Free Dog and Cat Rabies Vaccination Clinic. If your dog or cat needs a rabies vaccination update to be licensed in December, you are welcome to take advantage of this clinic.

Maplewood Civic Engagement Institute

9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

DeHart Community Center, 120 Burnett Ave.

Don't miss the opportunity for free:

-Personality profile & analysis by licensed psychologist.
-Time & productivity management with a professional organizer.
-Group dynamics training from a seasoned college professor.
-Overview of both town governments by town officials.

These valuable skills will be shared in exchange for participants volunteering with South Orange or Maplewood organizations of their choice.

Saturday Storytime

10:30 am - 11:00 am

Maplewood Main Library

A program emphasizing music, movement, and stories.  We especially welcome children with special needs.

Bettye LaVette at SOPAC

Saturday, November 09
8PM

Ticket Prices: $35, $40, $50
SOPAC Members: $30, $35, $45
Become a SOPAC Member and Save!

"Ms. LaVette now rivals Aretha Franklin as her generation's most vital soul singer." - The New York Times

Grammy nominee Bettye LaVette has been performing her soulful blues for more than 50 years. She possesses a voice that compels you to listen to every word she says, sings or writes; rough, tender, sensuous and soaring – it is an instrument of inspiration. Her 2011 albumInterpretations: British Rock Songbook was Grammy nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Betty has been incredibly busy as of late, touring with Robert Plant, dueting with Jon Bon Jovi at The Obama Inaugural Celebration at The Lincoln Memorial, and performing with Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr at Radio City Music Hall. 

Musical Performance at South Orange Library

Sun, November 10

2 to 3 p.m.

Singer/songwriter David Berkeley. Sponsored by the Friends of the South Orange Library.

Blues in the Loft: Bill Sims Jr. at SOPAC

Sunday, November 10
7PM

$15 Cover, Cash Bar, No Drink Minimum

A casual and affordable series of music and theater in the informal setting of the SOPAC Loft, featuring up-and-coming musicians and actors, as well as seasoned professionals.

Bills Sims Jr.
The Blues has many distinct origins and sounds. Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, West Coast Blues, East Coast Blues, Rhythm and Blues and on and on, each with its own unique flavor. If you ask Bill Sims what type of Blues he plays, his answer is simply, "I play the Blues."

In 1946, the Rev. William Sims moved his family from the hard life of sharecropping in rural Georgia to Marion, Ohio where Bill was raised. The Reverend brought with him the rich musical tradition of his childhood; the Blues and Gospel. He passed it all onto his son who started playing piano at the age of four on the old piano in the living room. At age fourteen, Bill turned professional when he joined the Jacksonian Blues, a rhythm and blues band considered the top in Ohio. He left the band to attend Ohio State University where he majored in music. He learned his lessons well sitting in the piano chair of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Freddie King, the Ojays, Jerry Butler and many more. 

In 1971, Bill joined The Four Mints, a doo-wop rhythm and blues group. The group traveled the country, opening for the mega-bands of the 1970s such as Gladys Knight and Earth, Wind and Fire. In 1976, Bill left The Four Mints to explore other musical venues. Incorporating his vast musical expertise and love for world music, Bill founded The Lamorians, an avant-grade jazz band that relied heavily on traditional African drumming.

In 1988, Bill came full circle and returned to the Blues. He founded his own band, Bill Sims and the Cold Blooded Blues Band where he is both lead guitarist and lead vocalist. He is currently considered one of the best musicians in the New York City Blues scene. Besides regularly performing at the best Blues clues in the city, Bill tours extensively both domestic and internationally. His virtuoso musicianship can be heard in most homes across America in the advertising spots of Coca-Cola, Reebok, Folgers and ESPN. In 1992, Bill released his first CD, Blues Before Sunrise. In 1999 his much-awaited CD Bill Simswas released on Warner Brothers records to coincide with the 10 hour PBS special on Bill. 

When asked why he plays the Blues, Bill simply replies "because my daddy played the Blues". Luckily for music lovers everywhere, the tradition continues.