Debo Ray kicks off series of shows at the Regent Theatre on Friday, 12 May 2023.

It’s all about Stevie for the 20th anniversary of Wonder’s epoch-making classic LP Innervisions.

Past, present, and musical future joined hands at the Regent Theatre for the Stevie Wonder tribute, starring music maven Debo Ray.

The Grammy-nominated artist took the stage with a bandful of local jazz luminaries to bring Innervisions to life, playing the influential album from top to bottom.

Stevie Wonder is smiling somewhere. Too often tributes take the stage after the honored artist is dead and gone. Friday night at the Regent Theatre played out more like a living retrospective, targeting the 1973 album that marked the artist’s transition from precocious wunderkind to mature artist who would churn out classics to change the face of jazz, pop, and rock through the turn of the new millennium.

What better artist to celebrate Wonder than another multi-genre ninja like Debo Ray?

The artist, who also teaches at Berklee College of Music, offered up a masterclass in genre-surfing.

From “Visions,” to “Living For The City,” to “Higher Ground,” to “Don’t Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” Ray fit ably into the nooks and crannies of Wonder’s subtly textured songcraft. Rock, funk, jazz, soul, and everything else under the sun, all wrapped up in a red leather package with knee-high boots.

The local press is taking notice, from the Boston Herald to the Boston Globe. But who needs those gossipy rags? All the news and information you need is right here at Hump Day News. And the first scoop to report: Debo Ray will be returning to the Regent Theatre sometime in July to play a full set of originals. From Stevie Wonder to Debo Ray, from one original to another. 

Shout out to the red leather!

Shout out to popcorn being on sale for a live music act in 2023!

Extra points for the British spelling of ‘theatre’ in Regent Theatre and treating ‘show place’ as two words in the theatre’s slogan: “Arlington’s Show Place of Entertainment.”

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