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Then, as if teleported to
a venue on the Las Vegas strip, the audience was treated to
performances from Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley, Luther
Vandross and Jackie Wilson, personified through the talented
impersonations of Toledoan Leon Whittington.
Singing since the age of
seven, Whittington once again joins C.J. Manning for two
shows every third Friday. Says Whittington, “We sang
together about 15 years ago right here at the Avenue
Bistro.”
Since then, Whittington
has traveled the world performing in places such as China,
Japan, the Bahamas, Florida, Vegas and LA and opening for
such greats as Chaka Khan, Parliament Funcadelic, The
Manhattans, The Dramatics, Cedric The Entertainer and Steve
Harvey and has also worked with Johnny Carson, Lou Rawls,
Jerry Lewis and others.
Whittington, who
describes himself as a vocal impersonator says people have
followed him over the years because of his ability to change
his voice and imitate different artists. Whittington’s
vocal talent and dance moves combined with a touch of humor
captivated the audience of predominantly women who swooned
and swayed as Whittington sang love songs by Luther Vandross.
By the end of the night,
Whittington and Manning had men and women alike not wanting
to leave the dance floor.
Whittington currently
resides in Loraine OH where he is involved in fulltime
ministry as a praise and worship leader for his home church,
God’s Kingdom of Elyria Ohio, with Pastors Charles and
Valerie Howard. Whittington says he’s been coming back to
Toledo to perform at the Avenue Bistro for about a month or
so and the crowd has increasingly gotten bigger, primarily
through word of mouth.
“This particular night was
special,” says Whittington. “I've seen people I haven't seen
in over 40 years, people from as far back as elementary
school.”
C.J. Manning & Company
features local artists such as Lady K, Isis Aubrey, Cookie,
Whittington and others every Friday.
Whittington’s next performance will be April 11, 2014, two
shows 9:30 and 11:00 PM with a short 15 minute set to end
the night. |
