ROCKINGHAM — A long-running R&B group and a hometown country singer return to Richmond County for big shows this week.
The Tams will take the stage at Cole Plaza Thursday for their 22nd consecutive show in the Plaza Jam summer concert series — the only band to perform each year in the event’s history.
The Tams were founded in 1960 and had several top 10 hits. They have been honored with two gold records and several awards and were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, according to their website.
Their backing band, the 14 Karat Gold Band, generally starts the show with a 30-minute set before the group members come on donning their namesake tam o’shanters, performing their hit songs including “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)” and “I’ve Been Hurt,” along with other R&B classics.
Albert “Little Redd” Cottle is the son of Tams co-founder Charles Pope and has been performing with the vocal group since he was 6 years old and has been the frontman for years. His own son, Mikai Cottle, has been with the group for the past several years, following in his family’s dance steps.
The current forecast from the National Weather Service calls for sunny skies and evening temps dropping from a daytime high of 88 degrees.
Each concert in the outdoor series is free and open to the public, running from 6:30-8:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month from May-October.
The season comes to a close next month with Embers on Oct. 2.
Bucky Covington opens his show during Rockingham's SpringFest on April 22, 2023.
RO file photo
American Idol alum Bucky Covington returns home Saturday night for a special performance following the racing action of Civil Wars at Rockingham Dragway.
The concert has been dubbed the “We’re All Friends Here Show,” and will feature performances by his twin brother Rocky Covington’s band The Scarecrows, fellow bandmate Ducky Medlock, Lenny Cooper and Channing K.
The show runs from 9 p.m.-midnight and admission is free with a Saturday ticket.
Covington, who calls both Rockingham and Laurinburg home, performed with several local rock and country bands in his early 20s. He started on drums, then switched to bass and eventually to vocals and guitar.
Covington gained popularity during his run as a finalist on the fifth season of "American Idol" alongside felllow North Carolinans Kelly Pickler and Chris Daughtry.
In 2017, Covington was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Covington has had two concerts in Richmond County in the past decade, both being at Rockingham's SpringFest. He has also had relatively nearby shows in Graham, as well as Hartsville and McBee, South Carolina.
Another local singer/songwriter, Erik Hawks, played at Civil Wars in 2023.
The Civil Wars weekend starts Friday evening with ProMods at the Rock, followed by racing in more than a dozen classes the next two days. There will also be a car show on Saturday.
See Rockingham Dragway’s website and social media pages for more information.
On Friday, local musicians Shane Glaze and Chris Lemons will be performing at Hudson Brothers Deli from 8-11 p.m.
