Photo By Spc. Andrew Ingram | Up the scale: Blues singer and guitarist Carvin Jones performs for service members and...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Critically acclaimed recording artist Chaka Khan and bluesman Carvin Jones treated service members and civilians in U.S. Division–North to a night of high-energy music at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, July 14.
As Khan began to sing, audience crowded around the stage to get a better view of the singer. They whistled, danced and sang along as the diva belted out hits and got the crowed involved in the show, sharing the microphone with several members of the audience.
The Grammy Award-winning singer also thanked the troops for their commitment to duty and wished them a safe return to their families and loved ones.
“This is my wish for all of you,” said Khan. “I wish that all of you would return home safely to everlasting love.”
Sgt. Latasha Scott, a food service specialist with Headquarters Support Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, said Khan put on one of the best shows to come through COB Speicher.
“She is a legend,” said Scott, a Savannah, Ga., native, who began listening to Khan as a young girl. “It is so great that she came out there to play for us. She made a lot of soldiers’ day; I know she totally made mine.”
Before Khan hit the stage, Carvin Jones opened up the show with his own brand of the blues.
“I don’t know if you ever heard of us before tonight,” said Jones, moments before kicking off the show. “But we are all going to jam out!”
Jones, who originally hails from Lufkin, Texas, spent the next hour dashing through classic blues and rock ‘n’ roll tracks. He stayed on stage for the vocals, but often waded through the crowed to give audience members an up-close and personal look at his musical chops during guitar solos.
“This is amazing,” said Spc. Thilo Finley, a food service specialist assigned to 89th Transportation Company, 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. “It is such a great honor to see these amazing, talented people come out and support us. The whole show was such a great experience.”
During the show, Finley won the door prize – a brand new electric guitar, and a free concert for the 89th Transportation Company featuring Jones when the unit returns to Fort Eustis, Va.
“I don’t play the guitar yet, but you can bet I am going to learn,” said Finley, a Baltimore native. “This concert is probably one of the best I’ve had in three deployments.”
Jones said he enjoyed playing for the deployed service members and looked forward to playing for them more in the future.
“The highlight for me is that the soldiers are really enjoying the shows,” said Jones. “I didn’t know what to expect when I came out here to Iraq, but there has been a really fantastic response.”
The bluesman said visiting with the service members throughout Iraq humbles him and makes him appreciate the many of the things he took for granted in the U.S.
“I have a lot more respect for the troops now that I’ve seen what they have to go through every day,” said Jones. “The heat is unreal, and they are always working. It’s impressive what those guys have to do.”
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2011 01:45 |
| Story ID: | 73877 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, COB Speicher troops jam to funk, blues, R&B, by SPC Andrew Ingram, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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