Rickie Lee Jones

About This Event

'Chuck E.'s in Love' made her a star in 1979 and she's spent the decades since actively resisting being only that — expect a set that leans on her sprawling catalog rather than a nostalgia victory lap.

The song itself came from an offhand phone call. Jones and her then-boyfriend Tom Waits were close with a musician named Chuck E. Weiss, and when Weiss called to say he'd moved to Denver because he'd fallen for someone there, Waits turned to Jones and said, simply, 'Chuck E.'s in love' — a line that became a song title, then a No. 4 hit, then the centerpiece of a platinum debut album. It earned her four Grammy nominations in 1980, and she won Best New Artist outright, a genuine breakthrough that's followed her ever since, whether she wanted the song to define her or not.

Worth knowing: showtime is 8:00 PM — check oldtownschool.org for pricing.