Back Lot Bash started in 2004 in response to the lack of women’s events and the limited presence of female artists in the Chicago LGBTQ community. What started as a one-day event to showcase local female artists and community organizations, has now grown into a 4-day festival due to the overwhelming response from local businesses, community partners, charitable organizations and the women’s community themselves.

Today, Back Lot Bash is an iconic staple of Chicago pride week and draws over 6000 attendees from Chicago, the Midwest and around the world to a unique outdoor venue in the historic Andersonville neighborhood. The event features local and emerging musicians and established performers of different genres as well as the first ever Chicago LGBTQ family day. Back Lot Bash highlights unity, equality, diversity and inclusiveness in an environment that is festive and celebratory of everyone in our community.

Every year, Back Lot Bash partners with local organizations such as HRC Chicago, CMSA and AIDS Ride Chicago to showcase their organizations at the event. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds are donated from Back Lot Bash to a number of charitable organizations including A Sister’s Hope, Girls in the Game, UCAN, and other groups focused on Women’s/LGBTQ issues.

In 2017, Roberts and Klujian had the honor and distinction of being recipients of the esteemed HRC Community Service Award in recognition of their community involvement and the impact they have had in supporting and advocating for Chicago’s LGBTQ community.

Please contact us at backlotbash@yahoo.com.

Thank You,

Christina and Amie

CeCe Peniston was born Cecilia Veronica Peniston in Dayton, Ohio. CeCe Peniston spent most of her formative years in Phoenix, Arizona, and got her start in singing at church. She performed in plays and musicals and participated in talent shows while learning to play the piano. Cece studied Liberal Arts at the University of Phoenix, which allowed her to develop her skills in writing lyrics. In 1989, CeCe was crowned Miss Black Arizona and reigned as Miss Galaxy in 1990.

In 1991, CeCe elevated as a true artist when a friend and Phoenix-based record producer, Felipe “DJ Wax Dawg” Delgado, asked her to record back- up vocals for a female rapper slated to release an album on A&M Records. Soon after, Peniston showed her willingness to make her own individual mark in the business, and land her solo project commissioned by then A&M Records music executive, Manny Lehman. Peniston’s hit single known today as “Finally” was born and CeCe accomplished what all talented artists only dream of, inking a deal for her own debut album.

The 1990s proved to be substantial for the Dayton, Ohio native. She became an international sensation and was considered to be one of the most successful dance club artists in the history of the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Charts. Peniston was successful at scoring five major number one hits within three years. Her signature Dance hit “Finally” was #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #2 on the UK Top 75. It became one of the biggest dance records in history to sell over 3 million copies worldwide.

Peniston set in motion a series of singles and videos, all of which had varying success. Many of her songs triggered a series of Billboard Awards nominations in several categories and gained acceptability and appeal from fans across many genres of music. She is incredibly successful! However, the years leading up to 2014 have been filled with ups and downs for the now 45-year-old Singer, Writer, and Performer. Still an artist at heart, CeCe is reinventing herself and taking on a whole new image through television, fitness, and social media.

Her charitable organizations, LOTS (Lifting Voices To Succeed), and being an Ambassador to the National PT A, are also of great importance to her. Both have kept her dedicated to establishing the significance of placing the right values on youth in the early stages of their lives so that in their formative years, their milestones will be great and their struggles will be few. This love of bringing care and goodness to others is a way of inspiring her to write lyrics to songs that really matter.

Congress of Starlings is a long-time favorite on the Chicago indie music scene. Aerin Tedesco and Andrea Bunch have been called ‘two of the most beautiful noises on the planet.’ The Starlings have brought their music to world famous venues like Milwaukee’s Summerfest, The National Women’s Music Festival, Halsted Market Days, Taste of Chicago, Pride Fest, Hard Rock Café, The House of Blues, and to beloved Chicago venues like The Old Town School of Folk Music, SPACE, Schuba’s and Martyr’s.

Whether as an acoustic duo or a full band, Congress of Starlings joyfully delivers a unique, startling blend of unearthly harmonies, rich melodies, and unusual metres. Lyrically, their concerns reach from the depths of the heart, across the damaged American landscape, and through the mists of other worlds. Their voices are unmatched in their ability to move and enrapture audiences. Their songs are raw and powerful.

​The current line up for full band shows features Janet Cramer on drums, (Grupo Paz, www.cramerdrums.com); Greg Nergaard on bass, (The Right Now, www.therightnow.com, Soulio Jazz, https://souliojazz.com/) and Lindsay Weinberg on vocals (Lindsay and the Lights Go Out, Come Sunday, Conspiracy Theories, lindsayweinbergmusic.com).​​

Aerin and Andrea have collaborated on 3 albums; Albedo, Faun Songs, and Numinous, which was named best album of 2004 by Indie Music Review. Together, they’ve earned the prestigious Three Arts Excellence grant to attend the Ragdale Artist’s retreat, were named best new artist of 2011 by Bump N Grind indie music publication and runners up for best new queer artist by OutMusic.

The Starlings have also created stellar tributes to Heart, as Little Queens, and to the Indigo Girls with Great Moments in Vinyl.

After nearly two decades of pleasing enthusiastic clubbers, Deanne is more passionate than ever about bringing the party to life and her music to the masses. Her continual evolution of sound provides infectious rhythms to intimate, sexy spaces or big, booming rooms and expansive stages through her signature combinations of big beats, strong synths, dramatic arrangements, and a soulful sprinkling of vocals. Tribal, Tech, House, and Progressive House beats and rhythms are combined to take her listeners on a unique journey that is marked with emotion, sensuality, undeniable energy, and a palpable “dance floor drama”.

Hailing from Indianapolis, her style and sound set her apart and took her to the top where she commanded the Indy scene for over 10 years. Long-running residencies on internet stations like EnergyRadio.FM, FusionChicago, PartyRadioUSA, WeDanceAs1, GayInternetRadioLive (G.I.R.L.) and FGRadioUSA created a global audience. Looking to expand her audience stateside and catapult her career, Deanne relocated to South Florida in late 2013. Since then, Deanne has secured headlining appearances with WE Party, One Magical Weekend, Winter Party Festival, Peach Party, Miami Beach Pride, Gay Days, White Party Week Miami, IML (Chicago), Distrkt C, Reload (LA), Purple Party, Dallas Pride, Circuit Saturday (Denver), Gus Presents, and Joining Hearts (Atlanta), to name a few. Deanne also has regular appearances at legendary clubs, Crown & Anchor, The EndUp, Hydrate, Manhole, Jungle, Xion, Heretic, The Cuff, Pavilion, Score, Heart, The Manor, Rich’s Houston, and more.

As a Producer and # 1 Billboard Remixer, Deanne is also making music to move the masses. With recent releases on record labels like Queen House Music, Pump Records, Hammer Music, Big Mouth Music, Gonna Be Records, and more, Billboard Dance Chart-topping remixes and support from colleagues and tastemakers, Deanne’s unique sound is pumping through venues and parties all over the world. Having played alongside Paulo, Isaac Escalante, Alex Acosta, Twisted Dee, DJ Grind, Cindel, Marco Da Silva, Brett Henrichsen, and DJ Aron, to name a few, Deanne is a force to be reckoned with and a bright shining star.

Mexican Sensation DJ and Producer Alex Acosta has taken over the world with his fresh, upbeat, and very energetic sound, playing at the hottest Music Festivals and Clubs around the globe. On top of that, he is a chart-topping producer, whose work is supported by several DJs and thousands of fans worldwide.

Alex Acosta’s name in the music industry has become the favorite of several DJs and Fans worldwide, who always support/feature his extensive Original Production and Remix work on their radio shows as well as their live sets. As an Independent Artist, Alex has stamped his signature sound through many tracks. Several of those have reached #1 sales on many online music stores, as well as a Top 20 on Beatport’s competitive House Music Charts. Furthermore several of his remixes have been key in helping tracks reach the high charting position on Billboard Charts: 10 #1s on Billboard’s Dance/Club Charts, with production for Rihanna, Kristine W, Dirty Werk, Skylar Stecker, Luciana & Dave Aude, Tony Moran feat. Jason Walker. A #2 for Martha Wash, and several other top 10 Billboard’s Dance/Club Charts for production work for Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, LeAnn Rimes, Duncan Morley, and many more. Among the Record labels where Alex’s tracks have been released, we have Pool E Music, LE7ELS/PRMD, Guareber Recordings, KULT Records, Carrillo Music, Matinée Music plus many more.

Besides being a successful music producer, Alex Acosta has become one of the most important Latin American DJs. With over 20 years in the DJ Industry, he has established himself in a Global Scale, by playing at the Hottest Venues and Festivals in major cities worldwide: Sydney, Mykonos, Madrid, Barcelona, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, Provincetown, Orlando, Vancouver, Toronto, Playa del Carmen, Bangkok, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, São Paulo, Lima, Medellin, Guangzhou, Playa del Carmen, Mexico City, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Monterrey … and many more. He’s had the opportunity to take his sound Global, by playing in three different continents, for thousands of fans who travel throughout regions, to enjoy the high-energy and powerful beats that he drops on his sets.

Among the High Profile festivals where he has played, one can name: New York World Pride 2019, Sydney Mardi Gras, XLSior Festival (Mykonos), Winter Party Festival (Miami, FL), Madrid WE World Pride Festival, Muccassasina (Rome), The Week Brazil (Rio & São Paulo), Original Brazilian Pool Party (Rio de Janeiro), Jeffrey Sanker’s White Party Palm Springs (Palm Springs), Folsom St Fair (San Francisco), Independence Week (Provincetown), One Magical Weekend/GayDays (Orlando), Masterbeat NYLA (Los Angeles, CA), Arena & Paradiso (Playa del Carmen), Vallarta Fever & Latin Fever (Puerto Vallarta), Feel Alive (Mexico City Pride), Vancouver Gay Pride, WORK (New York), gCircuit Song Kran (Bangkok), G5 (Taipei), Glamorous (Tokyo), HEAVEN (Shanghai), PAPA Festival (Guangzhou).

Finally, he currently holds club residencies throughout several cities in the US: Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Provincetown, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego. Furthermore, he holds regular club/festival residencies in Mexico, Spain, Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Brazil, Colombia, and Canada.

From America to Europe and Asia, Alex Acosta has become a Global Sensation and has proven himself to be a guaranteed crowd-pleaser on the most demanding dance floors around the world.

Jorge Flores, aka NINA FLOWERS, was born in the city of Bayamon Puerto Rico in 1974.He began his career in music in 1989, where he became a resident Dj at one of the most prestigious clubs in the Caribbean, Krash Klub Kafe. As a DJ/Producer he brings an infectious understanding of how to bring music alive on the dance floor.As a recording artist he has collaborated with some of the most talented Dj’s/Producers/Remixers of this new Era in music. Today Nina Flowers holds Dj residencies in several cities in the US and, and he continues to captivate fans around the globe with his powerfully engaging connection to the audiences, and his progressive sound filled with tribal beats.“The lights, the music, the stage, and the crowd – putting it all together – magic in the making” – Nina Flowers

bio from allmusic.com by Matt Collar

Singer/songwriter Greyson Chance is an emotive, pop-oriented artist known for his lyrical, often piano-based material. Chance first garnered attention online before breaking through with his 2011 debut, Hold on ‘Til the Night, which hit number 29 on the Billboard 200. His sound has grown ever more nuanced, incorporating textured electronic production alongside his acoustic work, as on 2019’s Portraits and 2021’s Trophies EP.

Born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1997 and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Chance first began playing piano at age eight. In April 2010, a video of Chance performing Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” at his middle-school talent show was uploaded to YouTube and went viral. It soon caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who invited the 12-year-old to perform on her show, and eventually signed him to her then newly launched eleveneleven record label. A deal with Interscope followed, and in December 2010 he delivered his debut single, “Waiting Outside the Lines.” The full-length Hold on ‘Til the Night followed in 2011 and cracked the Top 40 during its first week of release. The EP Truth Be Told, Pt. 1 arrived in 2012.

Chance continued to tour and record over the next few years. As he matured his voice deepened, and his taste shifted toward nuanced indie rock and alternative electronic pop. He showcased this sophisticated sound on his 2016 EP Somewhere Over My Head. Included on the set were the singles “Afterlife,” “Hit & Run,” and “Back on the Wall.” Also that year, he guested on tyDi and Jack Novak’s dance track “Oceans.” Chance came out as gay in July 2017, making the announcement via social media and stating that he was happy and proud of who he was. The dramatic single “Low” followed that December. A spate of singles appeared over the next year including “Lighthouse,” a collaboration with DJ/producer Fabian Mazur, “Good as Gold,” and “Twenty One.”

In 2019, Chance delivered his sophomore full-length album, Portraits, which featured production by Willy Beaman, Christian Medice, and Todd Spadafore. Included was the single “Shut Up.” The EP Trophies arrived in June 2021, as did the stand-alone track “Hellboy.”

In the US and abroad Jacob Bjorge has earned a reputation as a creative innovator, combining high octane future-focused rock with the artistic imaging of contemporary art & fashion. Jacob creates a world that is unique to his cowboy past and rock n’ roll present.

Jacob Bjorge has capitalized on his years as an entertainment producer to become an artist with a unique vision. From bespoke videos & visuals to installation art, each Jacob Bjorge show is a one-of-a-kind experience. Whether it’s turned up to 11 or playing to an intimate crowd, Jacob has developed sets that can be performed on large stages or in intimate nightclubs, both electric and acoustic.

You know you’re not just another indie soul band when your city sends you halfway around the world to showcase the sound of 21st century Chicago. Or when the mayor of Chicago personally invites you to play his inauguration concert or calls you to entertain foreign dignitaries. The JC Brooks Band came from humble beginnings, dreaming about getting the cool kids to shake it at the Empty Bottle and since have collected a wide range of fans around the globe.

Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy befriended the post-punk soul group after they scored a viral hit with their amped-up re-imagining of his song “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”, performing it with them at Chicago’s Park West and inviting them to appear at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival alongside heavy hitters such as Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and the Band’s Levon Helm. Jake Johnson and Aubrey Plaza appeared in a music video with them. The taste-making crate diggers at the Numero Group were impressed enough by the band’s take-no-prisoners live show to include them in their Eccentric Soul Revue, where they had the pleasure of collaborating with the spectacular Syl Johnson. The JC Brooks Band has shared stages with a staggering array of artists, from legends like Robert Plant, Buddy Guy, and Chicago, to indie faves Peter Bjorn & John and the Dismemberment Plan, and soul stirrers Fitz & the Tantrums, Sharon Jones, Lisa Loeb, Lee Fields, and Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens.

Erupting with raw emotion, JC Brooks unleashes his soulful shouts and heart-wrenching falsetto over the relentless rhythm of guitarist Evan Pinter, drummer Kevin Marks, bassist Theodore Berry IV, keyboardist Jeremy Tromberg and percussionist-extraordinaire, JoVia Armstrong. JC Brooks and his band are a force to be reckoned with, leading the Chicago Tribune to call them “the real deal” and MOJO Magazine identifying them as “one of the hottest US soul acts”, while the New York Times praised their “neo-soul glory” and the Onion AV Club declared their first album “relentlessly catchy”. It’s live, it’s compelling, it’s now, it’s theatrical. So theatrical, in fact, that they were tapped to star in the critically-acclaimed run of the Tony Award-winning musical “Passing Strange” at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts.

After a forced hiatus this band is a sleeping dragon awakened from hibernation and hungry. Whether they’re wowing crowds in the US, Canada, or Europe, the JC Brooks Band has toured, warred, scored, and they’re not to be ignored. Bear witness, for they’re on the move and they’re ready to make you MOVE by any means necessary.

KaJahn Ari, a Chicago native, had shown a great love for the arts at a young age and began on the path of a Triple Threat at the age of 5.  She started out in talent shows within the Chicago Public School system and Praise Dancing for various community church audiences. After her parents seeing the spark of pure and original talent, she received some formal training in Ballet and Gymnastics.  In her middle school years, she expanded her talent by joining the Drama Club, Concert Choir and Show Choir along with formal Vocal Tech training.  During this explosion of talent discovery, she was a participant in The Young Americans Workshop and the Darrin DeWitt Henson Dance Workshop.

In the summer of 2009, KaJahn continued her journey by joining the Community Engagement Program of the Joffrey Ballet Chicago. This intensive summer program included performances at Millennium Park and culminated with a community performance at the boat house in Chicago’s Humboldt Park.  As a reward for her hard work and dedication, she was offered a Scholarship into the Joffrey Ballet Chicago Bridge Program for 2009-2010. While in high school, she was a member of the Rich South Starettes Dance team, the School Choir and performed throughout 2010-2011 at various community events with a Hip-Hop Dance Crew called CrossXout.

In 2012 decided to take her singing career to the next level and becoming a recording artist. Working with her dad made her want to go to the next level. “I want to dance to my own music”. From there she began to expand on her vocals and teamed up with her cousin/writer Simone Ingram to create her first song “Voodoo” in 2014. After the passing of her dad, it only put more fire into her spirit. She spent the remainder of the year recording her own music at home with her fathers studio equipment the was left for her. She made herself a soundcloud account and started sharing her music and gaining a following. By the summer of 2015 she was opening up for great performers like Tyra B, Do or Die and performing at clubs and sold out local venues.

Today, KaJahn Ari plans to pursue her educational goals along with seeking out new and creative avenues in the performing arts. Her passion for performing continues to drive the need to expound on her talents by gaining new and challenging roles in theater, choreography and song.

One of the greatest Latin Hip Hop/Freestyle/Pop divas to come out of the 1980’s music scene is the legendary Lisa Velez also known as Lisa Lisa of the 80’s supergroup Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. Produced by Full Force, the group shot straight up the charts and went platinum several times over their first few albums. Their freshman album “Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force”, had her break-out hits “I Wonder If I Take You Home” and “Can You Feel The Beat”. Those two songs alone helped to launch the underground genre of “Freestyle music” into the mainstream.

​Then the amazing 80’s supergroup did it again with the second album “Spanish Fly” by crossing over to the pop charts with mega-hits like “Head to Toe” and “Lost In Emotion”. If that wasn’t epic enough they sealed that success with their third album “Straight to the Sky” releasing another music number one pop single called “Little Jackie”. Needless to say, Columbia records had instant superstars on their roster of artists.

​As the ’80s faded out and the ’90s came in with a new sound merging both the dance music and hip hop seamlessly, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam rode that wave to a fourth album “Straight Out of Hell’s Kitchen”. The group collaborated with 2 of the 90’s hottest producers Robert Clivilles, and the late David Cole, a duo known as C&C Music Factory on a song called “Let The Beat Hit Em”. The song went on to be one of the biggest dance singles of that decade.

​The album, “Straight Out Of Hell’s Kitchen, ” was named after Lisa Velez’s childhood neighborhood. The youngest of 10 children, born in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City, Lisa aspired to be a singer very early on in life. At age 13, Lisa would sneak out to nightclubs where she met Mike Hughes of ”Cult Jam”. Mike introduced her to Full Force, the guys that would become her life-changing music producers. Full Force’s Bowlegged Lou, Paul Anthony, and B-Fine were immediately impressed with Lisa’s angelic sounding voice. The collective works of producers & artists would soon launch three individuals Lisa Velez, Mike Hughes, and Alex Mosley now known to the world as Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam to super-stardom.

Throughout her journey, Lisa Lisa became the first Latin platinum artist to be recognized nationwide. She has paved the way for some of the Latin female artists to come after her, such as Selena and Jennifer Lopez. As the group went their separate ways in 1994, Lisa released her first solo album “LL77” on Chrysalis records which included a Top 40 hit “Skip To My Lu” and her first Spanish track “Cuando Me Enamore”. Driven, Lisa branched off into the acting world in the mid-’90s. She first gravitated to the theater world performing in Broadway and off-Broadway plays such as “Barrio Babes” and “West Side Story”. Then in 2001, she hit the television airways as a young sharp-witted mother Gloria Morales in the popular Nickelodeon series “Taina” that lasted 2 seasons. Lisa also made an appearance on the hit series Law & Order in 2003 as a desperate mother who made a bad decision to save her terminally ill son’s life and ends up on the wrong side of the law. This role showed the world her acting diversity.

​After more than 30 years of being a trailblazer in the music business and gracing the acting world Lisa’s journey is far from over. Lisa and her team Robert Drieslein “Bobby Dee Productions” & “Uncle Snoops Army” the legendary Snoop Dogg himself are working on bringing some amazing things. Lisa Lisa continues to tour the world with her band SoDisrespectful and her dance ensemble. Stay tuned!

In a city brimming with classic blues and jazz divas, Lynne Jordan stands apart. Not only do her soaring vocals dip effortlessly into blues, jazz, funk, rock and even country but her bawdy personality wins over any crowd. Her talent so dazzled the Second City that the late Chicago film critic Roger Ebert declared her his “favorite diva.” Backed by her sizzling band The Shivers, Jordan quickly developed into a Chicago institution, playing jazz and blues clubs, swanky lounges and even the charity circuit throughout the country. She brought her special brand of storytelling, raw humor and performance to New York and Atlanta with her sold-out show, “A Musical Tribute To Nina Simone.”

Although Jordan’s nuanced singing and standout style echo Simone’s musical legacy, the singer’s warmth and grace point to her Midwest upbringing. Growing up in Dayton Ohio, Jordan came from a family of church-going singers who encouraged humility. She down-played her big voice until she was singled out to star in school musicals. From then on, there was no way to hide her gifts. Arriving in Chicago to study at Northwestern University, Jordan promptly changed her major from journalism to theater and has been performing non-stop ever since. She performed as an Arts Ambassador representing the City of Chicago in Moscow and Kyiv and has graced stages throughout Europe and South America and is currently featured in the Jazz Opera, “Don’t Worry, Be HaRpy” by French composer Isabelle Olivier. The cast of four U.S. singers and an all-French orchestra triumphed but the real challenge for Lynne was when she portrayed all four characters in a solo tour de force performance. “I was terrified at first, but the experience was exhilarating!” The show returned to Paris for a third tour in June 2016. She has released two CD’s to date and is featured on recordings by Tom Waits, Urge Overkill and several compilations, most notably a tribute to Janis Joplin: “Blues Down Deep: Songs of Janis Joplin” which also featured Etta James, Otis Clay, Taj Mahal & Koko Taylor.

Boasting an effervescent selection of music and stories for her Nina Simone tribute, Jordan sold out Chicago’s City Winery and did the same in New York and Atlanta. “For so long, I was told to nail my music to a genre or language and like her, I never did. I will sing in English, French, Hebrew or Japanese. It’s the song and the story that matters. To me, she represents the indie spirit of individuality and inclusiveness.” Showcasing all that individuality, Jordan offers up an eclectic array of music to the audience as they get to experience the multi-faceted diva glory—alongside the excellent musicianship and energy of her band the Shivers – which Chicago has been enjoying for decades. She has written a one woman show with LA playwright Andrew Barrett. A GREAT BIG DIVA and reading from the script in December 2017.

She has recorded with Tom Waits; The Punk group Urge Overkill; Alligator Records Blues artist Toronzo Cannon; featured amongst Taj Mahal, Etta James, and Koko Taylor on Blues Down Deep: A Tribute to Janis Joplin and her own CD’s: Bit o Fun and Holiday Shivers. Lynne performed in Jazz Operas in Europe, performed her own one-woman show,  and is a featured vocalist with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues.

Lynne has traveled the world with her band the Shivers including a life-changing performance in Kyiv, Ukraine in Freedom Square before an audience of 250,000. Jordan has performed her works at numerous Live lit (storytelling) shows in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Moscow, Rio, Riga, and Paris and is featured in the book: Chicago Storytellers, From Page to Stage.Because she is a popular entertainer in Chicago, she has honed her storytelling skills with every song, in every concert and event, and created a one-woman show “A Great Big Diva” that includes her wonderful stories and music.

Lynne is a 3Arts Make a Wave Artist, and recipient of the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago: Outstanding Achievement in Music – Rhythm & Blues award in 2017-2018. She is currently enjoying a “Diva Residency” as an artist in residence at the Raue Center for the Performing Arts in Illinois. Lynne is presently working on two new recordings: one includes original material from Corky Siegel, Toronzo Cannon, and John Cameron Mitchell and the other is exclusively classic blues tunes from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s.

Meghan Murphy is an actor/singer/producer/solo artist currently performing in the worlds of Theatre, Music, and Cabaret. Her incredible range of talents has taken her all over the world, creating and performing in countless musical theater shows and concerts, delivering her long-running one-woman show, The Big Red Show, and singing in her Chicago-based blues band, Everybody Says Yes.