Singing the blues at Aurora's The Venue
The Smiley Tillmon Band, an area blues favorite, will take the stage at Aurora's new 200-seat music performance space, The Venue, at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 13, at 21 S. Broadway.
Tickets begin at $15 and are available at https://themusicvenue.org/.
The Venue, created by the Fox Valley Music Foundation, features international, national and local music performers. This special night will honor the "Girls and Boys in Blue" and offers a 50% discount to all law enforcement officers.
Opening the show will be local singer/songwriter Aaron Kelly.
One of the busiest blues outfits in the area, the Smiley Tillmon Band is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. There's an obvious reason why the veteran guitarist's booking schedule is jam-packed: Tillmon knows how to have a good time and makes sure his audience does, too.
After 55 years on the local blues scene, Tillmon serves up blues and soul standards with his rich vocals and fluid guitar backed by a band that keeps his grooves tight and right.
Born Moses Tillmon in rural Jefferson County, Georgia, Smiley grew up on a musical diet of gospel, country and a little blues.
His mother moved to Fort Lauderdale when he was 10, where he was exposed to calypso music, adding to a singular list of influences.
Tillmon took up guitar and was good enough by the dawn of the '60s to back Miami R&B singer Billy Miranda in the studio. He joined Sammy Ambrose & the Afro-Beats, a calypso-oriented band, touring from Canada to New York.
Tillmon bid the Afro-Beats adieu in 1962 and moved to Chicago, where he established himself on the blues circuit, playing with Billy "The Kid" Emerson, Denise LaSalle, and other South Side luminaries until he opted for a day job in 1977.
Upon his 2007 retirement, Tillmon reverted to full-time musical status. He joined forces with bassist Tom Rezetko and they've been inseparable onstage ever since.
Kate Moss shares guitar duties with Tillmon. Married to another blues guitar standout, Nick Moss, Kate's sound is heavily influenced by Freddie King, and Magic Sam has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Jimmy Johnson, Eddie Shaw, and Lurrie Bell.
Drummer George Baumann completes one of the Windy City's toughest blues combos.
Aaron Kelly, opening for Tillmon, falls under the influence of Townes Van Zandt, John Prine and Jack Kerouac. He has been featured by American Songwriter Magazine and released "Barefoot and Bottomed Out," his first solo album, in 2016, after zigzagging across the country for years with his band, Overman. His second solo album, "Songs Still Sing," is due to be released this year.
Visit https://themusicvenue.org/ for more information about the artists and a full calendar of coming shows.
Adjacent Mundy Park in downtown Aurora, The Venue was created and built by the Fox Valley Music Foundation.
The foundation is a not-for-profit organization of music lovers, music educators, arts enthusiasts and people who have spent many years in the music business.
It is designed to preserve, promote and present the music of the Fox Valley while providing music education to people of all ages and walks of life.
For details, visit foxvalleymusicfoundation.com.