Years ago, a few young college students began a vocal performance group in Providence, Rhode Island. That group, Rockapella, which soon moved to performing on New York City street corners with a tip hat at their feet, built from a collegiate hobby into an internationally known vocal powerhouse. They’ll be in the Napa Valley Thursday night to present their own valentine at the Lincoln Theater.

The undisputed kings of contemporary a cappella music, Rockapella continues to inspire and attract devoted fans, new and old. Rockapella’s members include Kevin Wright, John K. Brown, Scott Leonard, George Baldi and Jeff Thacher.

In the early 1990s, Rockapella caught the eye of a producer putting together a television special about the growing genre of “contemporary” a cappella music. After filmmaker Spike Lee and entertainer Debbie Allen signed on to host this program, it became “Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella,” and aired for several years on PBS, producing a soundtrack and video.

Rockapella’s appearance on the PBS show soon led the creators of a zany new daily geography game show to give Rockapella a call. They were seeking original music for their show’s theme song and elements, as well as some smart on-camera comic relief. “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” was born, together with a companion soundtrack CD containing original music by the group. Soon live appearances and collaborations with major recording artists began to appear on their resume.

In late 1992, realizing they were writing more and more sophisticated songs and heading toward a fuller “band” sound, that Rockapella held auditions for a full-time mouth drummer, or “vocal percussionist” to begin performing, fully amplified, alongside them just like a real drummer. Jeff Thacher joined the group in this role shortly afterward, pioneering a future wave of young mouth drummers or “beat boxers” who today continue to study his talents and style.

“Some say the best musical instrument of all is the human voice — if you’ve seen Rockapella you know that’s the truth,” wrote a USA Today critic.

Rockapella performs Thursday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. For tickets to Rockapella which are $20, $30, $40 and $50 contact the Lincoln Theater Box Office, 100 California Drive, Yountville, by calling 944-1300 or by going to www.lincolntheater.org.

Rockapella

Lincoln Theater Napa Valley

Thursday, Feb.14

Tickets $20-$50

Lincoln Theater Box Office 944-1300 or

www.lincolntheater.org.