An Evening with Hugh Laurie with The Copper Bottom Band

Hugh Laurie, best known as the acerbic Dr. Gregory House in the Fox series "House," is also a talented, passionate and lifelong R & B pianist/vocalist/aficionado, especially inspired by New Orleans' rich musical brew. Laurie will unveil his substantial chops in the company of the Copper Bottom Band.

Laurie's 2010 debut album, the New Orleans driven "Let Them Talk," was produced by Joe Henry and released by Warner Bros. Showcasing such legends as Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Sir Tom Jones and Laurie's lifelong hero Dr. John, the recording revives a much neglected body of work from Lead Belly, Robert Johnson, Ray Charles and Memphis Slim. "Let Them Talk – A Celebration of New Orleans Blues" also debuted on PBS’ Great Performances in September 2011.

Laurie has displayed his musical talents previously, playing piano on "If I Can’t Have You," a track from Meat Loaf's 2010 album, "Hang Cool Teddy Bear." As he describes it, "I was not born in Alabama in the 1890s. You may as well know this now. I've never eaten grits, cropped a share, or ridden a boxcar. Let this record show that I am a white, middle-class Englishman, openly trespassing on the music and myth of the American south."

Born in Oxford, Laurie began playing piano at age six and was bit hard by the blues bug after hearing a song by Willie Dixon on the radio. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge where he met actors Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry. Throughout the 1990s, he starred in such Hollywood films as "101 Dalmatians" and "The Man in the Iron Mask," landing his star-making role as Dr. House in 2004, which earned him several Golden Globe nominations and a nod for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama in 2006 and 2007. Laurie is also a best-selling author, releasing the spy spoof thriller "The Gun Seller" in 1998.