Landau Comes Home To West Virginia October 1st, 2nd and 3rd

Landau Comes Home To West Virginia October 1st, 2nd and 3rd

America’s Got Talent Winner honored with Spirit of Coalfields Award at Tamarack October 1st, performs special Rocket Boys Festival concert in Beckley Oct. 2nd and Landes Arts Center fundraiser in Petersburg October 3rd

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., the dreadlocked classic crooner vocalist who won season six of NBC Television’s America’s Got Talent, a one million dollar grand prize, and a Columbia Records contract, has spent most of 2015 on a nationwide sold-out tour that has taken him from New York City to California and all points in between. And before the year is out, he’ll be in Miami, Minnesota, Maryland, Boston, back to the Big Apple, Hollywood for an official Sinatra family event, and headlining a Christmas tour of the Northeast. So he’s happy to be back home in Southern West Virginia October 1st and 2nd in Beckley, just a quick trip over the mountains from his home in Logan.

First up, Landau will be honored as this year’s winner of the Spirit of Coalfields Award as part of the 2015 Miner’s Celebration event Thursday October 1st at Tamarack. Miners, community members, and others connected with the state’s coal mining industry will gather at Tamarack for a gala reception and dinner to celebrate the past, present and future of West Virginia’s coal mining enterprise, and to recognize those who play a role in it’s success.

Murphy grew up in the heart of the coalfields in a coal mining family; both his father and grandfather were miners. “I’m proud of our miners past and present and how hard they work for their families. I have lots of personal friends who are miners, and I’m humbled to even be in the same room as these great men and women.”

The Miner’s Celebration gala will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a free reception in the Tamarack atrium. The dinner and awards ceremony, which require a ticket, will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the ballroom. Tickets for the dinner and awards ceremony are $50 per person. To purchase tickets, call 304-696-4029 or e-mail spradlin13@marshall.edu.

At the Miner’s Celebration, best-selling author Homer Hickam will also present the Homer Hickam Collier Award to a working coal miner who epitomizes the spirit, dedication and skills of the mining profession. Hickam will be in town to speak to area students and to attend the weekend’s annual Rocket Boys/October Sky Festival. Hickam had seen Murphy perform at The Greenbrier and on America’s Got Talent, and invited his fellow West Virginia celebrity to perform at this year’s festival through their mutual manager, Burke Allen of Allen Media Strategies.

Landau happily accepted the invitation to stay in West Virginia a bit longer, so the following evening, Friday night October 2nd, Landau and his Big Band will perform a special “Rocket Boys Reunion” concert at the Tamarack Theatre. The show starts at 8:00 p.m., following a 6:00 p.m. screening of October Sky that will feature live appearances by Hickam and Rocket Boys Roy Lee Cooke, O’Dell Carroll and Billy Rose. You can purchase tickets for the concert, or concert and film, at landaumurphyjr.com, by phone at (703) 589-8960, or at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, site of Saturday’s Rocket Boys/October Sky Festival activities. Please note that because of the small size of the Tamarack Theatre, the evening’s events are expected to sell out, so fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets right away.

Landau will then head to northern West Virginia to wrap up his homecoming weekend by headlining a special fundraising gala at the Landes Arts Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night October 3rd. Tickets to the concert are $40 and $50 with proceeds being used for enhancements at the Landes Center. Tickets may be purchased at the Grant County Parks and Recreation Department office or by phone at (703) 257-1725. A very limited number of seats are still available.

Find out more about Landau’s upcoming events and appearances online at his official website: landaumurphyjr.com.