By Johnny Cole .
Photos by Stephen Anderson .
Edited by Deborah Chatham .
After lots of work and years of extensive planning, The Sound Amphitheater in Gautier, Mississippi, finally enjoyed its grand opening on Friday, April 12, 2024, with KC and The Sunshine Band as its featured music artist. The Sound Amphitheater is located at 3855 Dolphin Drive, north of where the Singing River Mall previously stood, and is part of an ongoing project that will not only bring economic growth to the city, but will help promote Gautier and Jackson County, Mississippi as a live music destination. Plans are also underway to build a nearby Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center and Hall of Fame Museum.
The Sound is set to host an array of exceptional performers. A renowned Nashville-based promoter, 46 Entertainment, has partnered with the city to bring top-tier entertainment to the newly opened music venue. This exciting partnership promises a diverse range of genres, offering local music fans and concertgoers a plethora of choices to look forward to.
Top photo: Opening night at The Sound Amphitheater in Gautier, MS; above photo: Harry Casey, aka “K.C.” of KC and The Sunshine Band at The Sound Amphitheater (Fri. April 12, 2024)
KC and The Sunshine Band
KC and The Sunshine Band was an excellent choice to get things off to a good start. The Sound came alive as everyone in attendance put on their boogie shoes and partied with one of the all-time best party bands. Formed in Hialeah, Florida, in 1973 by Harry Casey and Richard Finch, KC and The Sunshine Band went on to have several chart-toppers in the mid to late-seventies. The writing and producing team of Casey and Finch, who were joined by guitarist Jerome Smith, Robert Johnson on drums, and several other musicians often connected to TK Records, scored such #1 hits as “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” “I’m Your Boogie Man,” and “Please Don’t Go” (the first number-one single of the 1980s). They also hit #2 with “Keep It Comin’ Love,” and after appearing on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, they found success with “Boogie Shoes.” Harry Casey enjoyed further success in early 1980 with “Yes, I’m Ready,” a #2 duet with Teri DeSario and a cover of Barbara Mason’s Top-Five single from 1965. Near the beginning of the 1980s, Harry Casey and Richard Finch parted ways, though Casey continued to record and perform as KC and the Sunshine Band, having a #1 single in the U.K. with “Give it Up” in 1983. KC and The Sunshine Band performed all their hits at The Sound and received high marks from concertgoers at the inaugural event.
KC and The Sunshine Band at The Sound Amphitheater in Gautier, MS (Fri. Apr. 12, 2024)
Looking Ahead
A second concert, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with the North Mississippi Allstars, has been scheduled for Friday, April 19th. Some other performers scheduled in 2024 are:
● May 24 – Justin Moore with Chris Cagle and Tyler Braden.
● Aug. 4 – Dirty Heads & Slightly Stoopid with Common Kings & The Elovaters
● Aug. 16 – Lauren Daigle
● Sept. 6 – Sam Hunt
● Sept. 27 – Miranda Lambert
● Sept. 28 – Melissa Etheridge & Jewel
● Oct. 5 – Jamey Johnson
Sure, it’s easy to find things that need addresssed and that goes with any grand opening. As part of the Town Commons Project, the area around the amphitheater will be inviting and something people can be proud of in the coming months and years. The Southland Music Line has traveled the world enjoying great music at a staggering number of music venues, and we sense an incredible future for The Sound and the soon-to-be-built Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center and Hall of Fame Museum. We are looking forward to seeing things further develop.
In conclusion, we want to thank everyone who has worked so hard on The Sound Amphitheater. This magnificent new venue truly did come alive!
Page Designed & Edited by Johnny Cole
Additional Editing by Deborah Chatham
© The Southland Music Line. 2024.
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