Randy Newman

One of the best loved singer-songwriters of our times is coming to St. Augustine in November. Randy Newman will perform at Flagler College's Lewis Auditorium on Sunday, November 9. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, September 5 at 10 a.m.

The concert is presented by Flying Saucer Presents, in partnership with the St. Johns Cultural Council and St. Johns Cultural Events Division. Randy Newman has won practically every award available - Grammy, Emmy and Academy Awards, among others.  But more than that, Randy Newman ranks as one of our most treasured and wide-ranging musicians, with a career that began in 1968 as a songwriter, singer and pianist and developed over the years to include movie songs and soundtracks that have become part of our lives.

This very special Evening with Randy Newman is a part of the Sing Out Loud (SOL) Series, a St. Augustine Celebration of Songwriters, presented by the St. Johns Cultural Council and St. Johns County Cultural Events Division. Additional SOL Series performances taking place throughout November will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

With songs that run the gamut from heartbreaking to satirical and a host of unforgettable film scores, Randy Newman has used his many talents to create musical masterpieces widely recognized by generations of audiences. After starting his songwriting career as a teenager, Newman launched into recording as a singer and pianist in 1968 with his self-titled album Randy Newman. Throughout the 1970s he released several other acclaimed albums such as: 12 Songs, Sail Away, and Good Old Boys. In addition to his solo recordings and regular international touring, Newman began composing and scoring for films in the 1980s. The list of movies he has worked on since then includes The Natural, Awakenings, Ragtime, all three Toy Story pictures, Seabiscuit, James and the Giant Peach, A Bug's Life, and most recently, Disney/Pixar's Monsters University, the prequel to Monsters Inc. (which he also scored).

The highly praised 2008 Harps and Angels was Newman's first album of new material since 1999. The Austin Chronicle wrote "the characters are memorable, the satire sharp, the music luxurious, and the arrangements maybe the most gorgeous in all pop music."

The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2, which is the second in a series of new solo piano/vocal recordings of his songs spanning his five-decades, was released in 2011. Time Out New York said of the series, which will receive a third volume soon, "The Songbook records strip away the orchestrations of his regular albums, leaving Newman alone at the piano, singing three-minute masterpieces from throughout a half-century career."

Randy Newman's many honors include six Grammys, three Emmys, and two Academy Awards, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013—the same year he was given an Ivor Novello PRS for Music Special International Award. Mostly recently, Newman was presented with a PEN New England Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award in June 2014.

Randy Newman's songs have a way of reaching right in and touching the heart of his listeners, and his gruff but melodious voice makes the music even more memorable. Kids love him for the Toy Story series and his other animated movies. Adults love him for being "a friend" throughout most of their lives. The November 9, 2014, performance at Lewis Auditorium will provide St. Augustine locals and visitors an opportunity to feel closer than ever to this amazing songwriter and singer. We can't wait!

When? Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. 

Where? Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College at 14 Granada St.

Admission: $75.00 - Rows A, B and C; $65.00 - Rows D, E, F and G; $60.00 - Rows H, I, J, K and L   Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 5, 2014, at 10 a.m. at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Box Offices, all authorized TicketMaster outlets, online at www.staugamphitheatre.com and www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.

For more information, visit here or call the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division at (904) 209-3751.