Ben Folds will appear and perform at a memorial service in Dallas, Texas August 15 for the late radio host David “Kidd” Kraddick, who passed away last month. Folds was a favorite of Kidd and his daughter Caroline, who is helping to arrange the event. Kraddick was known to millions of radio listeners through his daily program “Kidd Kraddick in the Morning”, which was based in Dallas. The service, to be held at the AT&T Plaza outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, begins at 5:30 pm and will feature several musical performances besides Folds’. The memorial, to be live-streamed on kiddtv.com, will be followed by a benefit concert for Kraddick’s children’s charity Kidd’s Kids at the Dallas House of Blues.
2014 Symphonic Performances Announced
Ben has started announcing his schedule of performances with symphony orchestras for 2014. The first two, in Virginia Beach and Kansas City, go on sale later this week for fan club members. Details and links are posted on the tour dates page and will be updated as additional shows are announced.
“The Sing-Off” judge lineup confirmed
The schedule and lineup of judges has been announced for the fourth season of NBC Television’s hit a cappella competition show The Sing-Off.
Ben Folds joins returning judge Shawn Stockman and new judge Jewel, who replaces Sara Bareilles. Nick Lachey continues as host.
The show will air as a holiday strip, similar to the first two seasons when it appeared over multiple nights for a short run in December. The third season was a weekly serial running across the first half of the season. Contestant auditions were held in four cities in April of this year.
The Grammy-nominated Jewel just finished starring as June Carter Cash in Lifetime Television’s biography Ring of Fire. She’s also released a greatest-hits album this year.
Ben and his studio featured in Mix Magazine
Ten years ago, on returning to the US from Australia, Ben Folds purchased a heritage studio in Nashville, primarily as a workshop and creative space. The studio, originally built by Chet Atkins for RCA Victor Records in the 1960s, has seen sessions by Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and Dolly Parton. A story about the legendary recording space is featured in the cover story in the May 2013 issue of Mix Magazine, the leading magazine of professional audio and music production, and the cover (shown at left) depicts Ben at the keyboard in what was commonly known as RCA Studio A. (more…)
