The Crier received two bits of good news about this year’s Idyllwild Summer Concert Series (ISCS): This year’s fundraising goal has been exceeded and a ninth concert has been added. As of last week, contributions had reached $34,422.

The added Thursday, Sept. 1 concert will feature Jennifer Singer, a crowd-pleasing vocalist who has enjoyed pre-pandemic residencies with cruise lines (Celebrity, Oceania, Regent, Royal Carribean and Princess Cruises) and whose dry land career has gravitated toward Las Vegas. The fundraising success allowed this addition, and will also provide “seed” money to help get next year’s series off to a running start.

This Thursday, Aug. 11, ISCS’s favorite “cool” breeze, the Blue Breeze Band (BBB), will revisit the Butterfield Amphitheater. For more than 15 years the BBB has presented the Motown, rhytm and blues, soul, funk, jazz and blues. Standout vocals with rich harmonies, a rhythm section that is up to the task, and extraordinary horns, members of BBB have performed and/or toured with artists and acts including Lakeside, The Temptations, L.T.D., Mary J. Blige, Teena Marie, Brothers Johnson, Evelyn Champagne King and many more. The group also has appeared in movies, music videos and television commercials.

Guitarist and band leader Harold Wherry has over 30 years of professional experience on stage and in the studio. Coming up, Wherry was influenced by a steady diet of R&B, blues and jazz on the club scene in Los Angeles, and he, in turn, contributed to that scene. As a teenager, he backed soul/R&B singer Bobby Byrd AKA Bobby Day (“Rockin Robin”, “Little Bitty Pretty One” and “Over & Over.”) After that he performed with a Coasters tribute band, a Marvelettes tribute band and with various Motown R&B soul bands throughout Los Angeles and Southern California. Wherry can also be seen playing guitar in the Warner Bros. movie, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” staring Lorenze Tate as singer Frankie Lymon.

Wherry has assembled a team of experienced and pedigreed pros. Vocalist Chevone Shampine, from Los Angeles, got her start in the church choir, and has developed into a charismatic R&B and soul soprano with a wide range. The male vocals are taken by Jeff Robinson (originally from New York), whose style ranges between memories of Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Sam Cooke, and straight-ahead jazz scatting.

Richard Moorings plays keyboards and trombone, and also sings. Formerly with vocalist Tina Marie, he has worked with The Four Tops, Billy Preston, The Sylvers, The Delfonics, Bobby and the Famous Coasters, a Marvelettes Revue and the funk/R&B group L.T.D.

Eric Ward plays electric bass. A veteran of the Baltimore, Maryland music scene, Ward played bass all through high school where he worked in a local Motown and R&B band. Ward’s professional experience includes performing and recording with the late Marvin Gaye. You can hear him playing with Gaye on “Got to Give it Up,” one of Gaye’s top hit songs.

Jason Carpenter plays drums and also sings. Playing drums in the church since the tender age of 8, he went on to graduate from Berklee College of Music. Carpenter has been around a wide variety of music, including rock ’n’ roll. “I’m so fortunate that my first rock experience [was] playing with the legendary Edgar Winter.” Carpenter also has been on many Disney and Fox shows, and performed with artists such as Andraé Crouch, Kim Burell, John P. Kee, Nnenna Freelon, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, Solange Knowles and Roscoe Umali.

The group has two horn players, both from Los Angeles: Tim Anderson on tenor sax and Tyrone Griffin on trumpet and flugelhorn. Anderson has performed Motown soul, R&B and jazz all over Los Angeles and has toured Japan. As an engineer with A&M Records, Griffin worked on many outstanding projects with artists including Joni Mitchell, Freddie Hubbard, Quincy Jones, The Brothers Johnson, Stanley Clark and Minnie Riperton. He later went on the road with The Brothers Johnson and Evelyn Champagne King. He toured for five years with the group Lakeside as a keyboard player and vocalist. He has recorded sessions with Rick James, Teena Marie, Jermaine Stewart, Richard Tee, Eric Benet, Snoop Dogg, 2pac, Jon B, Dr. Dre, The Dogg Pound, Immature, Brandy, DJ Quik, The Gap Band, Penny Ford, Philip Bailey, Shanice Wilson and Boss Skank. He has also played on television shows including “Melrose Place,” “Vibe,” “The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show,” “Soul Train,” “Donnie and Marie,” “Howie Mandel,” “The Apollo,” “The Magic Hour,” “The View,” “BET,” “Sound Stage,” “Motown Live,” “Saturday Night Special” and “The Midnight Special.” This man’s resume gives new meaning to the phrase “and the list goes on.”

Thursday’s show opens with two Idyllwild originals, Terry Jo Stafford and Lenny Hansell.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Stafford shared her musical journey and her “Idyllwild story” with the Crier:

“I have been on the Hill since the summer of 2016. I was without a permanent home and camping in Garner Valley, trying to figure out my next move in life. It was a very low time for me but not hopeless. I was hanging on with very little by the grace of God when I got a job at the health food store, Sky Island. I got the job because the owner had lived in places that I knew well … I got to know many of the folks here while at that job and I continue to be grateful for that. I realized quickly that I could see Idyllwild as my new home.

“Singing has always been my favorite pastime and at age 11, I picked up the acoustic guitar. After high school, I continued to have a passion for music. When I married at age 20, being a wife and raising a family became the priority. My music during those years was primarily contributing to church collaborations and I learned many things during that time.

“I purchased my first Taylor guitar in 1992, an 812 Grand Concert Cutaway with an Engelmann Spruce top, which I still play to this day. My skills improved greatly as I fell in love with fingerstyle playing during a time when alternative folk/rock was on the rise. Two of my favorite female artists, Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin, have proved to be my greatest inspiration. Life certainly threw its punches with a divorce after 27 years, but still, I have no regrets.

“With the help of God, I am now established here, in Idyllwild, along with the many talented and generous people who love music as much as I do. I was able to get a CD recorded through a dear friend here in Idyllwild and that work tells the story of the transition from full-time wife and mother to solo singer on the road. The title of the CD is ‘BitterSweet’; with songs like ‘Lily Rock’, ‘Thirty-Something Times Two’ and ‘Treacherous One,’ portraying the past few years of my life.

“I met Lenny while working at Cafe Aroma in 2017. His band, The Len Tones, was a real highlight for me there. So much fun! (Who knew that he would soon make contributions on ‘BitterSweet’). I began playing gigs at Cafe Aroma when I wasn’t serving food, and gradually established myself as a singer songwriter in Idyllwild.

“When COVID hit, things changed rapidly so Lenny and I decided to put together material going forward. Our preparation paid off as we were up and ready to go. We began playing at Middle Ridge when things opened up and Rustic Theatre for the art and wine walk. Last year’s summer concerts had us playing two dates. We are looking forward to performing again this year on Aug. 11 with some new music that we hope will add to the memories of summer concerts in Idyllwild.”

Accompanying her is Hansell, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and “band master” originally from Hartford and Windsor, Connecticut. As a teen he learned not just the instruments (starting with drums and bass) but also the “band craft” that is necessary to turn a bunch of players into a groove team. Hansell left home at age 17, after he “… auditioned for a Colorado R&R band over the phone.” He “… did that for a couple of years, [then] joined a western swing band [touring] Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.”

Forty-five years ago, he ended up in Idyllwild. For 15 years he, along with the redoubtable Bill Plummer and “Scotty” Fulton, worked as “Gas, Food and Lodging,” the Hill’s pro power trio. Their off-the-Hill work included a regular weekly gig at the Palomino in North Hollywood and appearances at the Zuma Beach Cafe in Malibu.

Over the years, Hansell has woven himself into the fabric of Idyllwild musical life, a generous and valued collaborator, loved by listeners and players alike.

On the human side, he shared a few thoughts about the dedicatee of this year’s ISCS, the late, great Doug Austin. “I always ‘dug’ Doug. A real gentleman with a wry sense of humor. He was into Charles Dickens and I found these old magazines published by Dickens on Google books. I told him about them and I believe he enjoyed them. He gave so much to the community so I wanted to do something for him. I miss his presence.”

Hansell mentioned among his fondest memories of past ISCSs Lisa Haley and the Zydecats and BBB.

Next week, Aug. 18, ISCS will bring Aretha Franklin and Friends featuring Gino Walker. The music will start with Miles Thomas and friends Jac Jacaruso and Eric Lindgreen.

These free concerts, funded completely by donations from businesses and individuals, are among the high points of summer life in Idyllwild. The “hat” is passed at the event, and those who can are invited to give to keep the tradition alive. Contributions may be sent, checks payable to “Idyllwild Summer Concert Org,” to P.O. Box 1542, Idyllwild CA 92549-1542. For more information call Ken at 760-413-4638.

This year’s major contributors include: Bob and Gisela Stearns, Stephanie Yost and Steve Olson, Donna McLain, Compass Realty, Idyllwild Brew Pub, Roland Gaebert, Will and Kathy Kleindienst, Phil Strong and Linda McCaughin, Mountain High Escrow, Doug and Pat Austin, Idyllwild Rotary Club, Town Crier, Nona Solowitz and Mike Cheley, Tim McTavish, Desert Sotheby’s Realty, Idyllwild Trailer Park residents and Idyllwild Pizza Company.

Music starts at 6:15 p.m. Remember that temperatures drop in the summer evening. Come prepared with an extra layer to the Butterfield Amphitheater, 54201 Ridgeview Drive, with access through the Idyllwild Community Center Playground parking lot on Highway 243 just south of town.