King Sunny Ade at Bonnaroo on June 12

Nigerian juju icon King Sunny Ade will be performing at Bonnaroo on Friday, June 12th. Audiences will have a chance to witness contagious 40-minute grooves that have been steeped in a modern-day tradition where playing for and reacting to the audience is paramount. The truth is that King Sunny Ade is so well-loved back home, among dignitaries and business leaders, that it is quite a feat to carve out the time for a two-month tour here. But the Chairman likes a change of scenery as much as the next guy, even if he does have to miss out on people "spraying" him with money, as is the tradition back home.

Ade's last album release in the United States here, Seven Degrees North, has been off the market since 2000, when label Blue Moon/Mesa's distributor V2 collapsed. Blue Moon/Mesa will re-release the album in time for this summer's tour.

06/11/2009, Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse
 06/12/2009, Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo Music Festival
 06/14/2009, Los Angeles, CA, Playboy Jazz Festival
 06/16/2009, Solana Beach, CA, Belly Up Tavern
 06/18/2009, Santa Barbara, CA, Lobero Theatre
 06/19/2009, San Francisco, CA, The Independent
 06/20/2009, North Tahoe, CA, Truckee Regional Park
 06/21/2009, Boonville, CA, Sierra Nevada World Music Fest
 06/23/2009, Edmonton, AB, Francis Winspear Centre
 06/24/2009, Calgary, AB, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
 06/26/2009, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver International Jazz Fest
 06/27/2009, Victoria, BC, Jazz Fest International
 06/29/2009, Seattle, WA, The Triple Door
 06/30/2009, Apple Valley, MN, Weesner Amphitheater
 07/01/2009, Highland Park, IL, Ravina Festival
 07/03/2009, Rothbury, MI, Rothbury Festival
 07/04/2009, Toronto, ON, Harbourfront Centre
 07/05/2009, Montreal, QC, Festival International De Jazz De Montreal
 07/07/2009, South Burlington, VT, Higher Ground,
 07/10/2009, Ottawa, ON, Cisco Ottawa Bluefest 2009
 07/11/2009, Quebec City, QC, Quebec City International Summer Fest
 07/12/2009, Schenectady, NY, Music Haven
 07/14/2009, Camden, NJ, Wiggins Park
 07/15/2009, Boston, MA, Museum of Fine Arts
 07/17/2009, Washington, DC, 9:30 Club

Buy King Sunny Ade's recordings:

• In North America: Seven Degrees North, Juju Music, Best of the Classic Years, Gems from the Classic Years 1967-1974, Live Live Ju Ju,
• In Europe: Juju Music, Live Live Ju Ju, King of Juju - the Best of, The Best of the Classic Years, Odu, Ogun