Atlantic City Headliners

ZZ Top is throwing a party this weekend at Revel and you’re invited. “The idea is simple –– come on out and let’s get down,” says frontman and guitarist Billy Gibbons, who performs with the band 9 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Ovation Hall.

WHO ARE THEY: The Whispers were formed in the mid-1960s, but it wasn’t until the ‘70s and ‘80s that they began scoring hit singles. Their two biggest chart successes were the 1980 track “And the Beat Goes on” and the 1985 Top 10 hit “Rock Steady.” In 2003, The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and in 2008 they won the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award.

WHO ARE THEY:  Charlie Wilson was the lead singer of the legendary R&B group The Gap Band. Over the course of the band’s history, it managed to score two gold and three platinum albums. The Gap Band scored No. 1 R&B hits with “Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me),” “Early in the Morning,” “Outstanding” and “Addicted to Your Love.” Wilson’s most recent solo album, “Uncle Charlie,” was a smash, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200. The singer was nominated for two Grammy Awards for the album and was named Billboard Magazine’s 2009 Top Urban Adult Contemporary Artist.

WHO IS HE: Anthony Jeselnik is a stand-up comedian and writer who became familiar to many through his participation in Comedy Central roasts. In 2009, Jeselnik worked as a writer for “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” and a year later he released his debut comedy album, “Shakespeare.” In 2013, Jeselnik hosted his own series, “The Jeselnik Offensive” on Comedy Central. He also released a second comedy album, “Caligula.”

Soundgarden may have come out of Seattle in the early ’90s, but it's never been part of the grunge movement –– then or now — says bass player Ben Shepherd.

WHO IS SHE: Comedian Wanda Sykes began her stand-up career in 1987 by entering a Washington D.C. talent competition. In 1992, she quit her day job and moved to New York to pursue comedy full-time. She got her big break opening for Chris Rock at Caroline’s Comedy Club and in 1997 she was hired as a writer for “The Chris Rock Show.” In 2003, Sykes landed her own show on Fox called “Wanda at Large,” however it proved to be short-lived. The comedian also starred in her own Comedy Central special that same year and wrote a book titled “Yeah, I Said It,” which was released in 2004. Sykes landed a role on “The New Adventures of Old Christine” in 2006 and provided voiceovers in the films “Over the Hedge,” “Barnyard” and “Brother Bear 2.”

WHO IS HE: R&B singer Avant released his debut album “My Thoughts” in May 2000. His first hit was “Separated” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard R&B charts. Avant’s sophomore effort, “Ecstasy,” was released in 2002 and featured the production work of Steve Huff who also worked on “My Thoughts.” The albums “Private Room” and “Director” followed in the next few years and each contained its share of R&B hits with “Director” reaching as high as No. 4 on the Billboard 200. A self-titled album was released in 2008 and “The Letter” came out in 2010.

Furthur guitarist John Kadlecik is still pinching himself. Four years after being asked to join the jam band co-founded by the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, Kadlecik still can’t quite believe he gets to share the stage with these iconic musicians every night.

WHO IS SHE: Pat Benatar was discovered at the Catch a Rising Star club in New York City in the late 1970s and released her debut album “In the Heat of the Night” in 1979. The album contained the radio hits “Heartbreaker” and “I Need a Lover.” Benatar’s backing band was led by guitarist Neil Giraldo, who she later married. Her sophomore release “Crimes of Passion” went double platinum and made her an arena headliner. It featured the hits “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Treat Me Right” and “You Better Run.” Benatar was featured heavily on MTV in its early days, which helped her career immensely. Other hits during the ’80s included “Love is a Battlefield,” “Shadows of the Night,” “We Belong,” “Fire and Ice,” “Promises in the Dark” and “Invincible.”

WHO IS SHE: Sara Evans left her farm home in Missouri in 1991, heading to Nashville in hopes of pursuing her dream of becoming a country singer. By 1997, Evans had released “Three Chords and the Truth” for RCA Records and was well on her way. “No Place that Far” followed in 1998 and took a more contemporary approach. Evans’ third album, “Born to Fly,” reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Country Charts and the title track proved to be a major hit. “Restless,” which was released in 2003, featured the hit songs “Suds in the Bucket” and “Perfect.”

If it feels like ages since you’ve seen comedian/actor Paul Reiser among the headliners in Atlantic City, you’re right.

WHO ARE THEY: The Gipsy Kings emerged from France with its self-titled album of flamenco music in 1988 and was a huge success right away. The album was a Top 10 hit in more than a dozen countries worldwide and established the group as a powerhouse in Latin and world music. The Gipsy Kings followed up its success with more hit albums including “Mosaique,” “Allegria,” “Este Mundo” and “Love & Liberte.” The 1993 film “Fearless” featured the group’s song “Sin Ella,” and in 1995 “The Best of the Gipsy Kings” provided new fans with a glimpse into what has made the group so successful. “The Best of the Gipsy Kings” also featured the hit song “A tu Vera.”

WHO IS HE: Few personify the term “living legend” greater than Smokey Robinson. As a singer, writer, producer and music executive, Robinson had more to do with the early success of Motown than any other performer. His sweet falsetto coupled with romantic lyrics and perfectly crafted pop tunes enabled Robinson to score constant top 10 pop hits throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. First with The Miracles and later as a solo artist, Robinson’s hits included “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Tears of a Clown,” “Ooh Baby, Baby” and “Cruisin’.” The Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer also wrote monster hits for The Temptations including “My Girl,” and the No. 1 single “My Guy” for Mary Wells.

WHO ARE THEY: Badfish is a three-piece tribute to Sublime, the innovative rock/pop/groove band whose career was cut short tragically with the death of lead singer Brad Nowell in 1996. The band incorporates the spirit of Sublime into an authentic tribute that has proven to be quite successful. Badfish maintains a rigorous touring schedule and has a dedicated following of fans who offer much support.

WHO ARE THEY: In 1968, The Temptations faced the difficult task of replacing its  popular, charismatic lead singer, David Ruffin. Thankfully for the group, it found a more-than-able replacement in singer Dennis Edwards. With Edwards at the helm, the group won its first Grammy award and scored the hit singles “Papa was a Rolling Stone,” “Memories,” “Ball of Confusion,” “Can’t Get Next to You” and “Cloud Nine.” Edwards was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Temptations in 1989. In addition to Edwards, the Temptations Revue features singers David Sea, Mike Patillo, Bernard Gibson and Chris Arnold.

WHO IS SHE: Although she had been making albums for five years, it wasn't until 1998 with her fifth album, "When I Look Into Your Eyes," that Diana Krall's career really began to take off. The Canadian wound up taking home a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, while "When I Look Into Your Eyes" became the first jazz album to be nominated for Album of the Year in 25 years. 2001's "The Look of Love" topped the Billboard charts and went quintuple platinum in Canada. Over the course of her career, Krall has sold more than 6 million albums in the U.S. and more than 15 million worldwide. She also has had eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

WHO IS HE: Through his work with both The Drifters and as a solo artist, Ben E. King proved to be one of the most influential R&B singers of all time. As a member of The Drifters, King sang lead on hits such as “There Goes my Baby,” “Dance with Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “I Count the Tears.” King departed for a solo career in 1960 and scored a hit with “Spanish Harlem” the following year. His biggest hit and signature song however, was “Stand by Me” which topped the R&B charts and reached the top five on the pop charts. Other hits included “Amor,” “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied) and “I (Who Have Nothing).”

WHO IS HE: Johnny Mathis has sustained one of the longest-running and most successful careers of any male singer in the adult contemporary genre. The singer tailored his musical approach by concentrating on romantic renditions of pop and jazz standards. He was initially successful on the singles charts during the late 1950s, but soon switched his focus to albums, a dozen of which reached gold or platinum status. By the 1970s, Mathis began incorporating soft rock into his repertoire and managed to score the No. 1 single “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” in 1978.

WHO ARE THEY: Sunidhi Chauhan is a playback singer from India whose songs have been featured in numerous Bollywood films. Chauhan sang the hit song “Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi” in the film “Mast,” which served as her breakthrough. She has won three Filmfare Awards, having been nominated for 12 over the years.

WHO ARE THEY: Matt & Kim is an indie duo from Brooklyn, N.Y., comprised of Matt Johnson on vocals and keyboards and Kim Schifino on drums. The bands self-titled independent debut album was released in 2006 and was a modest affair. For its follow-up Grand, Matt & Kim signed on with the label FADER. A video for the track Lessons Learned featured the duo stripping naked in Times Square and became a viral hit, eventually winning the Breakthrough Video award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. The album "Sidewalks" was released in November 2010 and Matt & Kim headlined two separate U.S. tours in support of it, in addition to supporting Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance in fall 2011. In June 2012, the duo released Lightning, which included standout tracks such as "Let's Go," "It's Alright" and "Now."

WHO IS HE: When he was just 12 years old, country singer Gary Allan was already hitting the bars on the southern California honky-tonk circuit with his father’s band. By 1996, Allan had his own band, a recording contract with Decca and a debut album release, “Used Heart for Sale.” In 2001, Allan scored his first No. 1 hit with “Man to Man” from the album “Alright Guy.” 2005’s “Tough All Over” was a Top 10 hit.

WHO ARE THEY: The sons of four legendary Greek singers — Yiannis Parios, Stratos Dionyssiou, Grigoris Bithikotsis and Stamatis Kokotas — have teamed up to pay tribute to their fathers as part of the Tribute to the Legends — Songs of our Fathers tour. The lineup consists of Dimitris Kokotas, Grigoris Bithikotsis, Haris Varthakouris and Stelios Dionyssiou.

WHO ARE THEY: Singer/songwriter Aaron Bruno formed the electronic rock group AWOLNATION in 2009 after success with other bands including Under the Influence of Giants. AWOLNATION’s debut album released the EP “Back from Earth” in 2010, which paved the way for the full-length debut “Megalithic Symphony,” which was released a year later in 2011. It included the hit song “Sail” as well as “Not Your Fault” and “Kill Your Heroes.” The album topped the Billboard Independent charts seven separate times in 2012 and has sold more than 330,000 copies. The band hit the road hard with more than 250 dates including performances at Coachella and The Voodoo Festival in New Orleans.

Sully Erna is a rock star in transition. The lead singer of Godsmack is taking time off from the alt-metal band to focus on his writing and budding acting career.