The colossal legend Gloria Gaynor has inspired the world for over five decades to belt out with sheer conviction that as long as they know how to love, they will survive.

Her Grammy Award-winning 1979 hit disco tune “I Will Survive” has been heard around the world as the anthem for everything from women empowerment to break-ups to overcoming life’s most difficult tribulations. Forty years later, Gaynor continues to record, perform and inspire — even picking up a second grammy in 2020 for her recent album “Testimony.” 

The disco and gospel queen has amassed immense accomplishments and hits, including “Let Me Know (I Have a Right),” “I Am What I Am,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” Her book, “We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration, and the Power of Song,” received a Grammy nomination for “Best Spoken Word Album.”

Gaynor will make her debut at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 29. Before she hits the stage, she shared inspiration and phenomenally historic stories from her iconic career.

First of all, congratulations on your second Grammy Award in 2020! Where are your Grammy’s currently?

Gaynor: Right now, they’re in storage. They normally sit on my piano, but I just sold my house and I’m building a new house. And so they’re in storage, waiting for me to come and get them and put them up in the new house with the piano.

What does it mean to you to be back performing with live audiences?

Gaynor: It means everything because it was really, really such a drag. A lot of people were saying they were bored. I wasn’t bored. Cause I was able to keep myself busy, but you can’t help but miss the audiences. You know, I was doing a lot of videos for different organizations for Zoom things and parties and all of that kind of stuff, but there’s nothing like standing in front of a live audience. So I surely missed all that.

What is your audience going to experience at this show?

Gaynor: Well, I always say something old, something new, something borrowed, nothing blue. I do the songs that people are expecting me to do. Like “I Will Survive,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” “I Am What I Am.” Those songs that they’ve been requesting for years. And then I do new things that I’ve recently recorded or added to my repertoire. But nothing sad or blue.

And do you do the glitz and the glamor and costume changes or anything like that?

Gaynor: I actually don’t do costume changes during my show. I should say, I rarely do costume changes during my show, because I love getting dressed up and it’s almost like when you are a little girl, you know, you get dressed up just for the fun of it. So I love getting made up. I love getting my hair done. I’m a real girly girl in that sense. But I rarely change during a show because once I get in front of the audience, it’s all about them.

It’s not about me doing a fashion show, you know? It’s about me and them and the relationship between us. Because I’m very aware of what I’m singing. And so I’m really communicating through my music with my audience. I’m singing to touch their hearts with the lyrics, you know, and bring up some kind of pleasant memory or encouragement or empowerment or something like that. So I’m all about that. 

Love that. I see that you’re going to have a 10-piece band up there with you.

Gaynor: Yes, I have an amazing group of musicians and a wonderful music director. I mean, it’s like a family and however you are off stage, you bring that onto the stage. And the last thing that I say to all of them before they go on stage is have fun, because if you have fun, the audience will have fun. And it’s very easy for us to do that because we like each other. We really love each other. And most of us have been together for like eight or more years. And some of us have been together as much as 15 years. So we know each other very well and we get along really, really great. So it’s a party on stage and becomes a party in the place.

Sounds exciting! I listened to the song you recorded with MercyMe “Brand New.” It’s got a great 80’s dance sound! What was that experience like?

Gaynor: Oh I loved it. It was great when Bart called me and asked if I wanted to be on his album. I was like, absolutely, because he’s on (my album) Testimony. So I was really happy for the opportunity to sing with him. And then he called me and asked me to do a video of myself singing the song and he plays it on stage. Oh my gosh. So it’s like we’re singing together on stage during his shows. And I was like, oh my God, this is wonderful.

I’ve only seen that once before with Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole. I was so jealous of her (laughs), so this is so great that Bart’s doing that. And then he sent me a video of the audience while he was performing it with me and how they responded to that. It was great. I just love Bart, you know, he’s a great guy. He’s so talented and such a sweet guy. 

Your career has been so vast and I feel like I can ask you a billion questions, but something I would love to know is what is the most memorable show you’ve performed?

Gaynor: The most memorable show I performed? Now that’s the question I haven’t been asked before. Probably the Jackson Five reunion at Madison Square Garden in 2001, the night before that fateful night of 9/11. And I performed two songs, “I Will Survive” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.” And during “I Will Survive,” I went over to the side of the stage where I could see Michael Jackson sitting in the audience. And I said to him, “Michael, if there’s anybody in your life who has the unmitigated call to try to stop you from surviving, this is what you tell them.” And I went back into the song, “We’ll go now go…” So you can see it, it’s on YouTube. You can see his response to me. Then he called me the next day, which really put an exclamation point on that performance. He called me to tell me how much he enjoyed my performance and how much he appreciated me dedicating the song to him.

What a story!

Gaynor: Oh honey, have I got stories.

You’re such a legend. You’re such a treasure. And this is such an honor. What advice would you give 20-year-old Gloria?

Gaynor: 20 year old Gloria, I would say to her recognize that you are blessed with a gift and an opportunity to share that gift with the world. And that is a blessing, and make sure you never forget that. I would say to her, whatever it is you are striving for know that God is with you as long as it is within his design and desire for your life; and make sure that you are always checking on that, that you’re making sure that you are within his design and desires for your life, because he’s the only one who knows and wants everything that’s good for you. And he’s the only one that can deliver it all

Wow, a little teary-eyed here. Can you tell me what is in the future for Gloria?

Gaynor: What is in my future? Well I have a documentary coming out, a documentary of my life and I’m really, really looking forward to sharing that with the world. I’m always writing and so I’m looking forward to my next album. And the expansion of my Amazon store. So if you go to amazon.com/gloriagaynor, you can find inspirational t-shirts and sweatshirts and different merchandise. But my favorite is the sweatshirts and t-shirts that have an emoji that we call Little GG, and above her head, it says, “Yes, I can.” And on each t-shirt, she’s representing a different profession. She’s a doctor… a veterinarian…a teacher…an astronaut. I think there’s like 12 different professions to help young women understand that whatever you can conceive, you can achieve.

Gloria Gaynor

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022

How much: $100/$90/$80/$70/$60

Ticket Information: Tickets are available only at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts’ Ticket Office, at cerritoscenter.com, or by calling (562) 916-8500.

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Here are 8 notable highlights of the evening:

1. In true SoCal style, the Oklahoma-bred Chenoweth drank from a large In-N-Out cup throughout the show, stating the fast food joint is a “must” when she is in town.
2. She shared in excitement that her former professor was in attendance, and is a current professor at Chapman University. At one point she asked, “Where are my Chapman students at?” which received cheers throughout the venue. In true mentor style, she gave advice, pointed out vocal ranges, and even pointed out mistakes on her part to the students throughout the performance.
3. Her guitarist Josh Bryant took center stage with her to perform the Eagles’ rock ballad “Desperado.” At the end of the song, she leaned over and planted a smooch on the 38-year-old, snickering and saying, “I didn’t tell you how well I knew him.”
4. Before she sang a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” she dedicated it to her dear friend, OC arts philanthropist Julia Argyros, who was also in the audience. Then she thanked her for buying her lunch at The Capital Grille earlier that day.
5. She paid homage to Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Betty Buckley, and several Broadway stars that have influenced her throughout her flourishing career.
6. She made it Christmas in October, singing “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag/Jingle Bell Rock” from her new holiday album, Happiness is…Christmas! released on Oct. 22.
7. She shared her love for binge-watching crime documentaries, Bravo’s Real Housewives series, and the Britney Spears documentary throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. After she saw the Spears’ doc, she jokingly said she called Britney up to offer her some advice, before belting out her iconic Wicked tune “Popular,” with anecdotes for Britney in between.
8. Not a dry eye was left in the house when she concluded the concert with a breathtaking rendition of “Smile,” sung entirely without her microphone.

After the past year-and-a-half void of live concerts and performances, Chenoweth was a pro at carrying her audience from beginning to end with a lighthearted yet sentimental performance that allowed everyone to reflect on how much the arts are truly needed.

For more information on upcoming performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, visit scfta.org

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Herb Alpert is a fearless creator.

During times in which the arts have been stunted by a worldwide pandemic, the renowned Grammy Award-winning artist and philanthropist has continued to sculpt, paint and record original music and share it with the world.

When his organic conscious daughter was moving into her new home, Alpert created a housewarming painting made with real organic coffee. This inspired a series of paintings by Alpert that feature beautiful swirls of coffee swept across the canvas — now on display at Heather James Fine Art as an exclusive online exhibition through June 30.

In addition, Alpert and his wife, singer Lani Hall, have continued to give back to the arts and to those in need through the Herb Alpert Foundation. The couple have spent the Covid-19 lockdown relaxing, cooking, and recording music together in their Malibu home.

What is the process of creating your unique coffee paintings?

HA: Well, it’s like everything else. It’s like making music, sculpting, or painting with acrylics. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing until I do it. And then it kind of starts giving me answers as I’m going along, then it kind of paints itself.

And your daughter inspired these creations?

HA: Well, she didn’t know it at the time, but yeah, she was moving into a new facility and she’s an organic person and I thought I’d do something that would be kind of off the wall and different. I first started painting with organic coffee and I realized I was having fun doing it. And I came up with a nice conclusion for the first painting. Then little by little, I started just doing other paintings and finally got off of the organic coffee, ’cause there’s no difference in the way the regular coffee seeps into a canvas. So, the coffee paintings are not organic anymore

They’re beautiful. You’ve obviously always been a creator, but it seems throughout this pandemic, you’ve really made a lot of new art and creations.

HA: Yeah, I have over a thousand paintings. I just paint and sculpt and make music just to stay healthy. Cause it’s my way of feeling like I’m a part of something. I’m an introvert, so it’s easy for me to be at home and do those things.

Does anything intimidate you when it comes to art?

HA: Hmm I don’t know if intimidation would be the word. I think people that are not kind to others intimidates me. That’s about it.

Will you be releasing new music any time soon?

HA: I have over 20 things that I’ve recorded since the pandemic actually. So I’m going to weed those out and, you know, do whatever I can to make the music that makes me feel good because when I do that, I feel I’m alive.

I heard that you and Lani have been making dinners together throughout the lockdown.

HA: Oh she’s been cooking. She’s really turned in to a really good chef. She also sings, so we did a couple of songs together. One song I actually arranged to help her to record. It’s one of the songs from ‘Rent’ that she always likes. So I surprised her with a track and then she put her voice on. She had a great time and that’s what I was hoping for.

Wow. Will you be releasing that?

HA: It’ll probably be released. Yeah.

So, what’s on the horizon besides your current virtual coffee painting exhibit?

HA: Well, we had to cancel all our concerts. We were scheduled to do 50 concerts in 2020. We had to cancel everything. We were going through Canada and the UK. We were playing at a famous jazz club in London and places around the United States. So we had to cancel all that and postpone it to the year 2021. And even with that, I’m a little reluctant, because we’re not going anyplace, unless the virus is totally under control.

I know that you and I have talked about the ups and downs of the arts since the pandemic started. The last time we talked was in the summer, and you had doubled your foundation’s awards for artists. What are your plans this year?

HA: Next awards is going to be a little different because we’re not going to double it. We’re going to take the monies that would have been doubled and share it around organizations that are helping people that are less fortunate.

Any specific organizations?

HA: Well, the food banks for sure. LA Food Bank here is really helping a lot of people. And then there’s this other organization called Chrysalis and they help wayward people find new jobs and dress them up and give them an opportunity to fend for themselves.

That’s so wonderful. You seem to always be on this continuous mission to contribute good things to our world.

HA: I think we all should do that. I think that’s part of the deal of being a human being. I don’t know. It doesn’t sound unusual to me. It just sounds like something we all should be doing.

What would you like to tell the world right now?

HA: Let’s all be kind to each other. Kindness is contagious.

For more info on the Herb Alpert Coffee Paintings online exhibition, visit: https://www.heatherjames.com/exhibitions/herb-alpert-the-coffee-paintings/

Or visit: herbalpertart.com

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Prog rock icon Neal Morse and his quintet band of noble rockers has hit the road to bring their newest concept album “The Great Adventure” across the world.

The album, which released in January, is a two-disc follow-up to their 2016 hit album “The Similitude of a Dream.” The band will make a stop at the Whittier Center Theatre on Friday, March 8 to perform the album in its entirety.

The band’s current lineup features Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Flying Colors, and Transatlantic), Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, Twisted Sister, ex-Dream Theater), guitarist Eric Gillette, bassist Randy George and keyboardist Bill Hubauer. “The Great Adventure” is the ninth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the third collaboration with the current lineup.

Lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Neal Morse shared his thoughts on latest album, the status of prog rock, and future projects (including a new rock opera!):

How has “The Great Adventure” been embraced by the music community so far? 

It seems to be going great! The reviews are awesome and the concerts are going down extremely well. Not sure what more we can ask for as a band. We’re all very happy with how things are going.

As a group of solid solo musicians, how do you find your chemistry in the songwriting/recording process? And the live shows? 

The chemistry in this band is extraordinary! Really great. It’s a really interesting blend of personalities. Of course we don’t always agree which is part of what makes bands interesting. When we were making “The Great Adventure,” there was some disagreement about whether we should make a sequel and a double album and all of that, but we worked through it and the result is so much more than the parts. The sum of the whole is greater than anything we could ever have done on our own as solo artists. I think people really appreciate that and that’s why they love bands so much, because they like all the different elements coming together in interesting ways. And we definitely have that with The Neal Morse band.

How has prog rock changed over the course of the past decade? 

I’m not really sure. I’m not really a trendsetter or follower. I kind of just do my musical thing and try not to pay attention to too much else. Having said that, it does seem like there’s a great momentum in the prog community at the moment and one place you can really experience that is a place like Cruise to the Edge. Amazing to see all these great bands, older and newer and hang out with everyone, but of course, it all comes down to the music. 

What are your biggest challenges in today’s music industry? 

The biggest challenge for me is to make the best music I can make. That’s always the biggest challenge for me; of course there are other things that happen in the business side of things, but that’s all quite boring. The real thing that I am up to and all of us musicians should be up to is always trying to make the music the very best it can be and to not settle for anything less. Sometimes that’s hard to know, but ultimately we take our best shot and trust God for the rest.

What do fans experience in your live shows? 

On this tour we are doing the entire new album “The Great Adventure” and a really cool encore with a lot of retrospective stuff. The presentation is really great with Rich Mouser who mixed the album doing the live sound and Gerald Sell running lights. We really have a great thing going also with the video wall produced by Christian Rios.

Do you have a “defining” moment or accomplishment in the band’s career that is particularly special to you? 

We have had many actually! One would be the moment when we listened down to the entire “Similitude of a Dream” album right after we had finished writing and arranging it, and Mike said, “Gentlemen, I think we just made the album of our careers.” Another amazing moment for us was performing “The Great Adventure” on Cruise to the Edge just a few weeks ago. It was pretty amazing.

How would you define your genre? 

I define progressive rock as music that progresses from one form to the other, or one style to the other and goes outside of traditional song form. Usually to help people understand, it’s better to just use a reference. If they’re over 40, then you can say Yes and ELP. If they’re under 40 then say Rush and they’ll usually get it.

Who are your music influences? 

A lot of classical music as my father was a choir director and classical music guy. So, Beethoven, Wagner, and so on, and then, the Beatles, ELP, YES, Genesis, King Crimson, and lots of other people.

Do you have any future projects you want readers to know to look forward to? 

Yes there’s a lot going on! A rock opera that I have written called, “Jesus Christ The Exorcist,” is coming out on Frontiers Records in June. It features a lot of great singers and players like Ted Leonard and Nick D’Virgilio. Also, there will be a new Flying Colors album coming out later this year. But one of the things that I’m most excited about is my new Waterfall app. It’s a subscription-based music streaming app with all of my catalog as well as things that were done in the past like Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic. You can find links to all my stuff at www.radiantrecords.com.

The Neal Morse Band

Where: The Whittier Center Theatre, 7630 Washington Ave, Whittier

When: 8 p.m. Friday, March 8

Info: www.nealmorse.com

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