ROCKINGHAM — Thursday is the last day of Plaza Jam 2024, and the famous Embers will be there to close things out.
The band began in Raleigh in 1958 as the Satellites, with Bobby Tomlison on drums and Jackie Gore on guitar. Over the past 60 years or so, the lineup has changed several times.
The Embers were among the first people to be admitted into the Carolina Beach Music Awards Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2018, they were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Craig Woolard has been in the band on and off since the 1970s, when he started his solo career. He is now the lead singer. Besides singing lead, he plays the saxophone and the flute.
The Embers were the first band to play at the Plaza Jam after the plague in July 2021. They have played in the series several times.
It starts at 6:30 p.m.
This weekend, there are a lot of shows in Richmond County. Plaza Jam is just one of them.
Also on Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m., the Luke Vuncannon Band will play at Ellerbe’s second Pickin’ in the Park event.
In a film posted on social media, guitarist Luke Vuncannon said that there will be two food trucks there: Perfectly Imperfect Treats and Taco Loco.
There will also be a trailer there where people can drop off gifts to help people in the mountains who were flooded by Hurricane Helene. On Friday, those things will be sent to Western North Carolina.
Friday night at Norton Farms is the first of three nights of music. Clark Bennett is the music. Erik Hawks is set to play on Friday, and Jonathan Robinson is set to play on Saturday. You can find a full list of food trucks on the Norton Farms Facebook page.
The Safety Committee will play at Hudson Brothers Deli on Friday to celebrate the life of late band member Mervyn Celso, who died over the summer. Some of the songs on the set list are ones that Celso sang in the band.
Brooks Shumake will play at Striker’s Lounge for the first time at 8 p.m. on Saturday, and Frankie Moree will be at American Legion Post No. 49 in Hamlet from 6 to 9 p.m.