MCCC PROUD TO SUPPORT 2025 LIBRARY BLUES SERIES SET TO BEGIN IN LATE JANUARY
MONROE, Mich. -- Monroe County Community College is proud to join several other local and regional organizations in supporting the 2025 Monroe County Blues Series presented by the Monroe County Library System.
A wide range of blues music styles will be delivered via live performances scheduled for this annual celebration of February as Black History Month.
The 2025 program opens with the popular "Tuesday is Blues Day" series featuring evening performances in six community library branches.
Concerts begin on Tuesday, January 28 and run every Tuesday through March 4. For the full schedule, go to https://mymcls.com/events/blues-series/.
Artists performing will include finger-style and slide guitarist Rollie Tussing, Detroit’s “Prince of the Blues” Chris Canas in a solo show, the Brothers Groove paying tribute to the late “Gentleman of the Blues” Johnnie Bassett, Detroit writer Bill Harris with Rev. Robert Jones in an exploration of the universal appeal of the blues through music and poetry, accordion player Mark Palms and acclaimed Louisiana fiddler Cedric Watson in a celebration of Mardi Gras with Creole music, and Toledo’s dynamic gospel group Nikki D & The Sisters of Thunder.
The 2025 Big Gig, the series’ multi-act concert, will take place on Saturday, February 22 in the La-Z-Boy Center, Meyer Theater at MCCC, which is located at 1555 S. Raisinville Rd. It is free and open to the public; seating will be general admission.
In celebrating Black History Month and “the roots of all American music,” this year’s show will take a journey through blues styles that influenced pop and American roots music in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. Rev. Robert B. Jones will carry on the program’s long tradition of serving as the master of ceremonies and opening with a set of acoustic country blues coming out of the South. Ann Arbor’s renowned guitarist George Bedard and the Kingpins will play a mix of blues and related styles, including rockabilly, swing, jazz, country and rock and roll mostly from the 1950s. Veteran Chicago-area singer Nora Jean Wallace and her band will explore blues coming out of the Delta in the deep South and up to Chicago.
Now in its 38th year, the library’s blues program has earned national and state recognition from the Public Library Association and the Michigan Library Association, as well as received the Blues Foundation's “Keeping the Blues Alive Award.”
Support for the series comes from the 2025 Blues Coalition, including Monroe County Library System, MCCC, DTE Foundation, Monroe NAACP, Friends of Bedford, Friends of Carleton, Friends of Dorsch, Friends of Ellis, Friends of Ida and Friends of South Rockwood.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition. The college’s mission is to enrich lives in our community by providing opportunity through student-focused, affordable, quality higher education and other learning experiences. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located in Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.
About MCCC's La-Z-Boy Center and Meyer Theater
MCCC’s 52,000-square-foot La-Z-Boy Center provides exciting opportunities for students and the community and is flexible enough to respond to three equally important needs – cultural arts programming, customized training for business and industry, and unparalleled space for community activities and conferences.
By virtue of its technical attributes and scaled size, the 575-seat Meyer Theater within the La-Z-Boy Center permits for a broad range of performances – from comedic to musical to theatrical and more – that require high-end lighting, sound production, set design and staging.
The La-Z-Boy Center has strengthened MCCC as a focal point for major community events and conferences and affirmed the college as a well-defined community resource where people expect and look forward to experiencing high-quality educational and cultural enrichment.
Through partnerships with educational, cultural, civic and governmental entities over the years, the facility has become an educational and cultural destination for all of Monroe County and beyond.