CONTACT Scalla Jakso (714) 556-2122 x4710, [email protected]
Laura Lanzi (714) 556-2122 x4371, [email protected]
Images: SCFTA.org/media
RELEASE DATE
December 16, 2016
Segerstrom Center Welcomes Rita Wilson and Friends with All
New Production of Liner Notes: Songwriters, Stories and Music
Featuring Billy Steinberg, Holly Knight and Desmond Child
Photo by Nathan Chapman
February 10, 2017 in Samueli Theater; tickets go on December 18
COSTA MESA, CA – Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes Rita Wilson, the talented actress, film
producer and Broadway star, who brings her vocal and songwriting talents to Samueli Theater in her
Center debut with Liner Notes: Songwriters, Stories and Music, on Friday, February 10, 2017. Special
guests and notable songwriters Billy Steinberg, Holly Knight and Desmond Child join Wilson in this
intimate evening performing songs and sharing stories behind their most memorable music.
Tickets start at $59 and will go on sale Sunday, December 18 at 10 a.m. and be available online at
www.SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787.
Rita Wilson is well-known as an actress (It's Complicated, Sleepless in Seattle, a recurring role in CBS's
The Good Wife, HBO's award-winning series, Girls, and most recently on Broadway in Larry David's
smash hit, Fish in the Dark), and as a film producer (Mamma Mia!, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
F (714) 556-8984
SCFTA.org
Rita Wilson: Liner Notes
December 16, 2016
NEWS 2/4
sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, for which she co-wrote and performed Even More Mine) but her
first love is music. In May 2012, Wilson realized a lifelong dream with the debut of her solo album AM/FM.
The album, released by Decca/Verve Records, is an intimate, elegant and beautifully sung collection of
covers of her favorite songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Since the release of AM/FM, Wilson has been
focusing on a new component of her musical career as a songwriter. In March 2016, she released her
self-titled second album, showcasing her skill for creating insightful, eloquent singer-songwriter pop music
that is etched with stunning honesty. For two years prior to the release, Wilson worked with a host of the
finest award-winning and best-selling songwriters and producers in both Los Angeles and Nashville. This
new material was prominently featured in her sold-out two-week residency at the famed Café Carlyle in
New York City. "Ms. Wilson has a catch in her voice that conveys yearning and potential heartbreak
behind a façade of cheer. As a stage performer, she is gregarious and forthright; a natural entertainer,"
said The New York Times. In June 2016, Wilson toured with Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers Chicago, one
of the bestselling bands of all time, with more than 100 million albums sold.
Billy Steinberg co-wrote (with Tom Kelly) five #1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, including "Like A
Virgin" (Madonna), "True Colors" (Cyndi Lauper), "So Emotional" (Whitney Houston), "Eternal Flame"
(The Bangles) and "Alone" (Heart). He co-wrote other well-known Top 10 U.S. pop hits, including "I'll
Stand by You" (Pretenders, Carrie Underwood), "I Touch Myself" (the Divinyls), "How Do I Make You"
(Linda Ronstadt), "I Drove All Night" (Roy Orbison, Cyndi Lauper, Celine Dion), "In Your Room" (The
Bangles), "Too Little Too Late" (JoJo) and "Give Your Heart A Break" (Demi Lovato). Steinberg and Kelly
were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.
Holly Knight has had a wild 38-year ride in the music business that ignited when she joined her first
band, Spider, in 1980. She penned many of their songs, including the single, “Better Be Good To Me,”
which music icon Tina Turner recorded on her multi-platinum record, Private Dancer. Holly’s meteoric rise
to success continued, writing the chart-topping, “Love Is A Battlefield” and “Invincible” for Pat Benatar,
“The Warrior” (Patty Smyth), “Ragdoll” (Aerosmith), “Change” (John Waite), “Never” (Heart), “Love Touch”
(Rod Stewart), “Obsession” (Animotion), “Hide Your Heart” (KISS), and countless others. Knight has
written a total of nine songs for Turner alone, including “The Best,” “Better Be Good To Me” and “Wildest
Dreams.” Her songwriting has earned her numerous awards, including three Grammys and 13 ASCAP
awards. In June of 2013, Knight was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame along with rock legends
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Foreigner, and JD Souther. Knight’s songs have appeared in countless
movies such as: Thelma and Louise, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Stewart Little, Hot Tub Time
Machine, Dallas Buyer’s Club, The Other Woman, Anchorman 2, 13 Going on 30 and TV shows,
American Idol, The Voice, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James
Corden, The Following, Nip/Tuck, Necessary Roughness, Mr. Robot, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Saturday
Night Live, 30 Rock, Family Guy, The Simpsons, South Park and many more. She is currently developing
a musical with her hit songs, and working on her memoirs. Her passion and love of music has never
wavered.
Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Desmond Child is one of music's most accomplished hit-makers
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
F (714) 556-8984
SCFTA.org
Rita Wilson: Liner Notes
December 16, 2016
NEWS 3/4
having written and/or produced more than 70 Top 40 singles with 300 million albums sold worldwide with
a music career spanning over four decades. In 2008, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
and serves on its Board of Directors. He is also the Chairman/CEO of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame
founded in 2012. Child's collaborations include: "Livin' On A Prayer" and “You Give Love A Bad Name”
(Bon Jovi), "Waking Up In Vegas" (Katy Perry), "Dude Looks Like A Lady" and “Angel” (Aerosmith), "I
Was Made For Lovin' You" and “Heaven’s On Fire” (KISS), "Livin' La Vida Loca" (Ricky Martin), “How Can
We Be Lovers” (Michael Bolton), “Poison” (Alice Cooper), "Before Your Love" (Kelly Clarkson),“Invisible”
(Clay Aiken), "Inside Your Heaven" (Carrie Underwood), "Where Your Road Leads" (Garth Brooks &
Tricia Yearwood), "Just Like Jesse James" and “We All Sleep Alone” (Cher), “I Hate Myself For Lovin’
You” (Joan Jett) which is also the theme song for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Kia, Official Automotive Partner of the Center, and United
Airlines, Official Airline of the Center.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary
cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed
experiences, and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of
live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.
Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s
largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also
home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 – 14 are taught
by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the
world’s greatest dancers and choreographers.
The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international
ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret,
contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, familyfriendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on
the plaza and many other special events.
The Center’s education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach
hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently
acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the
future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major
performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and
the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at
Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
F (714) 556-8984
SCFTA.org
Rita Wilson: Liner Notes
December 16, 2016
NEWS 4/4
RITA WILSON: LINER NOTES
Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Samueli Theater
February 10, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
Tickets -
Start at $59; go on sale December 18
In person -
The Box Office
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Online -
SCFTA.org
Phone -
(714) 556-2787
Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Group Sales - (714) 755-0236
Information provided is accurate at the time of printing, but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for
the Arts is a private, non-profit organization. “Segerstrom Center for the Arts” is a registered trademark.
###
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
T (714) 556-2121
F (714) 556-8984
SCFTA.org