Serita Crowley of Serita’s Black Rose
Self-professed "Funkateer" and award-winning singer, Serita Crowley of Serita’s Black Rose from Grand Rapids, Michigan, delivers a raucous mix of FUNK, ROCK, BLUES, NEO-SOUL, and AMERICANA. Serita, along with her partner Jon Hayes, form the core of the band, performing together for over two decades. Whether as an acoustic duo or a full band, they play timeless “feel good music” from the 60s and 70s alongside their original songs. Their self-titled EP, released in 2012, has won several awards, including WYCE's Jammie Award for "Best Short Form Album."
The duo has also served as the supporting act for music icon Smokey Robinson of Motown and the legendary rock band Kansas. Serita’s fiery, blues- and soul-infused vocals come straight from the heart, delivering a performance that is connected, dynamic, raw, versatile, engaging, and constantly emotive. The duo’s intuitive musical chemistry is evident, taking the audience on a journey through various genres with musical excellence and deep heart. When performing with their full band, the energy is amplified, making covers their own and bringing original songwriting to life. Serita just BRINGS IT. EVERY TIME!
"The first time I heard her sing, she blew me away. I feel that Serita is one of these great singers that has fallen through the cracks, a musical oversight by the industry," said Redding.
Northern Express - Rick Coates, "BLEW ME AWAY"
"With a powerful voice inspired by the likes of Big Mama Thornton and Koko Taylor, Crowley can raise the hairs on the back of a listener's neck with her resonant, passionate delivery of classic blues!"
Local Spins - John Sinkevics
Bio written with contributions from:
Rick Coates – Northern Express
John Sinkevics – Local Spins
Melody Joy Pollard
Greg Nagy
A multi-faceted artist in the most classic sense, Greg Nagy’s songwriting, singing, and guitar playing beautifully reveal his personalized music, refreshingly and honestly infused with elements of soul, R&B, rock, and gospel. His debut release, Walk That Fine Thin Line, was so unique and impressive that it earned Nagy a prestigious Best New Artist Debut nomination from the Blues Foundation in Memphis. It also received favorable reviews from top media outlets like DownBeat, All About Jazz, Blues Revue, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Living Blues, Hittin’ The Note, Elmore Magazine, and more. DJs throughout North America, Europe, and Australia responded enthusiastically to Nagy’s music, which debuted at #14 on the National Living Blues Radio charts and peaked at #3 on XM satellite radio — no small achievement.
Nagy raised his own bar with the dynamic follow-up, Fell Toward None. Ken Bays of Rollingstone.com called the release one of the best of 2011. Nagy also received high praise from notables like Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records and Sing Out Magazine. The record further solidified his place in the upper echelon of contemporary blues-inspired artists, charting at #3 on XM radio once again.
Following this success, Nagy was honored to perform at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Memphis for the Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, sharing the stage with icons like Buddy Guy and Allen Toussaint. Nagy's third release, Stranded, an eclectic blend of original blues, soul, and R&B released in February 2015, received four stars from Soul Bag and DownBeat, as well as high praise from Vintage Guitar and Blues in Britain. Stranded also spent 14 weeks at Number One and seven consecutive months in the Top Ten on the Root Music Soul/R&B charts. In high rotation on XM/Sirius and spinning on hundreds of stations around the globe, Stranded made DownBeat’s Best of 2015 list and was listed as the #2 album of the year on Root Music Report’s Soul and R&B charts.
Greg was a performing, writing, producing, and recording member of the acclaimed Michigan band Root Doctor for five years. Their album Change Our Way was nominated for a BMA in the Soul Blues Category and charted in the Top Ten for Living Blues Radio Charts in 2007. Greg has also recorded a duet with Georgia Music Hall Of Famer E.G. Kight on her BMA-nominated release Bad Times (produced by Paul Hornsby). Most recently, he recorded guitar and vocals for Grammy-winning artist Bobby Murray. On this release, Greg sings the title track, which is about Bobby's former boss of 23 years, the great Etta James. Love Letters From Detroit won a DMA (Detroit Music Award) in 2022. He also recorded vocals on a track with Ronnie Earl and Nick Taborias on Nick's soon-to-be-released album. Currently, Nagy is touring with the Larry McCray Band.
Bio written with contributions from:
Frank Hadley (DownBeat Magazine)
Ken Bays (Rollingstone.com)
Tickets
$20 - General Admission
Time
Doors at 5pm
Show at 7pm
Enjoy dinner menu and bar (not included in ticket price)