The music industry has a long and storied tradition of taking original hits and transforming them into something else entirely.

Who can forget Pat Boone, who topped the pop charts with his ultra-sanitized versions of Little Richard songs? Or 101 Strings, who turned the honky-tonk hits of Hank Williams into uplifting elevator music? Or Alvin & The Chipmunks, whose squeaky-clean covers of Lipps Inc.’s “Funkytown” and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” will live on in infamy?

Enter Vitamin String Quartet, scheduled to play Thursday night in Newport News. The musical project reimagines contemporary music through the lens of classical instrumentation. While the quartet has covered at least a few of the same artists as 101 Strings, the similarities end there. The group doesn’t simply transpose po

See Full Page