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• Kenton Rogers in concert

HUNTINGTON -- For the past 10 years or so, the first name in producing hot beats for hip hop artists straight out of Huntington has been Mr. Mike.

But as your ears will hear tonight, "Mr. Mike" Crawford, the 30-something producer, is also making a name for himself in a wider circle.

Tonight, e2ntertainment and Mr. Mike present New York City R&B crooner Kenton Rogers who will perform some of the songs from his new CD, "Confessions of a Preacha Man," at Chubby's Bar, 1318 4th Ave., Huntington.

Doors open at 9 p.m. Cover is $5 before 10 p.m., and $10 for guys after 10 p.m.

Also performing will be other artists Crawford works with including Buzzy Shine, Tiger The Ace, K-Kutta, Peezy, as well as Ms. Deanna, an R&B singer out of Cincinnati.

Rogers, who took first place as a youngster, at amateur night, at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, will also sing at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the House of David Christian Nightclub, 1415 4th Ave., at the Upper Classman.

A chemical operator for BPS Printing Systems (formerly BASF) at his day job, Crawford said after making more than a dozen CDs in the past 10 years and working on many other hip hop projects, his love of the game was fading.

Then, about a year and a half ago, Crawford was walking across the parking lot at Speedway when he ran into a friend who knew and eventually introduced him to Rogers. Rogers travels the country singing, mostly in churches.

That chance meeting has been a blessing as the two started working on Rogers' R&B cross-over project, Crawford said.

"The first thing is that Kenton is actually a preacher so he has been a very big help and inspiration spiritually," Crawford said. "He also saved me musically. The monotony of the hip hop was starting to bore me, and the whole way the hip hop is going with no integrity in the music and it being all about the money. ... His music is very inspirational."

So far, Crawford and Rogers have put together two songs and a remix that they are hoping helps Rogers cross-over onto the general R&B charts, not unlike other singing preachers such as Memphis' Al Green.

"He has had gospel deals before but he was saying nobody wanted to put time into him crossing over into the R&B genre," Crawford said. "He was happy because I put the time into it, and it is about the integrity of the music. His voice is like the old-school R&B because a lot of the R&B artists we have now they almost want to be rappers. Kenton Rogers is like a breath of fresh air and a blast from the past."

Crawford said the single, "Confessions of a Preacha Man," tackles the tough subject of preacher's having to battle with the temptation of other women.

"It definitely deals with a lot of issues we have today and this topic is so taboo," Crawford said. "Basically women throw themselves at him because he is a preacher, and they look at him in awe, like he is a higher type of figure. A lot of people don't want to talk about it, but it is real."

Crawford said they're billing the night as a CD release party for Rogers. Rogers will share the stage with R&B singer Deanna, out of Cincinnati. There will also be some hustle and flow on the mic from some of the region's best hip hop artists including K-Kutta, Peezy, Buzzy Shine and Tiger the Ace.

"We're fortunate to have some of the best acts in the Tri-State perform since they are some of the artists I produce anyway," Crawford said. "We're billing it as the homecoming starts Thursday night."

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch

“Mr. Mike” Crawford, a Huntington resident and music producer, has been working with New York City R&B crooner Kenton Rogers.

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New York City R&B crooner Kenton Rogers will perform two shows in Huntington today and Friday.

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