Wilson’s Restaurant Presents A Night with Norman Connors

PHILADEPHIA -Wilson’s Restaurant & Live Music Lounge, the Philadelphia and South Jersey region’s newest dining and music destination which just opened at 709 South Warwick Road in Hi-Nella, NJ, will be hosting the legendary Norman Connors and the Starship Orchestra featuring Marva King, on Saturday, December 11th from 8 to 10:30 p.m.


Wilson’s Restaurant Presents A Night with Norman Connors

The newly opened Wilson’s recently completed a more than $2 million buildout by husband-and-wife owners Mame (pronounced May-mee) and Mark Wilson, who is extremely excited to welcome the celebrated jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led some influential jazz and R&B groups over the past five decades.

“Norman is a fixture in the jazz and R&B world, and we are absolutely thrilled to host this locally-raised luminary at Wilson’s Live,” said Mame. “We just opened our doors, and while we are excited for every act coming to our stage, having this celebrated musician perform in our new venue is definitely something really special. Mark and I will be doing our best to balance work and pleasure when he starts jamming on December 11th, and I’m sure he’s going to make everyone in attendance really happy to have joined us.”

Connors, who studied music at Temple University and Julliard, was born and raised in Philadelphia and is credited with leading a number of influential jazz and R&B groups, while also achieving a number of mega-hits throughout his career — most notably 1976’s “You Are My Starship,” which features Michael Henderson on lead vocals. He once sat in for Elvin Jonas at a John Coltrane performance which he attended in middle school. In the mid-1970s, Connors, although fronting some revered jazz recordings with Carlos Garnett, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Herbie Hancock began focusing more on R&B and had several U.S. hits with songs featuring vocalists Jean Carn and Phyllis Hyman. His first recording was on Archie Shepp’s 1967 release, Magic of Juju. He played with Pharoah Sanders for the next few years until signing in 1972 with jazz label Cobblestone Records, a division of Buddah Records, and releasing his first record as a bandleader.

Other upcoming shows coming to Wilson’s in December include Warren Oree & The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble (December 12th); Shirley Lites & Keni Jackson (December 15th); Mickey Lynn AKA Wanda Brisbon (December 16th); Pablo Batista’s Latin Jazz Band (December 17th); and Everyday People (December 18th).

Wilson’s Live is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays will also feature a jazz brunch and dancing in the evening.