Remembering Natalie Cole’s Concert at The Executive Inn [Photos]

News broke this morning that legendary R&B singer Natalie Cole died Thursday night.  I was immediately reminded of the time she came to The Executive Inn in downtown Owensboro and performed inside the Showroom Lounge.  It was 1989.  Prom night for those of us at Daviess County High School.  And, before heading off to prom, my date and I took a detour to The E.  Yep!  We went to see Natalie and I still have the ticket stub.  Take a look!

Yes!  It was Saturday, April 29th, 1989.  It was the same night of prom at Daviess County High School.  I was torn.  I really wanted to go the concert and I really wanted to go to my senior prom too.  So, my date, Amy Casto, and I decided to do both.  We got all dressed up for prom . . . but went to The Big E first!  Yep.  We showed up at Natalie's concert dressed like this.  #BestPromDateEver

I'm just telling you now.  If there had been a Red Carpet that night at The Executive Inn, we would have won "Best Dressed."  LOL!  We had a blast at the show (even when I thought it was a good idea to lick the butter off my steak knife . . . while wearing a tuxedo).  And Natalie, as you can imagine, was awesome.  At the time, she was having a lot of success on the pop charts with songs like "Miss You Like Crazy" and "Pink Cadillac."  And while she later won six Grammy awards for her album Unforgettable, my all-time favorite Natalie Cole song was her first one- "This Will Be" from 1975.

Natalie Cole is a true music legend and I am so glad I was in the audience back in 1989 when she came to Owensboro to share her talents on stage at The Executive Inn.

After years of glory and struggle, Natalie Cole is gone at the age of 65.  But her legacy will forever be preserved with videos, memories and ticket stubs.