Nigerian musical legend King Sunny Ade will return to North American stages for the first time since 2005. Ade and his band, The African Beats, are scheduled to play over 20 dates in over 20 cities in the U.S. and Canada, including appearances at the Bonnaroo, Rothbury and Celebrate Brooklyn festivals.

Known affectionately as "The Chairman" in Nigeria, Ade is a pioneer of the guitar-based African pop style known as juju, a hypnotic dance sound characterized by chiming, interlocking guitars, soaring lap-steel, and thundering Yoruba percussion. Together with his African Beats, King Sunny Ade has been igniting dancefloors with juju music - both at home and abroad - since the 1970s. Today, Ade is one of Nigeria's best-known musical exports, a true ambassador of Nigerian music abroad and a venerated elder statesman at home-but beware, when the man straps on his guitar, he can still get down like the kids half his age.

Ade's tour will coincide with the re-issue of his out-of-print album Seven Degrees North on the Blue Moon/ Mesa label. Originally released in 2000, the album has been unavailable since the collapse of the label's distributor, V2 that same year. Seven Degrees North has been much-sought-after among African music fans ever since.

King Sunny Ade, 2009 Tour Schedule:

06/11/2009, Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse
06/12/2009, Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/14/2009, Los Angeles, CA, Playboy Jazz Festival
06/16/2009, Solana Beach, CA, Belly Up Tavern
06/18/2009, Santa Barbara, CA, Lobero Theatre
06/19/2009, San Francisco, CA, The Independent
06/20/2009, North Tahoe, CA, Truckee Regional Park
06/21/2009, Boonville, CA, Sierra Nevada World Music Fest
06/23/2009, Edmonton, AB, Francis Winspear Centre
06/24/2009, Calgary, AB, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
06/26/2009, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver International Jazz Fest
06/27/2009, Victoria, BC, Jazz Fest International
06/29/2009, Seattle, WA, The Triple Door
06/30/2009, Apple Valley, MN, Weesner Amphitheater
07/01/2009, Highland Park, IL, Ravina Festival
07/03/2009, Rothbury, MI, Rothbury Festival
07/04/2009, Toronto, ON, Harbourfront Centre
07/05/2009, Montreal, QC, Festival International De Jazz De Montreal
07/07/2009, South Burlington, VT, Higher Ground,
07/10/2009, Ottawa, ON, Cisco Ottawa Bluefest 2009
07/11/2009, Quebec City, QC, Quebec City International Summer Fest
07/12/2009, Schenectady, NY, Music Haven
07/14/2009, Camden, NJ, Wiggins Park
07/15/2009, Boston, MA, Museum of Fine Arts
07/17/2009, Washington, DC, 9:30 Club