Tag: Billy Porter

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New Music: “Billy Porter Presents The Soul Of Richard Rodgers”

Terrific new album available today from Tony, Grammy and NAACP Award winner Billy Porter, titled Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers.

As regular Randy Report readers know, Billy originated the role of ‘Lola’ in the Broadway hit Kinky Boots, to widespread acclaim winning the 2013 Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

On this project, Billy is not only the artist but serves as “Producer/Content Curator” on the album.

The album, which features new, soulful takes on classic Richard Rodgers songs, includes solos and duets featuring some of today’s most compelling artists.

The complete track listing for Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers is as follows:

1. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (Pentatonix & Billy Porter)

2. My Romance (Leslie Odom Jr.)

3. If I Loved You (Renée Elise Goldsberry & Christopher Jackson)

4. With a Song in My Heart (Brandon Victor Dixon & Joshua Henry)

5. I Have Dreamed (Patina Miller)

6. My Funny Valentine (Cynthia Erivo)

7. I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair (Todrick Hall & Billy Porter)

8. This Nearly was Mine (Deborah Cox)

9. Bewitched (Ledisi featuring Zaire Park)

10. Carefully Taught (India.Arie & Billy Porter)

11. Lady is a Tramp (Billy Porter featuring Zaire Park)

12. Edelweiss (Billy Porter)

“I like to think of this as the Richard Rodgers version of the Hamilton Mixtapes,” Porter said. “These are classic songs that everybody knows and loves, and I’m so excited for people to hear them in a brand new way.”

This is Billy’s fourth album following the previously released Untitled, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul – LIVE, and Billy’s Back on Broadway.

Other theatre appearances include Shuffle Along, Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Mo, Grease, Smokey Joe’s Cafe all on Broadway; plus Dreamgirls, Angels in America, The Merchant of Venice, Radiant Baby, Birdie Blue, Songs for a New World, Ghetto Superstar (one-man show), Topdog/Underdog, King Lear.

Check out a few tracks from Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers below, including Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo’s luscious take on “My Funny Valentine” and Billy dueting with 4-time Grammy Award winner India.Arie on “Carefully Taught.”

If you’re in the New York City area, Billy and India.Arie will be doing a CD signing at the Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side in Manhattan on Monday. Details below.

A post shared by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) on Apr 11, 2017 at 1:27pm PDT

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Tony Award Winner Billy Porter Talks On “The Soul Of Richard Rodgers”

What better to get you over hump day than some great new music?

Check out Tony Award winner (and now record producer) Billy Porter as he chats on his latest project, Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers.

The album drops April 17th.

I’ve known Billy for over 20 years, and this new album is easily the most eagerly awaited music project on my radar.

The album, which features new, soulful takes on classic Richard Rodgers songs, includes solos and duets featuring some of today’s most compelling artists.

The complete track listing for Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers is as follows:

1. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (Pentatonix & Billy Porter)

2. My Romance (Leslie Odom Jr.)

3. If I Loved You (Renée Elise Goldsberry & Christopher Jackson)

4. With a Song in My Heart (Brandon Victor Dixon & Joshua Henry)

5. I Have Dreamed (Patina Miller)

6. My Funny Valentine (Cynthia Erivo)

7. I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair (Todrick Hall & Billy Porter)

8. This Nearly was Mine (Deborah Cox)

9. Bewitched (Ledisi featuring Zaire Park)

10. Carefully Taught (India.Arie & Billy Porter)

11. Lady is a Tramp (Billy Porter featuring Zaire Park)

12. Edelweiss (Billy Porter)

“I like to think of this as the Richard Rodgers version of the Hamilton Mixtapes,” Porter said. “These are classic songs that everybody knows and loves, and I’m so excited for people to hear them in a brand new way.”

Billy’s solo albums include his first CD, Untitled, on A&M records, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul – LIVE on Sh-K-Boom Records, and Billy’s Back on Broadway, on Concord Records

As regular Randy Report readers know, Billy originated the role of ‘Lola’ in the Broadway hit Kinky Boots, which won him 2013 Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Other theatre appearances include Shuffle Along, Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Mo, Grease, Smokey Joe’s Cafe all on Broadway; plus Dreamgirls, Angels in America, The Merchant of Venice, Radiant Baby, Birdie Blue, Songs for a New World, Ghetto Superstar (one-man show), Topdog/Underdog, King Lear.

Check out a few tracks from Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers below, including Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo’s luscious take on “My Funny Valentine” and Billy dueting with 4-time Grammy Award winner India.Arie on “Carefully Taught.”

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New Music: “Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers”

Billy Porter Presents The Should of Richard Rodgers


My longtime friend (and Tony Award winner!) Billy Porter drops his newest music project, Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers.

The new album is Billy’s 4th studio album, and his first as producer and content curator.

Via press release:

“I like to think of this as the Richard Rodgers version of the Hamilton Mixtapes,” Porter said. “These are classic songs that everybody knows and loves, and I’m so excited for people to hear them in a brand new way.”

Tony and Grammy Award-Winner Billy Porter’s new studio album, Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers, will be released April 14, 2017 and will be available for pre-order tomorrow (Friday, March 3), it was announced today by Bee & El and Sony Masterworks Broadway.

 The album, which features new, soulful takes on classic Richard Rodgers songs, includes solos and duets from the following artists (in addition to Porter himself): Tony and Grammy Award winners Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), Tony Award-winner Patina Miller (Pippin), Grammy Award winners Pentatonix and India.Arie, Tony Award nominees Brandon Victor Dixon (Shuffle Along), Joshua Henry (Violet), and Christopher Jackson (Hamilton), alongside YouTube sensation and Kinky Boots star Todrick Hall and multiple Grammy Award nominees Deborah Cox and Ledisi.

The complete track listing for Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers:

1. “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” (Pentatonix & Billy Porter)

2. “My Romance” (Leslie Odom Jr.)

3. “If I Loved You” (Renée Elise Goldsberry & Christopher Jackson)

4. “With a Song in My Heart” (Brandon Victor Dixon & Joshua Henry)

5. “I Have Dreamed” (Patina Miller)

6. “My Funny Valentine” (Cynthia Erivo)

7. “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” (Todrick Hall & Billy Porter)

8. “This Nearly was Mine” (Deborah Cox)

9. “Bewitched” (Ledisi featuring Zaire Park)

10. “Carefully Taught” (India.Arie & Billy Porter)

11. “Lady is a Tramp” (Billy Porter featuring Zaire Park)

12. “Edelweiss” (Billy Porter)

The pre-order for the album begins today, with an expected April 14 release date. Pre-order now on iTunes and immediately download Billy’s reinterpretation of “Edelweiss.”

Listen to “Edelweiss” below:

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News Round-Up: January 17, 2017

Some news items you may have missed:

• The weather forecast for Friday in Washington DC? 90% chance of rain. See forecast above. How terrible… 😉

• Some of Broadway’s biggest stars – including Tony Award winners Betty Buckley, Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Jessie Mueller and Billy Porter – will be spending Inauguration Day at a concert in New York City that raises money for human rights organizations.

• Over 50 Democratic members of Congress (53 at last count) will not be attending the Trump inauguration.

• Speaking of the inauguration, scalpers are having a tough time unloading tickets they bought for the event this Friday.

• Team Trump is having such a tough time getting supporters to the inaugural festivities they are using targeted Facebook ads to up free ticket attendance.

• One more inauguration item: don’t miss Randy Rainbow’s hysterical interview with Tony Award winner Jennifer Holliday regarding her recent kerfuffle when she confirmed then cancelled her appearance the “peaceful transfer of power.”

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“Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out!” Starring Tony Award Winners Betty Buckley, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth & More

This is all kinds of awesomeness 🙂

Click here for all the details for Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out!, the first of a monthly benefit concert series with Broadway, TV, film and recording stars that will debut at The Town Hall on Friday, January 20, 2017, at 3:00pm.

The concert will feature performances by Betty Buckley, Sharon Gless, Andrea Martin, Jessie Mueller, Bebe Neuwirth, Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell and more.

Proceeds will benefit several national organizations working to protect human rights, including Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Immigration Law Center and the Sierra Club Foundation.

Tickets range from $25 to $50 and are available at TicketMaster.com and at The Town Hall box office (123 W 43rd St.). Participating performers are subject to change.

But here’s the best part – if you can’t attend, no worries! The concert will be broadcast on Facebook Live at 3:00pm EST on January 20th, directed by Emmy Award winner Debbie Miller.

How super cool is that? So buy your tickets if you’ll be in the NYC area on January 20th, or set your calendar to remind you at ten minutes to 3PM EST that day to hit the link and watch your favorite Broadway stars “stand up, and sing out!”

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Tony Award-Winner Billy Porter Takes His Final Bow In KINKY BOOTS

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Billy Porter’s final bow as Lola. We will always hold him in our hearts! ✨
Posted by Kinky Boots on Broadway on Friday, November 20, 2015

Regular readers of The Randy Report will remember when I interviewed Billy Porter (who I’ve known for over 20 years) for The Candi & Randy Show back in the summer of 2012 when I was choreographing a production of Sweet Charity in Oklahoma and Billy was appearing as our “Daddy Brubeck.”

Billy had just finished the first workshop of Kinky Boots and was headed to Chicago for the out-of-town tryout. He knew then the possibility that was ahead.

You can listen to the interview below.

Congrats Billy on a triumphant run! xoxo

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Wayne Brady To Succeed Tony Award Winner Billy Porter In Broadway’s KINKY BOOTS

BroadwayWorld has confirmed that Emmy Award-winner and Grammy Award nominee Wayne Brady will take over the coveted role of ‘Lola’ in the Tony Award®-winning musical Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street) on November 21, 2015.

Brady will succeed Broadway’s original (and current) award-winning ‘Lola,’ Billy Porter. Porter has played over 800 performances in the role and won both a Tony Award and a Grammy Award for his work in the production. His final historic performance in Kinky Boots will be November 20, 2015.

Kinky Boots will mark Brady’s return to Broadway after more than a decade. After making his Broadway debut in 2004 as ‘Billy Flynn’ in Chicago, Brady also played ‘Collins’ in the 2010 Neil Patrick Harris-directed Rent at the Hollywood Bowl and last year starred in Pasadena Playhouse’s trailblazing production of Kiss Me Kate.

In 2003, he won both a Primetime Emmy Award for “Whose Line Is It Anyway” and a Daytime Emmy Award as host of his own talk show, “The Wayne Brady Show.” He currently hosts the CBS game show “Let’s Make a Deal,” which has earned him six Daytime Emmy Award nominations.

Read more at BroadwayWorld.com.

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Sneak Peak: Billy Porter “Live At Lincoln Center”

Taking a few months off from his Tony Award winning role as “Lola” in the hit Broadway show Kinky Boots, Billy Porter recently knocked out two fab concerts for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series.

The performances were taped for a PBS special set to air on April 3rd – “Live From Lincoln Center” – and we get a sneak preview.

Check out Billy, the Broadway Inspirational Voices AND Billy’s now famous thigh-high Kinky Boots in this performance of “Luck Be A Lady” from his latest CD Billy’s Back On Broadway.

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Christmas Music: Billy Porter “O Holy Night”

Christmas Day, so I’ll post a couple more holiday music vids – just because 🙂

And how can you go though the Christmas season without this one? My pal Billy Porter (still knocking it out on Broadway with his Tony Award-winning performance as “Lola” in KINKY BOOTS) sings “O Holy Night” like no one.

Merry merry, kids!