Notable Music

12/21/2025

Tift Merritt: “Last Day I Knew What to Do”

In August, Raleigh musician Tift Merritt marked the 20th anniversary of Tambourine, her Grammy-nominated sophomore album, with a special collection: a reissue of Tambourine accompanied by Time and Patience, a compilation of acoustic demos and unreleased songs. Merritt led the release with “Last Day I Knew What to Do,” a song originally recorded for Tambourine in the early 2000s, but left off the album. It’s a bright, brassy, toe-tapping track, a reflection on the passage of time that has only gained more meaning with two decades between its recording and now. Merritt’s music often deals in missed calls and old lovers and hard-won wisdom and twisty turns of phrase, as in this song, where the resolve of a young woman trying to stand her ground in a tough industry shine keenly through: “Everybody’s got a vodka drink / Nobody says what they mean / They’ll chase you out of your own life.” —SE

Songs that stuck with us this year, with releases from Triangle artists like Reese McHenry, Tre. Charles, Jooselord, and more.

12/16/2025

The all-Australian cast shines in this production of the Tony Award-winning musical Sweet Charity.

12/16/2025

Happy Holidays from the studio. I’m so excited for you to hear. Goodness, kindness and joy to all of us this season and lots of loud singing from us all in the new year! xx Tift

12/14/2025

"The show’s pivotal marriage proposal scene, opposite Jake Speer as Oscar Lindqvist, is so endearing it will rip your heart out."

To close out their 2025 Concert Series, Prospero Arts and QPAC present Sweet Charity, a hopelessly romantic musical – in concert for a very limited season.

12/12/2025

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

Full casting has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Barnum, the classic Broadway musical that celebrates the life of the world’s greatest showman, P.T. Barnum, which begins its tour at Theatre Royal Windsor on 30 January. Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Michael Stewart:

Step right up! Full cast for BARNUM revealed today!

Starring alongside Lee Mead are Monique Young as Charity Barnum, Penny Ashmore as Jenny Lind, Dominique Planter as Joice Heth, and Fergus Rattigan as General Tom Thumb.

They are joined by Elena Buck, Gianpaolo Candelaria, Eamonn Cox, James Gill, Jessica Jolleys, Kevin Oliver Jones, Emma Jane Morton, Sophie Precious Muringu, Lennin Nelson-McClure, Emily Odunsi, André Rodrigues, Ben Scott, Laura Sillett, Tom Sowinski, Tom Sterling and Niki Tsonopoulou.

12/03/2025

"On this date in 1963, Louis Armstrong stepped into a recording studio for the first time in over two years. He knocked out recordings of two Broadway showtunes–one, the title song from a production that hadn’t even opened yet–and went right back to performing nightly with his All Stars. Six months later, one of the songs he recorded was on the top of the pop charts, having knocked the Beatles from the number one spot they had owned for 14 weeks." Recently reissued on vinyl feat. Cy Coleman's "Hey Look Me Over":

62 years ago today, on December 3, 1963, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars stepped into the recording studio to record the title song of a Broadway production that hadn't even opened yet. Six months later, "Hello, Dolly!" knocked The Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania! For the full saga, complete with session photos, sheet music, interviews and much, much more, please check out our Virtual Exhibit from 2021:

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2021/12/03/its-awful-nice-to-be-up-there-among-all-them-beatles-the-story-of-hello-dolly/

12/02/2025

Following her success as Jane Seymour in the hugely popular Six, Loren Hunter will charm us all as Charity Hope Valentine – a sentimental dance hall hostess in New York City. With a tuneful, groovy, mid-1960s score by Cy Coleman, and sparkling lyrics by Dorothy Fields, this hilarious story was written by Neil Simon and originally conceived and choreographed on Broadway by the legendary Bob Fosse.

12/01/2025

Our latest ad placements featuring Cy Coleman's "Big Spender", Bobby Hebb's "Ooh Wee" and "Sunny", and Lawrence & Hart's "Badder Badder Schwing":

12/01/2025

3 nights with the queen of them all , gonna be a smoke show xo