Courtesy photo
By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
The ultimate soul-infused celebration is headed to fans this summer via R&B icon Charlie Wilson.
Uncle Charlie’s R&B Cookout Tour featuring the co-founder and lead singer of the Gap Band with hits such as “Outstanding,” “Yearning for Your Love” and “Burn Rubber,” along with solo hits like “There Goes My Baby,” “I’m Blessed,” and “Charlie, Last Name Wilson,” kicks off Aug. 27 with a landmark show at the Hollywood Bowl.
Joining the hitmaker on the program produced by Live Nation Urban and P Music Group are legendary vocalists Babyface (“Whip Appeal,” “Every Time I Close My Eyes” and countless chart-topping songs for other artists), K-Ci Hailey (of Jodeci and K-Ci & JoJo fame) and El DeBarge (who delivered “Rhythm of the Night” and “I Like It” as a member of family group DeBarge).
“This tour is unlike anything I’ve done before,” Wilson says. “As someone who truly loves R&B, getting to share the stage with my friends Babyface, K-Ci, and El is something I’m really looking forward to.
“I’ve been performing for so long that my audience isn’t just made up of fans, it really has become a family. Over the years, I’ve come to recognize so many faces, and we’ve grown together through the music. The R&B cookout is gonna be one big family reunion for us and our fans.”
Tickets for the tour including stops in Newark, New Jersety (Sept. 11), New York (Sept. 12), Houston (Sept. 26), Atlanta (Oct. 4), and Charlotte (Oct. 5), along with an exclusive all-you-can-eat VIP cookout experience with a curated menu of classic cookout favorites and specialty cocktails in select cities, are available to the public starting April 18 at 10 a.m. at unclecharliescookout.com.
COVERED: The May edition of Vogue is out in conjunction with The Met Costume Institute’s historic new exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” opening soon at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. And so, their four covers feature the Met Gala co-chairs Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams (painted by Henry Taylor), A$AP Rocky, and Colman Domingo who are interviewed inside. The issue also boasts an essay by acclaimed playwright Jeremy O. Harris (“Slave Play”) celebrating and explaining both the exhibition and his own dandyism.
TASTY QUIP: “The world needs truth. The people need power. And that’s what my music brings.” – ICE CUBE on his Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude tour coming Sept. 28 to Crypto.com Arena with tickets on sale April 18 at Ticketmaster.
CLIPPETTES: Apparently in synch with the same schedulers who opened “Nosferatu” on Christmas Day, comes this Easter Weekend’s release of unanimously acclaimed vampire flick “Sinners” from Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. It was shot in IMAX so see it that way if you can …
Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane blows April 18 at Redcat while Carlos Simon’s “Good News Mass” continues at Walt Disney Concert Hall, comic Josh Johnson’s The Flowers Tour begins a two-night stay at Largo, and The Robey Theatre Company’s presentation of “Last Night at Mikell’s” imagining James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and Miles Davis hanging out, opens at the Los Angeles Theatre Center through May 11 …
Paapa Essiedu, the British actor best known for roles in “Gangs of London” and “I May Destroy You,” has landed the coveted role of Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming adaptation of the Harry Potter book series. Before that he will co-star with Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Bryan Cranston in a London production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” from November to February 2026…
Krush Groove with The Game (celebrating 20 years of “The Documentary”), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (with all five members), Redman and Method Man, Paul Wall and more is at The Kia Forum April 19 as Gina Yashere brings her stand-up comedy to the Regent Theater, Nubya Garcia makes music at Echoplex, actress Cybill Shepherd sings at Catalina Bar and Grill, and Jeff Bridges & The Abiders hold court after a screening of “The Big Lebowski” at the Granada Theatre …
Serena Williams is executive producing an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s tennis novel “Carrie Soto Is Back” for Netflix …
Cory Henry Presents: “Church” (a soulful live music experience celebrating the Grammy Award-winning album and the music that inspired it) on Easter Sunday – April 20 at Inglewood’s Miracle Theater …
In addition, Vibrato Grill hosts “A Funky & Soulful Easter” with Ellis Hall, “The Hendrix of the Sahara” Vieux Farka Touré (son of the late legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré) performs at Zebulon Café, comic Ron Funches is at the Improv, and Mix Master Mike of The Beastie Boys spins at The Venice West …
Leslie Odom Jr. is returning to Broadway in the role that made him famous — as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” for a run Sept. 9–Nov. 23 …
Actor and playwright Roger Guenveur Smith invites the public to join him at 7 p.m. April 21 at 7 p.m. at Little Joy (1477 W. Sunset Blvd.) for “refreshments, cinema, and music …” in support of Jamaica’s Calabash International Literary Festival whose host community of Treasure Beach was devastated last summer by a vicious storm. They hope to emerge again next month. For more info, visit theafj.org …
Comedy rules April 22 as Catalina Jazz Club has Felipe Esparza and Chaunte Wayans; The Peppermint Club headlines Craig Robinson and The Improv presents Ali Wong (also April 24). Meanwhile on the music tip, pianist Gerald Clayton’s “Tuesday Happenings” continues at Sam First …
April 23 features L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer Elijah Fox at the Lodge Room, rapper Finesse2tymes at The Roxy, Comedy Crush with Tiffany Haddish at The Improv, and The Wailers at The Venice West (with a date the following night at The Coach House) …
“CrazySexyCool – The TLC Musical” is about to become a reality with a premiere engagement set for June 12–Aug. 9, 2026 at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage Theater. The “semi-biographical” piece, written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah (“One Love: The Bob Marley Musical”) is said to feature the girl group’s hits including “No Scrubs” and “Waterfalls.
TASTY QUIP: “While some choose to seek out the negative, I’ve always believed in focusing on the positive. I understand the impulse to address what might be seen as cultural insensitivity but calling it a ‘mistake’ would dismiss the impact it had on countless people around the world who found inspiration and representation in TV’s first Black superhero — morphin’ into none other than the Black Power Ranger! It wasn’t a mistake; it was a milestone. It was an honor.” – WALTER EMANUEL JONES responding to a “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” writer saying the show may have relied on stereotypes in casting Jones as well as an Asian as the Yellow Ranger
TC ON TV: April 18 – “Jenna & Friends” (NBC): Tyra Banks closes out her week co-hosting after going viral suggesting the upcoming remake of “The Bodyguard” should flip the script by casting Taylor Swift and Idris Elba. “That would be so hot,” she added. “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Akon
April 19 – “Desire: A Temptations Story” (Lifetime): Tasha Smith (“Survival of the Thickest”) stars as a grieving inspirational talk show host who gets caught up with the wrong man (Adrian Holmes).
April 21 – “The Neighborhood” (CBS): Episode directed by series star Cedric the Entertainer. “Water For Life” (PBS): A documentary following three Latin American indigenous community leaders as they face death threats and murder to save their precious water resources from mining, industrial agriculture and hydroelectric projects.
April 22 – “Common Ground” (Prime): Rosario Dawson, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa and more add their voices to this film about regenerative farmers working on bringing soil health across the continent and beyond. “Andor” (Disney+): The Emmy-nominated thriller returns for its long-awaited conclusion with three episodes starring Diego Luna as the rebel first introduced in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” “Dusty & Stones” (Prime/Apple TV+): The award-winning documentary about two African country music singers follows its theatrical rollout with a streaming premiere
April 23 – “The Quincy Avery Effect” (Hulu): From Andscape comes this documentary on the man who overcame homelessness to become one of football’s top quarterback coaches mentoring the likes of the NFL’s Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, CJ Stroud, and Jordan Love. “Travel Queens” (BET Her): Best friends Lex P and Drea Nicole from “Pour Minds” celebrate Black culture by exploring Charleston, Key West, Mexico City and Cartagena.
April 24 – “2024 NFL Draft” (ABC/ESPN/NFLN): To provide the answer of where “Coach Prime” Deion Sanders’ QB son Shedeur Sanders is headed. New York? New Orleans? Pittsburgh? “Savor The City” (TV1): Chef Jernard Wells visits “Nashville.”
END QUOTE: “I’m apparently a CIA agent. … I’m an undercover agent in the Illuminati trying to divert people’s minds from the New World Order. That’s my favorite rumor. I’m not even mad about that one.” — Global superstar TYLA (“Water”) on rumors about herself to Nylon
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
