Headliners

Organizers of this year’s Festival have put together a phenomenal lineup, featuring a wide array of styles and genres, including all types of jazz, R&B, fusion, funk and great old-school soul. Bring a lawn chair, pack a blanket, but, whatever you do, get there early because you won’t want to miss a minute of this all-star lineup!

• Billy Paul:
  A native Philadelphian, Billy Paul signed with Philadelphia International Records in the early 70s.  His instinctive, jazz-based delivery provided an unlikely foil for the label's highly structured, sweet-soul sound but his impressive debut hit, 1972's chart-topping "Me and Mrs. Jones," encapsulated the genre and made him a legend.
  Read More »
  
  
• Jeffrey Osborne:
  Jeffrey Osborne began his professional career in 1969 with a popular funk and soul group called Love Men Ltd., where he was originally brought on as the drummer and eventually became the lead vocalist. After more than ten years with the band, he launched a successful solo career, which brought him five gold and platinum albums and produced such top 40 hits as "Don't You Get So Mad," "Stay With Me Tonight," and "Love Power," which he performed with Dionne Warwick.
  Read More »
  
  
• Original P:
  The Original P is a 15-piece band featuring original, founding members of Parliament/Funkadelic—Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas, and Ray Davis. From the street corners of New Jersey and the Motown boom of Detroit in the early sixties, to the arenas and stadiums in the seventies, to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the late nineties, it’s been a long, strange trip for Fuzzy, Grady, Calvin and Ray. All three founding members were recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for their work with The Parliaments and Parliament/Funkadelic.
  Read More »
  
  
• Roy Ayers:
  By the time he was five, Roy Edward Ayers was playing boogie woogie tunes on the piano. This June, come watch him perform at the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival.
  Read More »
  
  
• Average White Band:
  Widely regarded as one of the best soul and funk bands in the history of music, Average White Band is perhaps known best for their timeless instrumental mega-hit ”Pick Up the Pieces.” The band's strength actually lay in their consistently accomplished songwriting, stretching across several gold selling albums and multi-Grammy nominations for the legendary Atlantic Records.
  Read More »
  
  
• WAR:
  An American original, WAR was the first and most successful musical crossover phenomenon that forever fused rock, jazz, Latin, and R&B, while transcending racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line-up, a musical melting pot and an enduring influence that has sold over 50 million records to date.
  Read More »
  
  
• Tower of Power:
  With almost 40 years of recording and touring experience behind them, Tower of Power still garners reviews calling them a "very contemporary sounding band." Melding jazz, funk, rock and soul in a way no group ever has, the ten-piece outfit is, as a recent Hollywood Reporter review called them "tighter than a clenched fist."
  Read More »
  
  
• The Mingus Big Band:
  One of three repertory bands that were created to celebrate the music of the composer and bassist, Charles Mingus, the band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, providing audiences with a mix of ballads, blues, extended through-composed pieces, and arrangements for vocalists.  
  Read More »
  
  
• The Whispers::
  One of R&B music's most beloved and consistently popular vocal groups, The Whispers began their legendary and timeless career in 1963, and produced a string of pop and R&B favorites over the next four decades, as well as seven gold albums, two platinum albums, 12 top-twenty singles, 40 charted hits since 1970, and nominations from the American Music Awards, Soul Train Awards and Grammy Awards. In 2002, The Whispers received an NAACP image award; in 2003, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame; and, in 2005, they received a Regional Grammy Governors Award.
  Read More »
  
  
• Teena Marie:
  Teena Marie is an American Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter-producer. Nicknamed Lady T, she is a protegée of late funk legend Rick James, and is notable as one of the few successful multi-ethnic performers of R&B. She sings R&B with big, robust vocals, and plays rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas. She also has written, produced, sung and arranged virtually all of her songs since her 1980 release Irons in the Fire.
  Read More »
  
  
• The Intruders::
  With 26 R&B chart records and a legacy of being one of the best male vocal groups demonstrating Philly soul, The Intruders are a Philadelphia musical legend that has grown internationally through four decades. In 1996, The Intruders were inducted into the Philadelphia Music hall of fame and a star in their honor was placed on the Walk of Fame on Broad Street in Philadelphia.
  Read More »