Carpenter Ants with John Ellison & Larry Groce

BUY PASS & PARKING

The Carpenter Ants will perform a special concert with John Ellison and Larry Groce at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 in Hoover Auditorium.

West Virginia’s premier rhythm & blues band has a trademark country-soul sound, soulful harmonies, stinging solos and a rock-solid rhythm section that has won the band international fans. The group refers to their music as “chicken-fried gospel soul,” with lots of feel-good harmonies and a solid groove.

The Ants feature guitarist Michael Lipton, drummer Jupiter Little, bassist Ted Harrison and new member Mark Bates as keyboardist and vocalist.

Ellison joins the band as a special guest. In 1959, he moved from Landgraff, West Virginia, to Rochester, New York, where he formed The Soul Brothers Six eight years later. The band was signed by legendary record mogul Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records.

The group’s first release was “Some Kind of Wonderful,” and Grand Funk Railroad’s version reached No. 3 on the record charts. The song has been covered by more than 75 artists. Other notable covers were recorded by Buddy Guy, Huey Lewis and the News and Rod Stewart.

As a solo artist, Ellison released Welcome Back in 1993, and Missing You in 2000. In 2007, he issued “Back,” which earned him nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 2008 Hamilton Music Awards in Hamilton, Ontario.

Ellison has received five Lifetime Achievement Awards for writing one of the world’s most played songs and has performed and recorded with artists such as Patti Labelle, Diana Ross, James Brown and Smokey Robinson.

Unlike many artists of that era, Ellison retained the rights and the publishing to all of his songs, a move which paid off for him in many ways. In 2001, he started “Some Kind of Wonderful Foods,” which he regularly markets on the Home Shopping Network.

In 2012, Ellison published his autobiography, Some Kind of Wonderful: The John Ellison Story. The following year, he co-starred and composed the music for the A&E movie “The Rev.”

Ellison is a regular performer at the Nice Jazz Festival in France, as well as festivals in Spain, Italy and The Canary Islands. In 2015, he was inducted into The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.

At 81, he continues to perform with the energy, enthusiasm and joy of a man half his age. His shows are soulful, rocking and filled with tales of his storied life. When performing in the U.S., The Carpenter Ants are his backing band of choice.

Groce, born in Dallas, Texas, moved to West Virginia in 1972 as a NEA-sponsored musician-in-residence.

Outside of West Virginia, Groce may be best known for co-founding the syndicated NPR show “Mountain Stage.” Now in its 40th year, its featured on 300 stations nationwide. Having hosted more than 1,000 “Mountain Stage” shows, Groce is known and respected by many of the country’s most prominent singers and songwriters.

He’s also remembered for his 1976 satirical novelty song “Junk Food Junkie,” which charted in the Top 10. The song was once sung by Michael Jackson and led to appearances on “The Tonight Show,” “The Merv Griffin Show,” “American Bandstand” and “The Midnight Special.”

Prior to moving to West Virginia, Groce was a noted singer and songwriter and recorded albums of original songs, hymns and a number of LPs for Disney Records. Four of his Disney albums were certified gold and two platinum.

His song, “Winnie The Pooh,” was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Recording for Children.” Groce has recorded more than two dozen LPs, scores of singles, EPs and collections for RCA/Daybreak, Warner-Curb, Disneyland/Walt Disney Records and independent labels, ranging in style from singer/songwriter Americana to gospel hymns to children’s music.

In the interim, Groce has had a profound impact on music and the arts in his adopted state. His projects have been incredibly diverse and speak to his appreciation of all facets of the arts. He remains an in-demand speaker and performer who is at home in virtually any situation – from hosting musical celebrations at The Kennedy Center to all manners of public and private events and conferences.