Chris Thomas King Performing at Boutin’s on New Year’s Eve

Submitted by Delia Taylor 

BATON ROUGE, La. – Boutin’s Restaurant will present Grammy Award winning blues artist and actor Chris Thomas King as its featured live entertainment, in a smoke-free atmosphere, on New Year’s Eve.

            King will perform two shows for the single ticket price of $50 in advance, or $60 at the door (if not sold out). 

The first performance will go from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with the second performance running from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.  The ticket purchase includes reserved, limited seating for both performances, as well as party favors and champagne for a midnight toast.  Boutin’s kitchen will serve dinner from its menu until 11 p.m., with the bar remaining open for the entire evening.

Tickets and information are available on-line at www.boutins.comor by calling Boutin’s Restaurant at 225-819-9862.

“We are especially excited about having Chris Thomas King perform for us on New Year’s Eve.  He and his father, Tabby Thomas, have always been local favorites, but Chris’ success in the industry has kept him away from Baton Rouge as of late.  We’re excited about bringing him home for this special occasion,” Boutin said.

King is known for his audacious fusion of blues and hip-hop, but he also reached a whole new audience in 2000 with the Coen Brothers film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” by appearing on the award-winning soundtrack and establishing himself as a serious dramatic actor.  Since that big-screen debut, he has appeared in the Oscar-winning film “Ray,” as bandleader Lowell Fulsom, as well as the movies “Animal” and “Kill Switch.”  He has also appeared in the documentaries “Signpost to Freedom,” “The Soul of a Man,” and “Last of the Mississippi Jukes.”

Meanwhile, King’s musical journey has continued with such genre-bending albums as 2002’s “Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues” and 2006’s “Rise,” which was written in response to Hurricane Katrina.  His latest album, “Sketches of Time,” is the first full-length studio album since “Rise.”

King has sold more than 10 million combined units worldwide and logged more than 1,000 headline tour dates and festivals in 32 countries.  His versatile music style is also credited with influencing many modern-day hip-hop and rock performers.