Singer, songwriter and cellist Ben Sollee brings his genre-spanning music to the Red Clay Theater in Duluth as part of the Eddie Owen Presents series.

FRIDAY
Willie Nelson
Nelson, now 79, only gained fame as a recording artist in the mid-’70s, well over a decade after Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” (which he wrote) hit the pop charts in 1961. He hasn’t had an album reach the Top 40 since 1983, but he’s still making great music and taking it on the road nearly 30 years later. The man will always be a star.
8 p.m. June 15. $35.50-$55.50. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive. 404-233-2227.

SATURDAY
Ben Sollee
Sollee is a difficult musician to categorize. No pigeonhole seems adequate for this singing, songwriting cellist. With his latest, “Inclusions,” it seems Sollee takes a turn toward rock and rhythm. “Hurting” offers hints of Andrew Bird and Ray LaMontagne, but then come the spare cello-and-vocal of “Embrace” and the striking, horn-driven “Bible Belt” and he’s surprised us again. Sollee’s become a pretty regular visitor to Atlanta. He headlined the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s River Revival in May and his latest release is “Live at Grocery on Home,” recorded at the intimate little music room in Grant Park.
8 p.m. June 16. $23; $20 in advance. Eddie Owen Presents at Red Clay Theatre, 3116 Main St., Duluth. 404-478-2749.

SATURDAY
Anita Baker
Baker (left, photo: Getty Images) has the kind of voice that the word sultry was invented to describe. It’s a deep and soulful purr that’s been inspiring romantic feelings since she launched her solo career in the early ’80s. The gorgeous, Grammy-winning “Rapture,” her 1986 multi-platinum breakthrough, is easily one of that decade’s finest R&B albums.
8 p.m. June 16. $25-$89. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive. 404- 733-4900.

SATURDAY
Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash 17
The radio station celebrates another year with a lineup of some of the biggest names in rap and hip-hop. As usual, the bill has a definite local flavor, with Atlanta-based stars such as T.I., Gucci Mane, Future and Travis Porter joined by Rick Ross, Kirko Bangz and more.
7 p.m. June 16. $10.79-$104. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive. 404-878-3000.

SATURDAY
Man Man
Philadelphia quartet Man Man turns barely controlled chaos into joyous live celebrations. Simple melodies and a carnival-like atmosphere emerge from transgressive sounds and insistent rhythms. The band’s early work was hacked into weird shapes by art’s machete, but now the effect is more laser-like. The musical forms are as strange as ever, but they’re more appealing to the senses. “Life Fantastic,” the band’s 2011 release, proves that Man Man gets better with each new album.
8 p.m. June 16. $15. Terminal West, 887 W. Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta.

SUNDAY
Gov’t Mule, Dr. John
Allman Brothers/Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes plays a bold, elastic version of Southern-fried blues-rock, which will never grow stale as long as he’s around to give it a kick every now and then. Dr. John is a New Orleans treasure who seems revitalized on his 2011 album “Locked Down,” which, with an assist from the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, gives his swampy musical gumbo a fresh jolt of energy.
7:30 p.m. June 17. $35.50-$37.50. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive. 404-233-2227.

SUNDAY
The Cult
This British rock outfit has had a tumultuous history since its mid- to late-’80s heyday. The band — with original vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy on board — revisited a career pinnacle, the 1985 album “Love,” with a 2009 tour that came through town. Now they have a new album to showcase with “Choice of Weapon.” It’s the band’s first studio recording since 2007’s “Born Into This.” It’s a big improvement that harks back to some of the Cult’s best work in the late ’80s. With Against Me.
8 p.m. June 17. $26-$34. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. N.W. 404-659-9022.

TUESDAY
El-P
El-P (above, photo: Timothy Saccenti) the founder of indie-rap label Definitive Jux and the former production maestro for Company Flow. The dense, experimental music of that group’s mind-bending 1999 debut, “Funcrusher Plus,” was the precursor to much of today’s underground rap. His own 2002 album “Fantastic Damage” is one of the genre’s defining documents. His new album, “Cancer 4 Cure,” is among the best reviewed of his career.
8 p.m. June 19. $16. The Masquerade, 695 North Ave. N.E. 404-577-8178.

THURSDAY
Robert Earl Keen
Keen (right, photo: Peter Figen)  is a master storyteller both in song and, in a live setting, between the tunes. His voice is the perfect vehicle for the telling of tales. His easy drawl has a sardonic edge, like he’s telling you something naughty, but it can also convey genuine heartache. If you sample just one Keen song, make it “The Road Goes on Forever,” a fan favorite. Originally released on 1989’s “West Textures,” it’s the vivid tale of a waitress named Sherry (“A girl who’d been around”) and small-time pot dealer Sonny and their adventures on the wrong side of the law. It combines humor and heartbreak in one finely crafted package, and that’s what Keen does best.
8 p.m. June 21. $27.50; $25 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E. 404-524-7354.

Shane Harrison / sharrison@ajc.com