Words could not begin to express the collective sorrow experienced yesterday at the news of the passing of Michael Jackson.

In this clip of Warner Bros. Records recording artist Eric Hutchinson performing “OK, Its Alright With Me” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Hutchinson pays homage with a single sequined glove atop his piano:

Watch “OK, It’s Alright with Me” video:

Eric Hutchinson Official Website

After closing out 2008 with his hit single “Rock & Roll” in the #1 spot at AAA radio, Eric Hutchinson just kicked off 2009 with a performance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and now he’s set to go on two tours.

His outing with O.A.R. launches this Thursday in Spokane, WA and he just finalized plans to tour with G. Love & Special Sauce thereafter. (See below for itinerary.)

Watch “Rock & Roll” video:

Eric Hutchinson on amazon.com

Eric Hutchinson on amazon.co.uk

With “Rock & Roll,” the lead single from his Warner Bros. Records debut, ‘Sounds Like This’, Hutchinson was the only new artist to score a #1 single at AAA radio in 2008. “Rock & Roll” made a strong showing overall in 2008, coming in at #30 on R&R’s year-end AAA rankings.

The accompanying video, lensed by David Mullett, was the #1 most played video at VH1 for four straight weeks and spent four weeks in Gung Ho rotation. It has also received play on MTVu, MuchMoreMusic and Logo’s NewNowNext. Now “Rock & Roll” is breaking internationally – it was recently Most Added when it went to Australian radio and has been heard on “Packed to the Rafters,” the #1 television show there.

Hutchinson has been selected for Yahoo! Music’s prestigious “Who’s Next” program and will be featured on the home page beginning this Friday. A VH1 “You Oughta Know” artist, he was one of eight musicians featured on iTunes’ “POP: Best New Artists 2008″ list. Hailed as “undeniably charismatic” in concert by The Washington Post, Hutchinson toured continuously in 2008 and also appeared on numerous network television shows, including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Bonnie Hunt Show” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.”

Eric Hutchinson North American Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

On tour with O.A.R. (except where noted otherwise):

1/15 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
1/16 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
1/17 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
1/19 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
1/20 Sacramento, CA The Blue Lamp (headlining date – not with O.A.R.)
1/21 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
1/23 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia L.A. Live
1/24 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
1/25 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
1/28 San Diego, CA House of Blues
1/29 La Jolla, CA UCSD (headlining date – not with O.A.R.)
1/30 San Diego, CA House of Blues
1/31 Houston, TX House of Blues
2/3 Dallas, TX House of Blues
2/5 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
2/10 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre (headlining date – not with O.A.R.)

On tour with G. Love & Special Sauce:

2/13 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
2/14 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
2/15 Bossier City, LA Riverdome
2/17 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s
2/19 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
2/20 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing
2/21 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
2/25 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge
3/2 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
3/3 Albuquerque, NM El Rey Theatre
3/5 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
3/11 Chico, CA Senator Theater
3/12 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
3/14 Lake Tahoe, CA Caesar’s South Shore Room

Eric Hutchinson Official Website
Eric Hutchinson MySpace

Eric Hutchinson, one of the latest artists to be featured in VH1’s high-profile “You Oughta Know” program, will kick off a headlining tour on November 7th, 2008. Charlotte Sometimes and Matt Hires will open on the tour, which will conclude December 13th with a show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom.

Sounds Like This on amazon.com

An exclusive iTunes edition of ‘Sounds Like This’, Hutchinson’s debut album, will be released on October 14th, 2008. It will feature two bonus tracks – “OK, It’s Alright With Me” and “You Don’t Have To Believe Me” – that Hutchinson recorded earlier this year while guesting on NPR’s “World Cafe” – plus the official video for lead single “Rock & Roll.”

Watch “Rock & Roll” video:

Lensed by U.K. director David Mullett (Babyshambles, Lucky Soul, Vinyl), the video is currently being played on VH1, MTVu and LOGO. “Rock & Roll,” which is a Top 10 hit at AAA radio, will be released as a digital single October 14th. It was featured in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as well as the film’s soundtrack, ad and viral campaign. Hutchinson, who recently performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” has been confirmed for appearances on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “The Bonnie Hunt Show.”

Tapped by MSN’s “Ones To Watch” program for the month of October and as an “Artist to Watch” by Clear Channel’s “NEW!” program for November, Hutchinson was hailed as “a new pop sensation” by Entertainment Weekly and has also appeared in the pages of USA Today, The Washington Post, Wired, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Hutchinson, who has been on the road this year with OneRepublic, Missy Higgins, Marié Digby, Ingrid Michaelson and Blind Melon, heads out on tour with Jack’s Mannequin on October 14th. ‘Sounds Like This’ will be released in Japan on October 22nd and Hutchinson will tour there in late January.

Eric Hutchinson 2008 North American Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

As direct support for Jack’s Mannequin:

10/14 Atlanta, GA The Loft
10/15 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
10/17 Orlando, FL The Social
10/18 Delray Beach, FL City Limits
10/19 St. Petersburg, FL The State Theatre
10/21 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
10/22 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
10/23 Austin, TX Antone’s
10/26 Tucson, AZ The Rock
10/27 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
10/28 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
10/30 Santa Barbara, CA UCSB
10/31 San Diego, CA House of Blues
11/2 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
11/3 Sparks, NV The New Oasis

Headlining with Charlotte Sometimes and Matt Hires opening
(except where noted otherwise):

11/7 Seattle, WA The High Dive
11/8 Portland, OR Berbati’s Pan
11/9 Vancouver, BC The Plaza Club
11/10 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory w/Augustana opening
11/11 Boise, ID The Venue
11/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
11/14 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
11/15 Lincoln, NE Knickerbockers
11/17 Des Moines, IA People’s Court
11/18 Chicago, IL Double Door
11/21 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue w/Mofro & Trombone Shorty opening
11/23 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
11/25 Columbus, OH The Basement
11/28 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
11/29 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Cafe
11/30 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
12/2 Montreal, QC Les Saints
12/3 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
12/4 Troy, NY Revolution Hall
12/5 Portland, ME The Station
12/6 Hartford, CT Webster Underground
12/7 Cambridge, MA The Middle East
12/9 Baltimore, MD The 8 x 10
12/10 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall
12/13 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom

Eric Hutchinson Official Website
MySpace

Warner Bros. Records recording artist Eric Hutchinson has been named a VH1 “You Oughta Know” artist.

In this high-profile program that champions artists on the rise, Hutchinson will be featured in all VH1 platforms.

The video for his Top 20 AAA hit “Rock & Roll,” lensed by U.K. director David Mullett (Babyshambles, Lucky Soul, Vinyl), has already been added by VH1, MTVu, MuchMoreMusic and Logo’s “NewNowNext.”

Hutchinson, who was tapped as an “Artist to Watch” by Clear Channel’s “NEW!” program last month and MSN’s “Ones To Watch” for the month of October, will be the direct support for Jack’s Mannequin’s upcoming U.S. tour, which launches on October 14th, 2008.

Tickets go on sale September 13th, 2008.

Hutchinson was the #1 Most Added new artist at AAA when “Rock & Roll,” the lead single from his full-length debut, ‘Sounds Like This’, went to radio. “Rock & Roll” is featured in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″ and on the film’s soundtrack, ad and viral campaign. The track is the No. 1 download from the soundtrack.

“Eric Hutchinson is hard to beat,” said The Washington Post in a recent live review, while the Los Angeles Times praised his “playful R&B-tinged rhythms.”

Popmatters.com found ‘Sounds Like This’ “refreshingly inventive and uniquely soulful…. smart arrangements and Hutchinson’s bold charm combine to make it this summer’s most guilt-free guilty pleasure.”

Hutchinson has been on the road non-stop this year, touring with OneRepublic, Missy Higgins, Marie Digby and Blind Melon in between headlining runs. The fall tour will be his second with Jack’s Mannequin. Upcoming dates are as follows:

Eric Hutchinson 2008 tour dates:

w/ Jack’s Mannequin

(Dates and information subject to change.)

10/14 Atlanta, GA The Loft
10/15 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
10/17 Orlando, FL The Social
10/18 Delray Beach, FL City Limits
10/19 St. Petersburg, FL The State Theatre
10/21 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
10/22 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
10/23 Austin, TX Antone’s
10/26 Tucson, AZ The Rock
10/27 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
10/30 Santa Barbara, CA UCSB
10/31 San Diego, CA House of Blues
11/2 San Francisco, CA Slim’s *

MySpace
Eric Hutchinson Official Website