Events for July 2024 › Gospel

Humphreys Gospel Brunch w/ Earl Thomas & Sister Leola Ft. Whitney Shay

June 30 @ 1:00 pm
Genre: Gospel
$Ticketmaster cover

” One of the top 5 shows in San Diego in 2023″ – George Varga, SD Union-Tribune

Ticket Link

$20 Reserved Seating (DOES NOT INCLUDE FOOD AND BEVERAGE.) $25 VIP

Earl Thomas’ gospel rebirth

Earl Thomas retired from music in late 2019 — or so he thought. The award-winning San Diego blues soul singer and songwriter had toured the world multiple times, released a slew of albums and seen his songs recorded by Etta James, Ike Turner and other earthy American music luminaries. He seemed content to spend his time working as a dental technician in La Jolla.

But an invitation to perform a series of Sunday gospel concerts at Humphreys Backstage Live this year saw the Tennessee native spring back into action. As the leader of Earl Tomas & The Gospel Ambassadors, featuring Sister Leola, his electrifying performances led to an invitation to appear with his band at famed London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s as part of the 2023 London Jazz Festival.

A rousing new album, “Church Songs,” was released this fall, and Thomas’ Nov. 12 London performance was recorded for an upcoming live release. He and his band now have an international booking agent and have already been booked for concerts in Scandinavia next summer.

“I felt like I was phony doing the blues,” Thomas said in a September interview with the Union-Tribune. “Now that I’m doing gospel, I feel completely legit. This is where I live.”

Visit Humphreys Restaurant to view Brunch Menu