Fred Nelson III
When “Too Hot to Handel” returns to Chicago this weekend, the uplifting gospel, jazz and blues version of George Frideric Handel’s holiday classic “Messiah” will be given an extra dose of Chicago soul by organist Fred Nelson III, a Chicago-born musical aficionado who has worked with A-list singers, including singer Aretha Franklin.
Nelson, 64, will serve as the organist for “Too Hot to Handel,” which will be performed this weekend for four shows at the historic Auditorium Theater, 50 East Ida B. Wells Drive in the Loop.
The high-spirited production is expected to wow audiences on Saturday and Sunday with three of its biggest stars: soprano Alfreda Burke, her husband, tenor Rodrick Dixon, and alto Karen-Marie Richardson. Beloved Pianist Alvin Waddles will also be back this year. This will be the 18th year the production will be performed in Chicago. Last year, “Too Hot to Handel” was cancelled in Chicago and held in Detroit at the Detroit Opera House.
Joining the ensemble this year is Nelson, who organizers asked to serve as the organist of “Too Hot to Handel” along with three other musicians.
The show brings the audience to their feet with its bluesy vocalists, but Too Hot to Handel enthusiasts can expect more soul in this year’s production.
In a phone interview with the Crusader, Nelson said the rhythm portion of the production will have a gospel flavor.
‘Too Hot to Handel’ show at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater.
“It’s like soul food without seasoning, but we’re going to add some seasoning to it,” Nelson said.
For Nelson, the position is a delightful reunion with Burke and Dixon, whom he has worked on many productions for years as their producer. Nelson said he also worked on several orchestra arrangements.
“We did a lot of shows together, and they said, ‘we really wanted to add some soul’ [to Too Hot to Handel.]”
Nelson said he saw “Too Hot to Handel” in Chicago years ago. He told the Crusader that he appreciates the show because “it allows people who would not go see Handel’s “Messiah,” to hear the biblical oratorio on the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Both Handel’s “Messiah” and “Too Hot to Handel” end with the rousing Hallelujah Chorus. But the one in “Too Hot to Handel” takes the song up several notches with its awe-inspiring vocals and animated dance moves.
Nelson’s relationship with Burke and Dixon goes back years. Years ago, when the three were in South Africa, Nelson wrote the gospel song “Heal the Land,” which is about the floods in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Born in Chicago, Nelson graduated from St. Leo High School in Auburn Gresham. He was a member of the prominent Nelson gospel family in Chicago. His father, Fred Nelson Jr, helped shape the gospel sound in Chicago in the 1950s, 60s and 70s as an organist at the First Church of Deliverance in Bronzeville.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Fred Nelson III began playing the organ at First Church of Deliverance at 6 years old as an opener for singer Ray Charles. He studied music at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.
In 2011, singer Aretha Franklin hired Nelson as her conductor, who would accompany her on concert tours. “It was an experience that I never had before,” Nelson said. “During one concert, Aretha called me into her dressing room and said she wanted to change the lyrics of one song slightly. I said, ‘Done.’
Nelson would serve as Franklin’s conductor until her death in 2018. Franklin also served as producer, conductor and arranger for singers Jennifer Hudson and Gladys Knight.
Nelson said he learned how to put soul into music from his years with Franklin. He aims to do that with “Too Hot to Handel” this weekend.
“As a musician, even though you’re reading notes on a page, the message still comes from inside of you,” Nelson said. That’s what connects you to your audience.”