An "Unforgettable" Evening with Eddie Wakes

The Topeka Performing Arts Center is proud to be pairing up with the indelible voice of Topeka native, Eddie Wakes. The New TPAC Live Season of shows will be announced at intermission with the Box office open for an hour after the performance for new season ticket sales. Come to the event and be the first in line to buy tickets for the 2025/2026 season.

From Walt Disney Theatrical to “La La Land”, Eddie turns heads when he sings. His velvety, wide range baritone is unmistakable and is reminiscent of another time. He simply doesn’t sound like other contemporary singers today.

No less than Morgan Freeman declared "Eddie is a new, evocative voice" and Elvis Costello says Eddie is a "tremendous singer."

Eddie hails from Topeka, Kansas. Within his own family, a lineage of musical prowess served as his guiding light. He sang with his eight brothers, his father was a pastor and a phenomenal singer – Lionel Hampton asks him to sing with his big band – and Eddie, in turn, honed his skills in the vibrant crucible of church and school talent showcases. His life as a singer became the stuff movies are made of: from performing in the Super Bowl as a kid, to being discovered years later singing on the streets of Los Angeles by Hollywood A-Listers, to performing with legends.

Eddie says, “Who were my great influences growing up singing? Well, my older brothers, and of course, the countless icons who influenced them: Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Johnny Hartman, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, even James Brown.