Amphitheater announces summer concert season

The artists will be the first to take advantage of the all-new amphitheater built on site at the winery last year, capable of holding 4,000 people.

The unrivaled Counting Crows will play July 17; the incomparable Jackson Browne is slated to appear on Aug. 22; and world renowned singing sensation John Legend with opening act -- India.Arie plays August 29.

For those not familiar with the Winery and the state-of-the art amphitheater built last year (replacing the temporary staging the winery has used in the past) -- concert goers will be in for a significant surprise.

The concert facility rivals those found in major cities around the country -- not to be confused with the Gorge Amphitheater -- the Maryhill Amphitheater is just past The Dalles on the Washington side of the river.

Winery founder Craig Luethold built the concert facility with one goal in mind -- to attract the top touring acts in the world to his winery and to host thousands of wine and music fans during the concerts.

It's working. Not only is Maryhill the 2009 Washington State Winery of the Year, but Counting Crows, Jackson Browne and John Legend will grace the stage during the summer and tickets are on sale April 25.

Counting Crows -- July 17 -- 8 p.m.

Counting Crows hail from the San Francisco Bay area and consist of Adam Duritz (vocals), David Bryson (guitar), Charles Gillingham (keyboards), David Immergluck (guitar), Dan Vickrey (guitar), Jim Bogios (drums), and Millard Powers (bass).

Counting Crows success dates back to their 1993 debut release August And Everything After and the hit single "Mr. Jones." Subsequent albums include Recovering the Satellites (1996); Across A Wire: Live in NY (1998); This Desert Life (1999) and Hard Candy (2002) which featured the band's Top 10 cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi."

The band's most recent success included a #1 hit with the song "Accidentally In Love," which was featured on the Shrek 2 soundtrack, as well as nominations in 2005 for a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for the track.

Counting Crows most recent studio album, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, was released in March of 2007. Counting Crows has sold over 20 million records worldwide.

Jackson Browne -- Aug. 22 -- 7 p.m

Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. With immortalized songs such as, Running on Empty, The Pretender, Doctor My Eyes, Lawyers in Love, Browne's been honored with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004) and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (2007).

Browne's latest release, 2008's Time The Conqueror, is his first set of new material in six years.

Accompanying Browne is his band of 15 years: Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitars), Mauricio Lewak (drums) and Jeff Young (keyboards, backing vocals). They have been with him since 1993's I'm Alive, playing on Looking East ('96) and The Naked Ride Home ('02). On Time The Conqueror, they're joined by new members Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills, vocalists Browne met in 2001.

As influential and enduring as his music is Browne's legacy as an advocate for social and environmental justice. In 2007, he received the Chapin-World Hunger Year Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award. In 2004, Jackson was named an honorary Doctorate of Music by Occidental College in Los Angeles, for "a remarkable musical career that has successfully combined an intensely personal artistry with a broader vision of social justice."

John Legend with India.Arie -- Aug. 29 -- 7 p.m.

Music has been the central theme in the life of John Legend (born John Stephens) for as long as he can remember and now, some 20-odd years later, this multi-talented singer, songwriter, musician, arranger and producer is fulfilling his childhood dreams and ambitions.

Legend demonstrates a rare ability to fuse the "feel" and vibe of classic old school soul music with the edgy flavor of 21st century hip-hop. While the romantic themes of traditional R&B permeate his 2004 release of Get Lifted, there's also a street-worthy hip-ness and confidence: the sensuality of Marvin Gaye and the sincerity of Stevie Wonder merging with the directness of Snoop Dogg and the wit of Kanye West. Yet, John Legend is very much his own artist, gifted with singular talents and a unique sensibility.

With his latest album -- Evolver -- released in late 2008, Legend brings soulfulness and comforting quality -- which is why the Obama Campaign unofficially chose -- If You're Out There as a theme song. Legend appeared during the Democratic National Convention playing the song to a world wide viewing audience. Now, Legend is coming to the Maryhill Winery to perform from his three top selling albums.

Opening for John Legend will be India.Arie -- the Grammy Award winning artist brings her soulful songwriting talents along a new album: Testimony: Vol 2 -- Love and Politics.