FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2024
Contact Information:
Mary Bradley, WHQR Development Director
mbradley@whqr.org
(910) 343-1640
WHQR Announces our Black Music Month Celebration featuring performances by Benny Hill, Kim Pacheco, Richard White Jr., and Aaron Leathers Sr. taking place at the MC Erny Gallery on Juneteenth (June 19th) 2024
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA – WHQR Public Media is excited to announce our annual Black Music Month Celebration with a night of jazz, soul, gospel, and spirituals from local black artists including Benny Hill, Kim Pacheco, Richard Wright Jr., Aaron Leathers Sr., and Monnie Swepson. Hosted by Rhonda Bellamy as a part of WHQR’s Juneteenth celebration, our concert will take place on Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm.
About the Artists:
For the past twenty years, Benny Hill has performed in a diverse set of musical groups and engagements, ranging from orchestra pits to cruise ships to featured artist and soloist at numerous venues across the country and abroad.
Benny is well versed in the many styles and genres of popular and classical music and specializes in jazz performance. He is steeped in the tradition of many of the past greats including Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley, Jackie McLean, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. His improvisations on the Alto Saxophone are reminiscent of these greats, yet he has a distinct style and voice of his own. Benny is a true crowd-pleaser and never fails to raise excitement and enthusiasm while on stage.
Benny has shared the stage with such notable jazz musicians as Trumpeter Ray Codrington, Guitarist Melvin Sparks, Trombonist and Arranger Slide Hampton, bassist Percy Heath, drummer Winard Harper, Saxophonist Ron Blake, Trumpeter Eddie Henderson, and New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band. He has also opened for roots rocker Edwin McCain and RatDog, with legendary Guitarist/Vocalist Bob Weir and Bassist Rob Wasserman and performed with James Browns’ “Soul Generals”.
Kim Pacheco was raised in a large family characterized by its heartfelt ministry, prestige, and musical talent. As a result, she cultivated a unique style of jazz, soul and gospel that presents itself in her repertoire as well as the genre. She has performed internationally in venues
throughout the United States, Europe and Canada. In 15 years as a professional artist, Pacheco
has performed on stage, theater, and film with jazz great Taj Mahal, Debbie Allen, LouisGossett Jr., Della Reese and more. These various adventures have led her to create a
presentation that is as rounded as it is varied.
Accompanying Pacheco on piano is one of Charleston SC’s most sought after musician, Richard White Jr. Richard is an extraordinary pianist, whose performance is nothing less than riveting, as he guilds songs with his synthesis of classical training, jazz enthusiasm, and gospel upbringing in St Louis, Mo. He is an accomplished professional, highly sought after not only for his knowledge, but also for the palpable energy from which he approaches musicality.
Aaron Leathers is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia and is a graduate of Norfolk State University. He and his wife, Melissa Hand-Leathers, relocated to Wilmington, N.C. in October of 2019. Prior to leaving the Washington, D.C. area, Mr. Leathers sang with several church senior choirs, was a paid professional chorister and soloist for a number of musical and social organizations. He has had vocal training and coaching with Donald Patterson, David Beckwitt, William Warfield (World Renown Baritone), and Sylvia Olden Lee (Metropolitan Opera). His music repertoire has included operas, sacred church music, and Broadway show tunes. However, in recent years, his concentration in the resurrection of the Negro Spiritual inspired him to record a CD of Negro Spirituals written by black composers and arrangers of the early 19th century. He was musically introduced to Wilmington as a member of the Williston Alumni Community Chorus and was a featured soloist during their Christmas concert held at Union Missionary Baptist Church in December 2019. Since that introduction, he has performed as a soloist with Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and for churches. He likes to summarize his musical journey in one statement, To God Be The Glory.
WHQR Public Media is a non-profit, member-supported, community-based public radio station, broadcasting from Wilmington. A trusted source for NPR and local news, WHQR serves southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina with HQR News at 91.3fm and 98.9fm, and Classical HQR at 92.7fm and 102.3fm. WHQR offers award-winning national and local news, music, entertainment, and interaction to expand knowledge, encourage artistic appreciation, engage our community, and promote civil discourse.
Interviews with WHQR staff and board members and images are available upon request.