Fleetwood Mac's Rumours has been called the perfect rock album. It has reached platinum status 19 times over since its release in 1977. It contains some of the most recognizable and beloved songs in popular music by one of the greatest bands of all time. And the Catawba College Vernaculars will perform the Rumours album live in its entirety Thursday, May 8th in the college's Hedrick Little Theatre.
This rare event, which is free and open to the public, will be made even more special by the attendance of Ken Caillat, the Grammy-winning producer of Rumors and other Fleetwood Mac albums. Caillat will sign copies of his memoir, Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance.
"We're delighted to have Ken come all the way from Los Angeles to attend the concert," says Dr. David Lee Fish, director of the popular music degree concentration at Catawba College. "The thought of such a renowned producer being present for a concert of an album he himself produced has been both inspiring and a little intimidating for the students."
Free and open to the public, the Rumours performance will feature top students from Catawba College's nationally recognized popular music degree program. They will perform "Dreams," "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," and all of the other classic songs from the album.
Fish adds, "And we have a little something else hidden up our sleeve that ought to raise the rafters in Hedrick."
Catawba is one of only about a dozen four-year colleges and universities in the country to offer a curriculum designed especially for students of popular music. It draws talented students from across the country. Five have won John Lennon Songwriting scholarships, better results than any other school in a national competition that draws thousands of entries each year. Such achievements have helped Catawba emerge as America's Rock U.
Ken Caillat has enjoyed an exceptional career as a record producer and engineer working with the likes of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, and Michael Jackson in addition to his albums with Fleetwood Mac. Most recently, he has produced several albums by his Grammy-winning daughter, Colbie Caillat. The elder Caillat's Making Rumours memoir was published in 2012 by Wiley, and the Catawba book signing is one of two Caillat will be doing during his North Carolina stay.
The Catawba College Music Department has been recognized as one of the fastest growing music programs in the country. Leading music education magazine In Tune Monthly has also selected it as a Best Music School for five years running alongside a short list of prestigious institutions that includes Julliard, Peabody, and Berklee.
For information on the Rumours concert, contact Dr. David Lee Fish at dlfish@catawba.edu or call 704-637-4345.
