Tag: Billy Porter

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Music: Billy Porter “Billy’s Back On Broadway”

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IC13UCY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IC13UCY&linkCode=as2&tag=onlinestorelink-20

Tony Award-winner Billy Porter shares the artwork for his soon-to-be-released CD Billy’s Back On Broadway.

Via press release: Featuring ten classics made famous on the Great White Way that focus on inspiration, empowerment and hope, the album’s title is a nod to Sammy Davis, Jr.’s recording Sammy’s Back on Broadway.

Cyndi Lauper, the Grammy, Emmy & Tony Award-winning rock icon who penned the score for Kinky Boots, makes a special guest appearance on Billy’s Back on Broadway, dueting with Porter on “Happy Days/Get Happy,” a tune made famous by Streisand and Judy Garland.

In January 2014, the Broadway cast recording of Kinky Boots won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The show, based on the 2005 British movie of the same name, tells the story of a drag queen who helps to rescue a floundering shoe factory.  

Kinky Boots celebrates its one year on Broadway anniversary in April 2014.

Track Listing for Billy’s Back on Broadway:

1. But The World Goes Round
2. Everything’s Coming Up Roses
3. Don’t Rain On My Parade
4. On The Street Where You Live
5. I’ve Gotta Be Me
6. I’m Not My Father’s Son
7. Happy Days/Get Happy (w/Cyndi Lauper)
8. Luck Be A Lady
9. Take The Moment
10. I Am Changing

The CD is available for pre-order on Amazon.

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Tony Award-winner Billy Porter’s new solo album – “Billy’s Back on Broadway”

On April 15, 2014, Tony Award-winner Billy Porter will release his debut CD on Concord Records, Billy’s Back on Broadway.

Featuring ten classics made famous on the Great White Way that focus on inspiration, empowerment and hope, the album’s title is a nod to Sammy Davis, Jr.’s recording Sammy’s Back on Broadway.

“The canon of great Broadway songs is so vast and I have so many favorites that the only way I could narrow them down was to choose a theme,” Porter says of the songs on Billy’s Back on Broadway. “Once I settled on what I wanted to say and the journey I wanted the listener to take, the songs made their presence known rather quickly.”

While Porter grew up as a gospel singer, he transitioned to theater, making his Broadway debut in the original cast of Miss Saigon. “Seeing Jennifer Holliday from Dreamgirls perform on the Tony® Awards telecast and later discovering Barbra Streisand by listening to her albums at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh really changed everything for me,” Porter says of his career path. “When Barbra released her first Broadway album I was about 15 years old, and I thought, ‘One day, I’m going to make my own Broadway album – just like Babs!’”

Joining Billy on one track will be pop music legend and fellow Tony Award-winner Cyndi Lauper, dueting with Porter on “Happy Days/Get Happy,” a tune made famous by Streisand and Judy Garland. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cyndi is one of the godmothers of individuality,” Porter explains. “She forged a path for so many of us that didn’t fit into the status quo. I learned so much and have felt so inspired by her journey as an artist and human being before I even knew her. She’s a blessing and a gift, and I’m so thrilled she said ‘yes’ when I asked her to sing on this album.”

Porter continues to star on Broadway in Kinky Boots in his award winning role as “Lola.”  The show, based on the 2005 British movie of the same name, tells the story of a drag queen who helps to rescue a floundering shoe factory. Kinky Boots celebrates its one year on Broadway anniversary in April 2014.

Now the winner of every major theater award, including the 2013 Tony® Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Porter is truly living the dream.

The CD is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Track Listing for Billy’s Back on Broadway

1. But The World Goes Round
2. Everything’s Coming Up Roses
3. Don’t Rain On My Parade
4. On The Street Where You Live
5. I’ve Gotta Be Me
6. I’m Not My Father’s Son
7. Happy Days/Get Happy (w/Cyndi Lauper)
8. Luck Be A Lady
9. Take The Moment
10. I Am Changing

(via press release)

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Stark Sands last performance in KINKY BOOTS

Last night, as the creators and cast of KINKY BOOTS won the Grammy Award for “Best Musical Theater Album,”  one of the shows leading men – Stark Sands – was saying goodbye to the cast on the stage of the Al Hirschfeld Theater.

Tony Award-winner Billy Porter says in the video: “We’re co-stars. He’s my brother, he’s my rock, he’s everything. Everything that a leading lady could wish for.”

As the hit musical marches into it’s second year, KINKY BOOTS continues to sell out nightly.

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KINKY BOOTS wins Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album

Cyndi Lauper accepts the Grammy Award for “Best Musical Theater Album”

The cast recording of the Tony Award-winning show KINKY BOOTS just won the Grammy Award for “Best Musical Theater Album” featuring Billy Porter and Stark Sands.

So, add “Grammy Award winner” to the list of wins for Mr. Billy Porter 🙂

Congratulations to Billy, Stark Sands, Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus, Jerry Mitchell and everyone connected to the blockbuster show!

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One Million Moms vs KINKY BOOTS and Macys

Billy Porter (left) and Stark Sands (right) of the hit Broadway musical KINKY BOOTS celebrate their performance on the Macys Thanksgiving Parade by shopping at Macys

American Family Association media watch-dog One Million Moms (which actually only numbers about 60K) issued an e-blast today, voicing their utter disapproval that the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots was included and PERFORMED in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Right Wing Watch reports.

Via email:

As a parent and a member of OneMillionMoms.com, I am greatly disappointed in your company’s choice to include the “Raise You Up” drag performance during your Thanksgiving Day Parade with millions of children present and watching from home. It is inappropriate to highlight cross-dressing in a sexually charged performance during a traditional family activity. Your blatant agenda and in-your-face message was quite offensive, and Macy’s cannot be trusted. Shame on Macy’s for promoting this behavior.

It is clear that Macy’s does not have my children’s best interest in mind. I can no longer trust Macy’s Dept. Store. Your company needs to know that trust must be earned and once trust is lost it is difficult to get back.

Your decision was irresponsible, especially at an event when families are watching together. Nothing about this particular performance was family-friendly. The ENTIRE parade should be kid-friendly; not 95% of it! Your company can do better than this.

Here are just some of the “sexually charged” lyrics that One Million Moms took offense to:

Celebrate you to elevate you!

 Instill the truth… learn something new.

 Accept yourself and you’ll accept others too.

 Let love shine… let pride be your guide.

 Change the world when you change your mind.

 Just be who you wanna be.

 You’re beautiful; it’s beautiful!

I should note that in his introduction of the performance on air, host Matt Lauer pointed out the theme of the show is celebrating the differences in each other. This clearly went over the heads of those folks over at One Million Moms.

Check out the performance below.  Then go support Macys Department store.  Go Macys!

(via Right Wing Watch)

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Tony Award-winners Cyndi Lauper and Billy Porter featured in annual GAP campaign

Tony Award-winners for Broadway's Kinky Boots Cyndi Lauper and Billy Porter featured in annual GAP ad campaign

Tony Award-winner for Broadway’s Kinky Boots and Out100 honoree, Billy Porter, is featured with fellow Tony Award-winner Cyndi Lauper in Gap’s annual “Make Love” campaign, which features of a diverse cast of characters and familiar faces spreading love and acceptance.

“I think the joy and the pleasure of Kinky Boots is that it transcends sexuality, it transcends stereotypes, and it transcends fear, which I think motivates a lot of the bigotry and homophobia that exists in the world. It’s nice to reach people at a human level,” Porter said in an interview with Out. 

The annual campaign has featured several “out” celebrities over the years.

(source)

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19th Annual OUT100 – Billy Porter

For the 19th year, OUT has compiled the 100 “most compelling” people in the LGBT community.

And included, of course, is the magnificent Billy Porter who took Broadway by storm again this year in KINKY BOOTS, winning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical along the way.

From OUT:

After many years away from the Great White Way stage, Porter returned with a vengeance, starring as Lola in Kinky Boots, the Harvey Fierstein–Cyndi Lauper show for which he won his first Tony Award, for Best Actor in a Musical. Although he has to wear sparkly, thigh- high boots and belt out diva-worthy ballads eight nights a week, Porter is basking in the power he has to connect with audiences from the Broadway stage.

“There are many parallels between Lola and myself — mainly the idea of being an outsider and holding on to who you are,” he says. “I think the joy and the pleasure of Kinky Boots is that it transcends sexuality, it transcends stereotypes, and it transcends fear, which I think motivates a lot of the bigotry and homophobia that exists in the world. It’s nice to reach people at a human level.”

As a board member of the Empire State Pride Agenda, he’s been working to spread marriage equality to a wider audience; now he finally has the biggest platform of his life. “I wanted to represent, but I didn’t think that marriage equality was something that mattered to me, until it actually happened,” he explains. “I used to live in a world and in a space where I didn’t think that my love mattered, and so my behavior was representative of that. I’m thankful that this is happening, because it’s causing me to look inward and to respect myself more. And to respect my love.”

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Happy birthday Billy Porter

If you don’t follow THE Billy Porter on Twitter, you should.  Funny, outrageous and shares unexpected nuggets of wisdom du jour.

Today is the Tony Award-winner’s birthday, so I’m celebrating with his music and talent since I can’t be with him in person.  I’ve known Billy for over 20 years and couldn’t  be prouder of who and where he’s taken his life journey.

Celebrating Billy’s birthday “some” years ago…

He’s been stopping the show on Broadway for over 20 years and still doing it.  The video from below takes us back to 1994 when he appeared on The Tonight Show performing “Beauty School Dropout.”  I remember watching this live at home and screaming!  Billy sings his face off!  

Thank you Mr. Kinky Boots for all the laughs, talent and smarts you bring to every table.

Love you muchly.

And while we’re at it, let’s just go for the Big Montage of Billy singing through the years”