Thanksgiving Night With Kelly King & Friends

By  Michael Todd, Publisher

I finally got a moment to stop in and enjoy the Thursday night Top Pop show at XES on Thanksgiving, featuring the incredible Kelly King. I met Kelly one night about a year and a half ago when I was delivering this magazine on the East Side. As I dropped off the magazine, I heard this incredible voice and thought, “Wow, who is that?” I walked right over to her and introduced myself and asked if she would like to be on our cover. She said sure, so I gave her my card and walked out of the venue surprised I had just asked a straight girl to be on the cover of this gay magazine – which usually features hot, sexy men on the cover. But her voice was incredible, she was just as sweet as could be, and she was beautiful too. I doubted she would actually call me back, but sure enough, my phone rang, and I couldn’t help but think I had just found a singing angel and wonder how many others knew of her incredible talent. After we interviewed Kelly for the article that went along with her cover, I found out in fact that millions have seen her – she has toured with Babyface and Michael Bolton and has sung with Dolly Parton and Vince Gill. Plus she has had two Top 20 hits (one Christmas song and one original).

Back at XES, since it was early Thanksgiving night the bar was not packed, so it felt like an intimate gathering in the studio with Kelly and a handful of fans. She sang a number of songs, including amazing renditions of Celine Dion’s “I’m Your Lady” as well as “All That Jazz” from Chicago and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. Marti Gould Cummings, another of our Get Out! cover models, was in the audience, and Tyler Maynard of Chicago on Broadway came up on stage. This Top Pop show is something everyone should go and see either alone or with friends, especially to experience Kelly King, whose voice is as good as Mariah Carey’s and Celine Dion’s. Since I saw Kelly perform at our Get Out! Awards in 2011, I could never understand why she doesn’t just put out albums every three years like all the ladies I like. I always wanted to ask why, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and be thankful there is someone so talented in New York City nightlife to go see a few times a week for free. I plan to go see her more often after being so impressed with seeing my first show of hers. And she even takes requests! What a Thanksgiving she gave me.

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