The Historical Society of Kent County, in collaboration with Chestertown Music in the Park, proudly presents the second annual Legacy Day, Saturday, Aug. 15.
This year’s event will be held on High Street next to Fountain Park. It celebrates the many local music venues that were found around the county in the 1960s and ’70s, and the many musicians who played there. The locations ranged from semi-regular yard parties to local bars that offered live music on weekends.
Researchers have been interviewing residents and musicians about the music scene in the middle years of the 20th century. Many of them remember saxophonist and singer Randolph “Jazz” Johnson, who led bands that played gigs in Philadelphia and Wilmington, as well as local Kent County venues, from the 1940s until his death in 1997.
A second theme will be the music of the Motown era, which produced an astonishing number of popular acts including the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas, Smoky Robinson, the Jackson 5 and many others.
Live music will be provided by the Larry Tucker band, specializing in R & B, oldies and Motown stylings. During band breaks, DJ Stansbury will provide still more music of the era.
The celebration begins at 5 p.m. with a parade down High Street, with classic cars, a marching band and the Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club. There will be prizes for the outstanding entries in several categories.
Music and dancing in the street will continue to 10 p.m. There will also be food and drink and crafts provided by local vendors. There will also be a dance contest and a trivia game, along with historical exhibits in the Bordley History Center.
Last year, the inaugural Legacy Day event honored the memory of the late Charlie Graves and his Uptown Club, where some of the most important black musicians and singers from the 1940s to the late 1980s performed for local audiences. The event drew a large and enthusiastic crowd for an evening of music and dancing.
The free concert is part of Chestertown’s Music in the Park series, co-sponsored by the Kent County Arts Council and the Historical Society. Audience members should bring something to sit on.
Other sponsors include the Garfield Center for the Arts, the Graves Family, the C.V. Starr Center for the American Experience of Washington College, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Post # 25, Diversity Dialogue Group, the Town of Chestertown and other local businesses.
For more information, contact the Historical Society at 410-778-3499.
Front photo: Four Tops
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