ANITA BAKER, CHARLIE WILSON BRING CLASSIC R&B TO 27TH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CONCERT SERIES HOSTED BY BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ

On Monday, July 27, the 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series at Wingate Field, hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, will feature the R&B stylings of Anita Baker and Charlie Wilson. The Seaside Summer Concert Series in Brighton Beach-Coney Island and Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series in Crown Heights have entertained hundreds of thousands of residents over the past three decades and remain the largest free concert series in the New York metropolitan area.

“Music brings us together! In fact, the borough that rocks together flocks together, which is why I have looked forward to hosting free concerts every summer in Brighton Beach-Coney Island for more than three decades and Central Brooklyn for 27 years now,” said BP Markowitz. “From Seaside’s superstar lineup of Daryl Hall & John Oates Up Close & Personal Tour, Donna Summer, Blondie and Pat Benatar to MLK’s Keyshia Cole, Robin Thicke, Teena Marie, The O’Jays, Anita Baker and Sean Paul, stars that perform the world over are thrilled to take the stage in Brooklyn, USA. And even though I always promise that this year’s lineup is the most exciting ever, this summer will really be the best!”

Anita Baker—multiple Grammy Award winner, composer, producer, mother and all-around superstar—contemplated long and hard before she got ready to take her show on the road again. But finally, in early 2003, the woman who gave birth to such classic gems as “Giving You the Best That I Got,” “Just Because,” and “Fairy Tales” pulled together her tight rhythm section and her faithful background singers and rehearsed, hoping to start a buzz and see if the timing was right for a comeback. Anita wondered if she built it, would they come. But come they did, in droves. Just as soon as she decided to get back onstage, amphitheaters and arenas came calling and legions of fans came running, taking the eight-time Grammy winner around the country, before crowds of excited music lovers who were as overwhelmed by her return as they were stunned by her departure.

As one of the most familiar voices in R&B music, Charlie Wilson needs no introduction. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native and former lead singer of the Gap Band, is now going two-for-two with his second solo album “Uncle Charlie.” Artists like Aaron Hall and R. Kelly have long paid homage to the characteristic vocal style of the man once dubbed “the de facto father of new jack swing.” Labelmate Kelly wrote and produced the hit single “Charlie, Last Name Wilson” from the gold-certified CD of the same name. From classic R&B Gap Band hits like “Yearning for Your Love” and “Outstanding,” to collaborations with Justin Timberlake on “Signs” and Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams on the Grammy-nominated track “Beautiful,” Wilson continues embracing contemporary music with his phenomenal vocal style and unique licks.

Seaside Summer Concert Series performances are held Thursday nights at 7:30 pm at Asser Levy/Seaside Park at West 5th Street and Surf Avenue in Brighton Beach, opposite the New York Aquarium. Chair rentals will be available for $5 or concertgoers can bring their own chairs. Martin Luther King Jr. concerts will be held Monday nights at 7:30 pm at Wingate Field on Brooklyn Avenue between Rutland Road and Winthrop Street. Seating is limited so attendees should bring chairs. Call the concert hotline for updates at 718-222-0600, or visit www.brooklynconcerts.com.

Seaside Summer Concert Series Schedule

July 16
Salute to 40th anniversary of Woodstock: Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Mountain, John Sebastian

July 23
Gladys Knight, The O’Jays

July 30
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Connie Francis, Stewie Stone

August 6
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Up Close & Personal Tour

August 13
Blondie, Pat Benatar, with special guest The Donnas

August 20
Salsa Night – Victor Manuelle, Tego Calderon, Arcangel, Maria Torres Dancers

August 27
Donna Summer

Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series Schedule

July 13
Keyshia Cole, Lyfe Jennings

July 20
Love Train The Sound of Philadelphia – The O’Jays, Russell Thompkins Jr. & the New Stylistics, Jerry Butler, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes

July 27
An Evening with Anita Baker, Charlie Wilson

August 3
Robin Thicke, Jazmine Sullivan

August 10
Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osborne, Special Guest Ruben Studdard

August 17
Gospel Night – Dedicated to the memory of Reverend Timothy Wright
Yolanda Adams, Israel Houghton and the New Breed

August 24
Caribbean Night – Sean Paul, “King of Calypso” The Mighty Sparrow