Mark your calendars for Friday, December 22nd, because the hottest Christmas concert is coming to UrbanBeat! Don't miss legendary blues artist Larry McCray with Coreyeon Ingram, Rhett Yocom, Dorran Burns, and Anthony Taylor, with Clique Vocals opening the show.
Get ready to celebrate the season with the music that speaks to your soul. This is a blues concert you won't want to miss!
Tickets are just $15 for General Admission, or $35 for our Dinner and a Show option, which includes admission and a four-course meal.
Tickets > https://urbanbeat.ticketspice.com/holiday-blues-concert-with-larry-mccray-and-special-guests
Doors open at 5pm with opener Clique Vocals at 6:00pm and the main show starting at 7:00pm.
We offer a dinner menu and full bar, not included in ticket price.
BIOS
Larry McCray:
Rust belt blues shouter and guitar slinger Larry McCray was born in 1960 in Magnolia, Ark., about 12 miles from the Louisiana line. He spent his early years on a farm as the second youngest of nine siblings. After trying his hand at saxophone in school, his older (and only) sister, Clara, introduced Larry to the guitar and the transformative music of the three Kings of the blues (B.B., Freddie and Albert).
By the late ’80s, Larry had attracted the attention of Virgin Records executive John Wooler, who had recently started a subsidiary label, Point Blank Records, featuring blues, soul and Americana artists. He signed Larry McCray as his first artist. Larry’s debut album, Ambition—aptly named as it fused elements of blues, rock, and soul to create a contemporary blues sound—was recorded in a friend’s Detroit basement studio and released in 1990 to critical acclaim.
Throughout the 1990s, Larry continued to help define blues rock by collaborating with artists such as labelmate and fellow guitarist, Albert Collins, and releasing the much more slickly produced Delta Hurricane in 1993 (produced by British blues maven Mike Vernon), Meet Me at the Lake in 1996 and Born to Play the Blues in 1998.
Over the past three decades of nonstop touring and recording, Larry has played and shared the stage with such blues greats as BB King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, John Mayall, Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Keb Mo, Jimmie Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Joe Bonamassa, as well as rock legends the Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh, Jonny Lang, Joe Walsh, Levon Helm, Chris Robinson, Dickey Betts, and countless others.
Rhett Yocom:
For guitarist, bassist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Rhett Yocom, his love for the Blues and passion for music is a tale of many stories all sharing common threads of camaraderie, generosity, and a firm belief that with a guitar by your side you will never be alone because it has the magic to lift one out of life's low points and make the high points sparkle and shine.
As the recipient at this year’s 36th REVIEW Music Awards for the honors of Best Blues Instrumentalist and Best Blues Band for the third time in a row, having also received the Best Band trophy in 2019 and 2021, Yocom says he first got interested in music as a young kid. “I hung out with my Grandpa a lot who was a gifted accordion player, and my first instruments were piano and accordion,” he explains. “I listened to Motown and the Everly Brothers and grew up with Classic Country, which was called ‘Outlaw’ country back then - artists like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings.”
Coreyeon Ingram:
Coreyeon (Corey) Ingram, born and raised in Saginaw Michigan, became interested in the bass guitar at the age of 13, after watching a guy by the name of Lathan Wilson play during a church service he was attending with his mom. From there Corey fell in love with the bass. He began learning all he could about it and practicing every chance he got. By the age of 15, Corey gained enough skill to be hired at his local church, which, provided opportunities to play for several gospel artists, including Ricky Dillard, Marvin Sapp and Tye Tribbet. As time went on, Corey’s interest in other genres of music grew and he began to expand his skill and knowledge. He’s had the chance to play for many artists, including Michel’le and Larry McCray.
Corey is known for his funky, yet smooth type of playing. He developed his unique sound by incorporating his background in Gospel Music with his love of R&B and Jazz, which drew the attention of Harper Guitars and GHS Strings, and is now endorsed. He has become one of the most well known and respected bass players in the Michigan tri-city area.
Using Tsunami Cables has allowed Corey to perform in front of crowds of energetic people with no worry, as Tsunami Cables are durable and reliable. They are also completely customizable, which is perfect for his uncommon sound.
Anthony Taylor:
Anthony Taylor has an impressive music resume, co-writing and producing Cried, a Pop Billboard Top 10 single with Candice Glover. He has also lent his musical talents to shows like SNL, The Jimmy Fallon Show, Today Show, Carson Daily New Years' Eve Show and more.
Clique Vocals:
Dan and Kelly met as members of Singers on the Grand, and when they had the opportunity to duet, they quickly came to the conclusion that it couldn’t be just a one-time collaboration! Their similar approach to performing and a shared love of singing jazz standards led to the formation of Clique in 2016. The duo performs at local events, pubs, eateries, senior centers, and outdoor park concerts, as well as out in front of Lansing Concert Band’s jazz big band as featured vocalists.