Benefiting Palm Springs Unified School District Arts Education
PERFORMERS
von smith
jake simpson
mary bridget davies
rogelio douglas jr.
Tony Award-nominated singer Mary Bridget Davies’ journey began in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio in 2001 when she first started singing in local bands and she hasn’t slowed down since. The powerhouse rock and blues singer’s love of music was instilled by her parents, who raised her on a healthy diet of the Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Joe Cocker and, naturally, Janis Joplin. She cites an array of contemporary artists she loves ranging from Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Avett Brothers and Florence & The Machine to Nicky Minaj, and Eminem. Upon gaining local acclaim for her work in various rock bands, she was asked to sit in with Big Brother & The Holding Company
(Janis Joplin’s original band, with whom she would later tour) as well as legendary blues guitarist Robert Lockwood, Jr. Her travels have taken her around the world, including a 2-year pre-Broadway run with A Night With Janis Joplin. She received her Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical when the show debuted on Broadway in 2013.
Simpson twice (2003 and 2004) won the top honors in the Adult Singer category on CBS's Star Search with his powerful high tenor voice and three-octave range. Growing up in Crocker, Missouri, making music has been one of the most important driving forces in Jake's life. His sound has been influenced by Stevie Wonder, Steve Perry, Donny Hathaway and the classic style of Sam Cooke. Jake has recorded, written and performed with a multitude of artists including Grammy Award-winning songwriter Desmond Child, American Idol finalists David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado and Grammy Award-nominee Adam Lambert, NBC's The Voice finalist Frenchie Davis, Vintage Trouble's Ty Taylor, pianist Jim Brickman (national tour), Shoshana Bean, Matt Cusson, Grammy Award-nominee Taylor Dayne, Grammy.
Visit www.JakeSimpsonMusic.com
While training at LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, Rogelio was afforded the opportunity to work with the New York City Opera and to sing background vocals for Mariah Carey’s Fantasy Special featured on the Fox network. After high school, Rogelio relocated to Chicago featuring at the Black Orchid and living the life he dreamed, tap dancing in front of an orchestra and opening for legends such as Tito Puente and Jennifer Holliday. However, when the Riverdance team called, Rogelio accepted the opportunity to travel throughout Western Europe and Asia as a lead tap dancer on the tour. Rogelio caught the eye of Andy Blankenbueler (Choreographer) and was cast as a swing and understudy for main character Benny in the new musical In the Heights; which would go on to win both 2008 Tony and Grammy Awards.
Von Smith is an accomplished singer/songwriter/actor recently featured on Billboard.com and TimeMagazine.com after garnering over 20 million views on YouTube with Scott Bradlee’s acclaimed Postmodern Jukebox. Lady Gaga chose him to be her opening act on tour in Australia, and as a solo artist Von has performed on some of the most celebrated stages, including ABC's "The View", Bravo's "The Kathy Griffin Show", BET's "106th and Park", MTV News, VH1's "Best Week Ever", E's "The Soup", TV Azteca's "La Academia" (Mexico), "Up Junior" (China), and American Idol season 8 as one of the top 17 finalists. Von’s newest album, “The Mystery Of Mister V” is on iTunes and Amazon! Instagram: VonSmithOfficial
Vistit www.VonSmithOfficial.com
