Promoter strives to bring top-notch talent to Pittsburgh

Entertainment Unlimited, LLC owner, Nate Tarver is excited to be bringing quality, African-American based entertainment to the Pittsburgh area once again.
He brought the gospel plays “Mama Don’t” to the Steel City in 1990 and the hit “When A Woman is Fed Up” five  years later.
Tarver is well-known for being one of the pioneers of the “Chitlin’” circuit gospel tours and bringing the soul-stirring play “Beauty Shop” to theaters across the country.
“With gospel plays, you have the support of the church—someone in the congregation saw it some place and they tell someone else and it gets spread along. The churches are a big support because adults are looking for shows where they can have lunch or dinner and then go to the theater,” said Tarver, who has 39 years of experience in the entertainment industry.
The talented producer will be bringing the “Anthony Hamilton and Friends Tour” to the Benedum Center. In addition to Hamilton, the tour will also star Chrisette Michelle and Raheem DeVaughn.
“Anthony doesn’t remember ever playing Pittsburgh and all three of the singers have fan bases in Pittsburgh,” said Tarver who resides in Birmingham, Ala., when he isn’t jetting around the nation bringing entertainment to underserved cities. “Anthony is a perfectionist, Chrissette’s voice is impeccable and Raheem is a great performer. He currently has a top-10 hit with the song in the country with ‘Queen.’”
Tarver was born in Selma, Ala., and later moved to Birmingham to attend Miles College. Three years into the pursuit of his Business Administration degree, Tarver was approached by his friend, Clarence Thomas, with an opportunity to serve as manager for the up-and-coming group, Con Funk Shun.
Although Tarver didn’t envision himself working in the entertainment arena, he jumped at the chance and he left college to manage the group. He and Thomas formed the company, J-Ade Entertainment. Tarver relocated to Oakland, California in 1972 and the pair spent six years managing Con Funk Shun. J-Ade’s big break came when Con Funk Shun opened for The Commodores.
“I wore two hats when it came to Con Funk Shun,” Tarver recalled. “I had to promote the product and manage the group. They were like little brothers to me. We ate together, we cried together we were like a family.”
In 1980 Maze became a part of J-Ade’s repertoire. The company went on to manage Maze until 1989.
“After Maze I didn’t want to be a manager anymore. It was like raising kids, sometimes they listen and sometimes they get a little stubborn,” he said. “I was the manager and I wasn’t there to govern their personal lives.”
Tarver got interested in the world of theater after seeing Mike Matthews’ Gospel stage production, “Mama Don’t.” Tarver believed he could use the same promoter prowess that he used for concerts to as a way of introducing live theater to the masses.
“Theater was an experience that wasn’t a part of the African-American experience—other than going to Chicago or drama colleges—but never on a national level. This was bringing theater to their backyards,” he said.
It worked! Tarver, Thomas and Quentin Perry became the original promoters of the “Chitlin Circuit” tours.
Since 1995 he has managed, overseen and produced many of the country’s foremost music, theatrical tours. and events. Some of those events include: Barry White and Chante Moore tour; The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Tour; Kirk Franklin’s “Tour of Life” show, which featured Gospel greats Yolanda Adams and Fred Hammond, A comedy tour featuring Cedric The Entertainer and “The Mary Tour,” which included Mary J. Blige, Jagged Edge and Carl Thomas. That tour made a stop at the Station Square Amphitheater.
“You have to plant the seed, cultivate it and watch it grow. You have to ask questions and get to the root of the people,” he said  when asked what it takes to bring a top-notch show to a city. “You try to feel the pulse of the community. People need to support the shows that come to their towns.”
Tarver has the help of former Pittsburgh resident, Naomi Moye, to handle public relations for the “Anthony Hamilton and Friends Tour.” Moye, who now resides in Atlanta, met Tarver in Dallas when she was invited to see a play Tarver was promoting entitled “Behind the Pulpit,” which starred Bernadette Stanis of “Good Times” fame and former BLACKstreet singer, Terrell Philips.
“It is with great gratitude I am thrilled to work alongside Nate to bring top-notch, Grammy Award-winning talented artists to Pittsburgh,” Moye said. “My hope is that more plays and concerts like this tour that have positive images and lyrics will continue to be brought to our local communities and the city at large.”
Tarver hopes to bring more shows to Pittsburgh in the future.
“I’ll continue to bring shows to Pittsburgh if the market responds. I’d love to bring shows like Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross to Pittsburgh for one-night shows,” he said.
For now, Tarver has his hands full with the “Anthony Hamilton and Friends Tour.”
“Pittsburgh is in for a great night of entertainment,” Tarver said. “They won’t be able to wait to see the next show.”
 
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