“We didn’t do anything last year because Gilly’s owner Jerry Gillotti passed away on Thanksgiving 2017,” Stokes said. “We were already scheduled to do our Valentine’s show there again, but the club closed at the end of 2017 and we didn’t have time to secure another spot for 2018. We’re excited to be at the Dayton Women’s Club this year. It should be a fun night.”
Songs from the Motown Records catalog provide much of the material for Touch, but the group also peppers its sets with songs by other acts. In late 2018, the group released the EP, “Love’s Holiday.” The title track is a remake of an Earth, Wind & Fire song from the legendary R&B band’s 1977 triple platinum album, “All ’N All.”
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“It’s just great pop-R&B music and it’s nice because ‘Love’s Holiday’ could be Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, New Year’s or a person’s birthday,” Stokes said. “That’s my concept of it, but it’s a well-known song and we wanted to have something available to the public.
“When we’re out, we usually have people asking if we have a CD,” Stokes continued. “We have this EP out now and people will be able to purchase something and take Touch home with them. Hopefully, at some point, we can put out an LP.”
While the singers are focused on the promoting the new CD, the live stage is definitely where Touch shines. In 2013, the group finished third on the first season of NBC’s singing competition, “The Winner Is.” This gave a boost to the quartet’s performance schedule, which includes club shows, theaters, fairs, festivals and private events.
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“We always want to work and are ready to work,” Stokes said. “With that said, it tends to slow down between November and January. We do Christmas things sometimes and we did a New Year’s Eve engagement for a wedding reception at a country club out in Beavercreek on Dec. 31.
“There’s a show at the Majestic Theatre in Chillicothe on February 23,” he continued. “This is our sixth year in a row there. We’re in Celina in late March and we have other dates shaping up for the upcoming year.”
“Love’s Holiday” is available at digital platforms such as CDBaby, Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.
HOW TO GO
What: Valentine's Day with the Motown Sounds of Touch
Where: Dayton Women's Club, 225 N. Ludlow St., Dayton
When: 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $20
More info: 937-228-1124
Artist info: www.mosoundmusic.com
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