Remember Jones will perform 50th anniversary tribute to ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ at Basie Center

Remember Jones will perform Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” in Red Bank on April 18.

Stevie Wonder’s landmark Songs in the Key of Life will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026. And The Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank will present a great way to mark the occasion on April 18, with a performance of it in its entirety, plus other Wonder songs, by Remember Jones.

The Count Basie Gospel Choir (directed by Gwen Moten) and other guest performers will also contribute to the music. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 31 at 10 a.m., with pre-sales beginning Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.; visit ticketmaster.com.

Songs in the Key of Life — a double album that came with a bonus four-song EP — was a No. 1 hit, as were its singles “I Wish” and “Sir Duke.” Other well known songs from it include “Isn’t She Lovely,” “As,” “Another Star,” “Pastime Paradise,” “Love’s in Need of Love Today” and “Summer Soft.” It won four Grammys in 1977, including Album of the Year.

In a 2004 essay for Rolling Stone, when Wonder was included as No. 15 on the magazine’s list of The Greatest Artists of All Time, Elton John wrote: “Let me put it this way: wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life. For me, it’s the best album ever made, and I’m always left in awe after I listen to it. When people in decades and centuries to come talk about the history of music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.”

Remember Jones — perennially busy as a singer-songwriter, bandleader, actor and director — has previously presented shows paying tribute to the music of Amy Winehouse, Queen, Meat Loaf and others.

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