Pop singer promises a run through his numerous hits for show at Turlock Community TheatreKenny Loggins will take fans on a tour of his mega-selling soft-rock career at his concert Thursday at the Turlock Community Theatre.
"This will be more of a hits show covering the last 30-some years of my career," he said in a recent phone interview. "I'll dip into Loggins and Messina and my solo career through 'Leap of Faith' in the early 1990s."
Loggins, 64, gained fame in the 1970s for his collaboration with Jim Messina, which produced such hits as "Your Mama Don't Dance, "Danny's Song" and "Angry Eyes." As a solo artist, Loggins scored a hit with "Whenever I Call You 'Friend' " and then produced a string of 1980s movie soundtrack hits, including "I'm Alright" from "Caddyshack," the title song from "Footloose" and "Danger Zone" from "Top Gun."
When he is not performing his greatest hits, Loggins continues to write and record new material. He recently formed the country band Blue Sky Riders with singer-songwriters Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman.
Loggins met Burr when he went to Nashville to record his last studio album "How About Now" in 2007. The two co-wrote four songs that appeared on the album and laughed a lot and had a great time in the process. Loggins was surprised that Burr wasn't recording on his own since he was such a talented singer. They joked at the time about starting a band but neither took it seriously.
Months later, Loggins followed up with Burr and said they should start a group, but they would need to get a female singer-songwriter. Burr recommended Middleman and Loggins flew to Nashville to meet her.
"We started writing material right away to see how it felt," he said. "We knew by the end of the day that we were going to be a band. The vocal blend was outstanding. It was like a sister and brothers — that sibling harmony that you dream about and rarely find."
The band has been headlining concerts all over the country in recent months, even though the group still hasn't released an album. "What's especially amazing is we're filling houses," Loggins said. "I've built a cache and personal trust (with fans). They're online, they're checking it out to see if we're real."
Loggins said it's a little strange performing with a group after working alone for so long. "Losing the autonomy and going back to a democracy like when I was with Loggins and Messina can be a challenge when you have to vote over when you go to the bathroom," he said. "Some things are better done when one person makes a decision and everybody moves on it."
But he's having so much fun that the trade-off is worth it. "It's great being a soloist but it means you spend a lot of time alone," he said. "There's something wonderful about having people to share with — a sense of family. We get along, we like each other's company. It's that dream of being in the Beatles. It's sort of a family, a group of friends that have shared feelings, beliefs about the world, food and fun."
Loggins also continues to pursue his interest in music for children and is working on putting together a family music festival in a location to be decided. He ideally would like to recruit top-notch artists in the vein of James Taylor, Paul Simon and Paul McCartney. Loggins has released three children's albums — "Return to Pooh Corner," "More Songs from Pooh Corner" and "All Join In." He would like to start a new genre called family music.
"The way I define family music is the parents can dig it as much as the children," Loggins said. "Traditionally, children's music is corny — the kids love it and the parents put up with it."
Loggins' performance Thursday at the Turlock Community Theatre will be his fifth appearance in Stanislaus County in the last 10 years. He previously performed at that venue in 2003 and at California State University, Stanislaus in 2004. He performed at the Gallo Center for the Arts in 2009 with Messina and in 2008 as a solo act.
WHAT: Kenny Loggins
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: Turlock Community Theatre, 1574 E. Canal Drive
TICKETS: $49-$79
CALL: (209) 668-1169
ONLINE: www.turlocktheatre.org
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