Big Mike Aguirre and The Blu City All Stars have become one of the premier soul and blues bands in St. Louis. They are known for playing music of the Mississippi River: St. Louis Blues, Memphis Soul, New Orleans Funk, and everything in between. Big Mike is not only an incredible blues guitarist, but has a soothing and expressive voice with  a charismatic stage presence to go along with it.

The Blu City All Stars consist of Andy Coco on bass, guitar, and vocals, Nathan Hershey on organ, clavinet, Rhodes, keys, and vocals, and Kevin Bowers on drums and percussion. This group is made up of musicians of the highest ranking and talent in St. Louis.

Dave Black has worked with many artists from a wide range of musical genres that includes Jazz, Blues, Rock, Country, Bluegrass and Folk. He has worked with various notables including Richard 'Groove' Holmes, Bucky Pizzerelli, David Liebman, Fareed Haque, Little Anthony & The Imperials and The Drifters. Plus, Dave keeps himself busy working as a freelancer in the St. Louis area, performing and recording with many local artists.

In 1997 St. Louis' all-original jazz quartet, Brilliant Corners released their CD 'Two Road' (MaxJazz) featuring compositions by Dave and other fellow band members including Paul DeMarinis, Dan Eubanks and Kevin Gianino. Then, in 2000 Dave released his own CD 'Alone & Together' (Wildstone Audio) which showcases his advanced skill as a solo guitarist.

Dave's latest release, 'Departures' (Wildstone Audio) released in 2006 features his own group that includes bassist Marc Torlina and drummer Matt Kimmick. It contains all original material with styles ranging from Jazz, Funk, Fusion to Samba, Tango and even Celtic.

Dave is an adjunct professor at Webster University where he teaches Jazz Guitar, Jazz Ensemble and various music history courses.

Austin, Texas born and raised, Hudson Harkins, songwriter, singer, drummer and bandleader, has led his band, Hudson and the Hoo Doo Cats, through over 5,000 gigs since it’s inception in 1989.  During this time, Harkins has fronted the band through a multitude of club dates, concerts, festivals, casino and corporate events, as well as five studio albums.

After living in Austin for 39 years and touring Texas, the Midwest, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Harkins decided to move to Saint Louis, Missouri in 1994 where his band has become quite successful.

Blending the influences of Texas rockin’ blues, country, rockabilly, and swing, with St. Louis’s historic soul, jump blues and groovin’ urban blues, in addition to many of Hudson’s original songs, have proven to play a key role in the band’s long success.

In recent years, Hudson has tapped on some of the finest musicians in the St. Louis area. His band is ever-evolving in different directions with a revolving set of all-star players.

Harkins and his Hoo Doo Cats can adapt to most any situation and has played for such high profile clients as American Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, Fox Sports Network, Ameristar Casinos, The National Baseball League, The British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta, countless municipal events, and many more.

Hudson and the Hoo Doo Cats’ experience, expertise, humor and class will help to make any event a success.

JESSE ROBINSON & THE J ROB BAND If you want to get a wedding reception up on its feet or get a gala crowd down on the dance floor, St. Louis icon Jesse Robinson makes music that moves. Highly popular and highly versatile, lead singer Jesse and his fun, upbeat J Rob Band pull from a playlist that jumps from jazz to blues to R&B to disco without missing a booty-shaking beat.

Jesse’s powerful vocals have been wowing listeners since the 1980s when his R&B quartet Transit Authority hit the Top 40 with “You Make My Life So Right”’. That led to an appearance on “Soul Train,” and gigs as the opening act for The Righteous Brothers, Sheena Easton, Smokey Robinson, The Bacon Brothers, Michael McDonald, D.L. Hughley, and more. Generations of young and old groove to the band’s driving rhythms on pop hits like “September,” “Superstition,” “Shut Up and Dance,” and classics from the Frank Sinatra songbook, including “Just The Way You Look Tonight.”  Fans sway and couples slow-dance to Jesse’s soaring rendition of the 1961 Eta James ballad, “At Last.” And now – at last – you can book The J Rob Band through Talent Plus.

The Jim Stevens Group is the heart and soul of St. Louis. Smoldering, funky grooves performed by the finest musicians our town has to offer. With its unique instrumentation and undeniable musicianship, The Jim Stevens Group is a one of a kind experience you will never forget.

In the hands of a master musician such as Jim Stevens, the saxophone can shout the blues… touch the soul… and pack a dance floor with enthusiastic fans grooving to an irresistible, funky rhythm that just won’t quit.

Jim Stevens has built a reputation as one of the most in-demand, exciting artists in the Midwest. Driven by Jim’s virtuoso and aggressive saxophone playing, his set features a crowd-pleasing mix of music by some of the greatest soul, blues, rock and jazz musicians – from B.B. King, Al Green, Steely Dan, David Sanborn, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder… as well as original music from the Jim Stevens’ latest CD, The Answer.

Jim Steven’s ability to connect with audiences through his music is the result of a combination of technical virtuosity and practical experience learned through years of performances at clubs, festivals and concert halls.

After graduating from high school, Jim attended North Texas State University, where he played with the famed 3 O'Clock Jazz Big Band. After returning to St. Louis, he started a band called "The Bottom Line" that appeared in the movie "White Palace." Jim added to his impressive resume by playing with the Four Tops and Temptations as well appearing with Peter Mayer (guitarist with Jimmy Buffett) at the Superdome in New Orleans. There, the Peter Mayer Group played to crowds in excess of 38,000. Recently, Jim concluded a tour with Alex Ligertwood (former lead vocalist with Santana and the Average White Band) and David Garfield (keyboardist with George Benson).}

Jim has also performed in Nashville, Indianapolis, Cleveland, New Orleans, Memphis and many other cities around the United States and has added his dynamic saxophone sound to recordings by R. Scott Bryan (formerly of Sheryl Crow’s band), Peter Mayer, Javier Mendoza, John Patti and Pat Liston (Mama's Pride), among many others.

For Jim Stevens, it comes down to the music – always!

Joe Mancuso is a classically trained vocalist turned jazz singer.

​​He began ​his love affair with music as a child while Elvis, Sinatra, The Beatles, and the sounds of many other top recording artists of the day where wafting through the air from the record player on a daily basis. Joe was named the Best Vocalist of 2012 by the Riverfront Times Readers' Choice Poll. In 2014, Joe received 2 RFT awards for Best Musical Act and Best Album "Cut To The Chase." 

He sings with an abundance of passion and intensity; whether singing a ballad, bossa nova, blues or swing tune, Joe takes his audience on a dynamic, emotional ride every time.

Leslie Sanazaro is an active performer, singer-songwriter, and pianist. She has earned degrees in music from DePaul University and the University of the Arts. She released her first EP "Stars in the Attic" in 2006. Since then she has organized international solo tours, gained radio airplay in the US, Canada and Europe, played shows in Asia in 2008, and was nominated Best Singer-Songwriter in St. Louis in 2009 in the Riverfront Times Music Awards.

Marquise Knox was born in 1991 in St. Louis while his mother was visiting family. They returned to Granada, Mississippi, but moved to St. Louis for good a couple of years later. Marquise still resides in St. Louis, Missouri, but also spends a lot of time in Grenada, where he loves to fish and visit friends and family.

Marquise hails from a musical family deeply entrenched in the Blues. He learned how to play guitar from his grandmother whose family were sharecroppers and whose great, great grandparents were slaves. He also played with his uncle Clifford, who was a major influence in Marquise's life.

For Marquise, Blues is his heritage and a way of life. He spent his early teenage years in St. Louis mentoring under the late great Blues legend, N.E.A. Heritage Fellowship recipient and Grammy Award winner Henry James Townsend. Marquise's talents have earned him performing rights with some of America's most notable blues performers such as blues legend and Grammy Award winners B.B. King, Pinetop Perkins and David "Honeyboy" Edwards (the latter two also NEA Heritage Fellows). He has also performed at dozens of festivals, and has toured Germany and played the Baden Blues Festival in Switzerland.

Marquise met Sam Lay during a visit to Clarksdale, Mississippi. Like other statesmen of the Blues, Sam took an immediate liking to Marquise and took it upon himself to help give Marquise's career a boost by insisting that Chad Kassem bring Marquise to the celebrated Blues series "Bluesmasters at the Crossroads", which has showcased a virtual who-who of the Blues at Blue Heaven Studios in Salina, Kansas. Marquise was an immediate crowd favorite, and was adopted by all of the elders of the Blues in attendance that year. His obvious talent along with his deep knowledge of the Blues and vast respect for his elders made it clear Marquise had something special, and Kassem signed him to a three album deal.

Knox's debut album MANCHILD was nominated for a Blues Music Award for Best New Artist Debut. The album was recorded when he was 16, in two nights, during an ice storm in a church with the world renowned Michael Burks and his band. There is even a song called Ice Storm on the album. The release received worldwide acclaim, including Living Blues' Best Debut Artist Award and a Blues Music Award nomination for Best Debut Artist. Marquise then recorded a direct-to-disc album while in town for the next year's Crossroads.
Marquise recently released his third album, Here I Am, once again recorded at the legendary Blue Heaven Studios in Salina, Kansas. It features Marquise and his band, with a little help from Wayne Sharp of Michael Burk's band sitting in on B-3 and piano. Nine originals, and three reverent covers of Marquise's favorite Muddy Waters tunes.

I think this excerpt from Here I Am's liner notes says it best. "When you listen to Marquise - 19 years old when he recorded this title - you get the sense that this is what those masters must have sounded like as young men. Marquise's blues are so transparent and bare. It's so easy to feel his music as totally legitimate. That's above all what makes it so appealing. That's what makes Marquise Knox special. He's the whole package. A throwback blues master on the rise. Anybody believe in reincarnation?"

With a repertoire that encompasses blues, R&B, jazz, pop classics and the great American songbook, vocalist Marsha Evans has earned her place among the most in-demand entertainers in the Midwest as well as her title, the River City Show Stopper.

Marsha has headlined major events such as the Big Muddy Blues & Heritage Festival and BluesWeek, and shared the stage with nationally known artists such as Michael McDonald, Fontella Bass, the Temptations, Clark Terry and many others.

Marsha's musical career began at an early age, inspired by her mother, one of the first black females to perform on the stage of the Muny Opera, and her father, lead trumpet player for the famed George Hudson orchestra for many years. After working as the featured vocalist with Hudson's orchestra, Marsha went on to become the featured vocalist with legendary pianist and member of the Rock and Roll hall of fame, Johnnie Johnson.

Backed by the talented musicians in her band, The Coalition, has established herself as one of the most in-demand entertainers in the region. With her incredible combination of vocal talent and the rare ability to immediately connect with an audience, Marsha Evans creates the perfect musical accompaniment for any occasion.

Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers has been entertaining audiences around St.Louis and beyond since the beginning of 2008 with their exciting blend of authentic Hot Jazz, Swing, Rhythm & Blues and R'n'R spanning the 1920's-1950's. Fronted by a high energy female vocalist and backed up by a horn fueled swinging' rhythm section, Miss Jubilee is a favorite among Swing Dancers and fans of all ages who enjoy uplifting and energetic roots music!