Idyllwild’s 2023 Summer Concert Series (ISCS) concludes Thursday night, Aug. 31, with The Blue Breeze Band at 7 p.m. Opening at 6:05 p.m. will be local singer/songwriter Terry Jo Stratton, accompanied by Lenny Hansell. This is the second year ISCS founder Ken Dahleen has stretched the season to nine shows.

The Blue Breeze Band perform a blend of past and present hits, highlighting Motown, rhythm and blues, and soul classics, while mixing in more contemporary hits. The band’s energy is contagious, and their job is getting all kinds of crowds up and dancing. Leader Harold Wherry told the Crier about the band’s recent activity: “This year we have performed at the Rose Bowl, grand opening for a Mazda dealership, two upscale malls, Japanese Gardens, corporate events, 4th of July celebration, lots of concerts in the park and several weddings. We have traveled as far north as San Luis Obispo and as far south as San Diego.”

In addition to a horn section and bass, drums, keyboard and guitar, the Blue Breeze has a full chorus of vocal talent. Its lineup includes seven musicians. Wherry plays guitar, and is joined by singer Melodye Perry; Richard Moorings on keyboards, trombone and vocals; Tim Anderson on sax and vocals; Tyrone Griffin on trumpet and vocals; Jason Carpenter on drums and vocals; and bassist Eric Ward.

Wherry mentions that members of the band can be seen singing “doo-wop” in the Amazon feature film “Something From Tiffany’s,” and Harold himself plays guitar in the Warner Bros. movie “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.”

Opening will be Terry Jo Stratton, one of Idyllwild’s talented song-birds. Her original song writing chronicles the twists and turns that took her off the beaten path and here among us.

She told the Crier her story, one that will reverberate with many who have found sanctuary in our mountain community. “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.” A job at the old Sky Island health food store, making friends, waiting tables at Café Aroma, were all stations on the way to a fulfilling life full of the music she had always dreamed of making.

“I met Lenny while working at Café Aroma in 2017. His band, The Len Tones, was a real highlight for me there. So much fun. I began playing gigs at Café Aroma when I wasn’t serving food, and gradually established myself as a singer songwriter in Idyllwild.”

That brings us to Lenny Hansell, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and “band master” originally from Hartford and Windsor, Connecticut. Over the years he has woven himself into the fabric of Idyllwild musical life, a generous and valued collaborator, loved by listeners and players alike.

As a teen he learned not just the instruments (starting with drums and bass) but also the “band craft” necessary to turn a bunch of players into a team. Hansell left home at 17, after auditioning for a Colorado rock and roll band over the phone. After a couple of years, he joined a western swing band touring Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. Forty-five years ago, he ended up here in Idyllwild. For 15 years he, along with the redoubtable Bill Plummer and Scotty Fulton, worked as Gas, Food and Lodging, Idyllwild’s steady rolling working band. Hansell is happy to be backing up Stratton, and once more opening for his favorite among the many bands Dahleen brings to Idyllwild for ISCS.

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

Remember that temperatures drop in the summer evening. Come prepared with an extra layer to Butterfield Amphitheater, 54201 Ridgeview Drive, accessible through the Idyllwild Community Center playground parking lot on Highway 243 just south of town.