General Hospital Star Wally Kurth
And the Kurth and Taylor Band Perform Benefit
Concert
Saturday, May 3rd
Dick's Last Resort in the Dallas West End District
 Wally
Kurth, who plays Ned Ashton on General Hospital, and Christian Taylor bring
their Kurth and Taylor Band to Dick's Last Resort in the West End Historic
District Sat., May 3 at
1 p.m. Proceeds will benefit Bryan's House facility
for children and families who are HIV Positive, and the Kurth & Taylor
Foundation, who give their funds to children’s charities around the U.S.
There will be a concert by the band, plus a live
auction of items from "General Hospital" and a VIP reception giving fans an
opportunity for pictures and autographs with the performers.
Tickets are $35 general admission and $65 for VIP
tickets, which include priority seating and a reception with Wally and the
Band. Call 214-559-3946 to purchase tickets, both MasterCard and Visa
accepted.
Kurth & Taylor write and sing most of their own songs,
and won an Emmy for “Barefoot Ballet,” heard on General Hospital in 2001.
While a newspaper reporter recently referred to Kurth & Taylor as "the most
popular band you never heard of," the heartland-rock group has toured the
U.S. the last few years, playing to sold-out venues and raising over
$250,000 for children. With a fourth album, an active website, and a movie
project in the works, Kurth & Taylor have formed a foundation to coordinate
and expand their fundraising efforts.
The band often makes time after concerts to perform
acoustic sets at pediatric hospital wards.
Four to five million fans tune in five days a week to
watch Ned Ashton (Kurth's soap character) charm his way in and out of
trouble as part of the soap opera’s powerful Quartermaine family. He was
named Soap Opera Digest's hottest male star in 1996.
When the soap's writers decided to play up another
aspect of Kurth's talent, his music, he was ready. "My character, Ned, is
in a suit and tie all day," he said. "But his alter ego, Eddie Maine, loves
to rock 'n' roll." Kurth, who had been playing music for years with partner
Christian Taylor, convinced the producers to let him use his own band on the
show. Taylor and the other band members got jobs playing themselves, as
Eddie Maine and the Idle Rich on the show.
Kurth is not the first actor to use GH as a launching
pad for a musical career--Latin superstar Ricky Martin is a former cast
member, so is Rick Springfield. Kurth & Taylor started singing together as a
duo in 1992; as their partnership grew, so did their band. Band members
include Pat McCormack, Johnny Tulucci and John Coleman. They were already a
working band when the producers of GH brought them in to play the "Idle
Rich".
Kurth has written a screenplay, "Man on Fire," (a
modern western romance with music). The songs on their new (and 4th) CD
"Freedom" are the soundtrack and an important part of the story. They shot
a trailer for the film in Montana, and hope to someday make the transition
to a larger screen.
Since they formed the Kurth & Taylor Foundation in
1999, they have raised funds for organizations across the country, targeting
health and education because they feel "all children should have the
opportunity to live healthy, happy lives." Proceeds from the May 3rd
concert will benefit Bryan’s House, a Dallas facility for the care of
children and families who are HIV-positive, and the Kurth & Taylor
Foundation. Some of the charities that have received funds from the
foundation include the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Billings, Montana;
John’s Place, for children with Cerebral Palsy, Long Island, NY; and
therapeutic horseback programs for disabled children in Massachusetts.
Bradford Homesuites is also a supporting sponsor of the May 3rd benefit.
EDITED BY MADELYN MILLER
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