PREVIEW: Madison Square Gardens owner singing in Sheffield

James Dolan, also owner of Cablevision, the New York Knicks, and AMC Networks, is reportedly worth $1.5b.

He’s also the founder and frontman of Americana blues band, JD & The Straight Shot and they play The Rocking Chair in Furnival Gate on Thursday, January 28.

They are promoting their forthcoming album Ballyhoo!, out in the UK on February 26 on CD and vinyl.

JD, who started the band in 2000, isn’t alone in his deep-rooted passion for music. He fronts an accomplished quartet, including guitarist Marc Copely (Rosanne Cash, McCrary Sisters, Billy Squier), guitarist Aidan Dolan, bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris), and violinist Erin Slaver (Rod Stewart, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride), all of whom also contribute to songwriting.

The band has opened up for the Eagles, Keith Urban, and the Dixie Chicks and boasts a range of musical accomplishments, including features in The New York Times, New York Post, Billboard, and New York Magazine. They’ve performed live on Good Day New York and recently completed a multi-country European tour in November 2015.

In addition to their most recent project, Ballyhoo!, the band has recorded five albums: Where I’ve Been (2014), Midnight Run (2012), Can’t Make Tears (2011), Right On Time (2008), and Nothing To Hide (2005) as well as an EP, Daily News Blues (2010).

In their new album Ballyhoo!, the band explores a stripped-down version of its distinctive sound. The completely acoustic project is storytelling at its finest, steeped in the quiet fire of Americana with elements of blues and rustic New Orleans roots music.

The songs are built on emotion with musical arrangements that mellifluously interweave and effortlessly paint lyrics.

The dark and evocative track “Under That Hood” describes the unforgettably callous murder of Trayvon Martin. The title track, “Ballyhoo”, is entrenched with circus-inspired theatrics with JD positioned as the ringmaster that prompts listeners to limit their own biases, embrace individuality, and keep the “circus” alive. “Glide”, a sure to be fan-favorite, evokes “the child that’s inside” with its galloping guitar melody and soaring harmonies, reminding listeners to tap into their own boundless child-like wonder.

This breadth of range and the clarity that the music brings to some universal issues and hardships are part of what makes this band unique.

Other UK dates include The Convent in Stroud, on January 27; Oran Mor in Glasglow, Januuary 30; The Empire in Belfast, January 31; The Forge in London, February 1.

For more see band’s official web site at www.jdandthestraightshot.com and for more about The Rocking Chair visit www.rockingchairbar.co.uk

BUY TICKETS: See JD & The Straight Shot at the Rocking Chair - CLICK HERE.