Fred Hughes, Juanita Williams to perform Valentine's weekend show Feb. 15

Fresh off a sellout show in December, The Eddie Sherman Show is responding to demand from live music fans in the Cape Region for more straight-ahead jazz performances.  The duo of Eddie Sherman and Peggy Raley is launching the first in a series of Eddie Sherman Show Presents, supper club-style performances in the area.

The debut show will feature pianist Fred Hughes and his trio with Grammy-nominated vocalist Juanita Williams at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 15, in the upstairs room at Saketumi at 18814 Coastal Highway north of Rehoboth Beach. The appearance will reunite Williams and Hughes in Rehoboth for the first time since 2006.  Dinner seating begins at 6 p.m.; showtime is 7:30 to 10 p.m.  Tickets are $15/person. For reservations call 302-645-2818.

Hughes has performed and conducted nationally and internationally for more than three decades.  He became recognized at age 25 as an up-and-coming conductor and jazz pianist for his work with the First Army Band in the United States and the Eighth Army Band in Seoul, Korea.  In the mid-1980s, Hughes became pianist and soloist for the legendary U.S. Army Jazz Band, The Jazz Ambassadors, touring the world at such prestigious jazz festivals as the Newport, Montreaux, Nice and North Sea jazz festivals.

Hughes has performed with the Baltimore and Chicago symphony orchestras and with jazz greats Claudio Roditi, Artuoro Sandoval, Roy Hargrove, Bill Watrous and Toots Thielmans.  He was the musical director for Three Mo' Tenors and as a conductor has directed numerous orchestras from Atlanta to Washington to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  He is an accomplished composer and recording artist.

Williams is an incomparable singer who leaves the audience filled with joy in their hearts and tears in their eyes.  She studied music at the Fine Arts Conservatory in Miami and the La'Pierre School. Her early classical training prepared her for the varied musical styles she performs today.

An accomplished career with the U.S. Navy Band and her subsequent solo career have led Williams to share the stage with such noted artists as The Whispers, Diane Schurr, Wayne Newton, Peabo Bryson, Bob Hope and Joe Williams.

Future Eddie Sherman Presents shows will vary between guest performers appearing with Eddie Sherman and Peggy Raley, and shows featuring world-class jazz groups hosted by the two Cape Region singers.