Soulful Summer Tour Coming to DPAC

A new train is pulling into Durham station and it's "all aboard" for Soul music at DPAC.

Soul fans are in for a treat when DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center, plays host to Anthony Hamilton with special guests Eric Benét and Marcus Canty on June 8, 2013. This show is presented in partnership by The DOME Group, Inc.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 5 at 10 AM online, at the DPAC Ticket Center at 123 Vivian Street, by phone at 919.680.2787, and through Ticketmaster. Friends of DPAC members may place their orders on April 4. Joining Friends of DPAC is free, and registration can be done on their website.

"It's a line-up we're really excited about," says Sulaiman Mausi of The DOME Group, Inc. "Anthony Hamilton, Eric Benét and Marcus Canty will be the perfect show to kick off the summer. Don't miss it!"

Fans began paying attention to Anthony Hamilton in 2002, when he sang the infectious hook on the Nappy Roots’ “Po’ Folks.” That performance netted the singer the first of 10 Grammy® nominations for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. More recently, his arresting voice provided the perfect accompaniment to Jill Scott’s earthy vocals on the captivating duet “So in Love.” Their dynamic pairing also set a record: 18 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Urban Adult Contemporary chart. His fourth studio album, Back to Love, debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling over 63,000 copies in its first week. This was his follow-up to the 2008 gold-certified, No. 1-debuting album, The Point of It All.

The Charlotte, N.C. native’s resume also includes performing a virtual duet of “Buon Natale” alongside Nat King Cole for The Nat King Cole Holiday Collection and a cameo appearance in the 2007 Oscar®-nominated film American Gangster starring Denzel Washington. Hamilton also performed that soundtrack’s lead song, the Diane Warren-penned “Do You Feel Me,” while his songs “Struggle No More” and “Can’t Let Go” appeared on the Daddy’s Little Girls soundtrack.

In addition to giving back through music, Hamilton participates in various national and local outreach initiatives. An adoptee himself, he currently serves as the national spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). CASA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the growing number of African-American children in the foster care system and recruiting volunteers to advocate for foster children.

R&B crooner, songwriter and actor Eric Benét has successfully released six albums and was also nominated for a 2012 Grammy® Award for “Best Traditional R&B Performance” for his single “Sometimes I Cry." He has also been active as an actor and most recently starred in his first lead role in the feature film Trinity Goodheart.  Additionally, Eric had a recurring role on the television program For Your Love (1998–2002) and made his film debut alongside Mariah Carey in Glitter (2001).

Marcus Canty is the 21-year-old who won the hearts of America on Fox’s X Factor talent show.  In 2009, Canty was chosen over hundreds of high school seniors across the nation by the National Foundation for Advancement In The Arts – YoungArt (which recognizes and supports America’s most talented 15 to 18-year-olds in the visual, literary and performing arts), and was inducted into the organization.

For more information about the arts in Durham, visit this website.