Pianist, A La Ray Charles, To Perform At Cromwell UMC
By Ray Balogh
InkFreeNews
CROMWELL — Accomplished pianist Sam Lane will perform a concert from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, at Cromwell United Methodist Church, 116 W. Orange St., Cromwell. A brief intermission with ice cream and cookies will occur at approximately 2 p.m.
Lane was born blind and started playing the piano at the age of 3 after listening to his mother play the piano in church. He performed his first concert in nursery school and began formal training when he was 7.
He attended the Bronx School for the Blind, where he learned to read Braille music, and obtained a degree in piano performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.
Lane’s roster of musicians who have inspired him includes Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Junior Walker, Benny Goodman, Ramsey Lewis and Glenn Miller.
“Ray Charles wrote, ‘I don’t need to see,'” said Lane. “I agree. I don’t need to see.”
At the Cromwell concert, Lane will play gospel, secular or classical music upon request. He also plays jazz, blues, ragtime, pop, hip hop, rap and country.
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted at the door.