RICHMOND, Va (WTVR) – After 18 years, Fridays at Sunset has ended its run.
Necole Simmonds, Vice President of Business Development for Johnson Inc., made the announcement via email Thursday morning.
Simmonds did not specify a reason for ending the concert series.
“Ending on top and on time is very important! We thank you for the many years you supported us and the talented musicians that graced our stage. Stay tuned, more dynamic entertainment is coming your way,” she wrote in the email.
Fridays at Sunset held its first concert at the Shockoe Pavilion in 1994. Two years later the concerts moved to Kanawha Plaza, according to the email.
CBS 6 anchor/reporter Antoinette Essa served as the first host of the Fridays at Sunset series. She called the concert series culturally important to Richmond.
“There was nothing like that for the urban jazz enthusiasts,” Essa said. “The series started on a small scale. It was a showcase for regional and local jazz artists.”
In the years since in attracted artists such as LL Cool J, Seal, John Legend, Dave Koz, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, New Edition, Natalie Cole, Chuck Brown, Yolanda Adams, Ledisi, Wayman Tisdale and David Sandborn.
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