Lionel Young Band plays O.C. Tanner Amphitheater on Saturday

Photo: Gretchen Troop

The Independent

On Saturday, Aug. 1, Dixie State University and the Zion Summer Concert series welcome the Lionel Young Band to the O.C. Amphitheater stage. Lionel Young is a high-energy performer with a bent for the blues. His Lionel Young Band won the 2011 International Blues Challenge (IBC) band competition. Adding that to his victory at the 2008 IBC in the solo-duo category makes Young the first double champion in the history of the IBC.

Fans of the driven, classically trained Young love his distinctive brand of blues on the electric violin. His show features not only originals but also interpretations of blues classics by Willie Dixon, Leadbelly and Stevie Ray Vaughan, bringing the strength and passion of his playing and his smooth vocals to unique translations. Young’s songs—which include his award-winning composition “Brown Cloud Over Denver” and “Hey, O.J.,” a controversial little gem—alternately stir up social concerns and soothe the weary soul. It’s prime. It’s fun. It’s Lionel Young.

Born in Rochester, New York, Young began taking violin lessons at the age of six with Anastasia Jempelis at the Eastman School of Music. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera-Ballet Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra which commissioned him to play bluegrass and blues for their summer festival and on a tour of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea during the 1988 Summer Olympic Music Festival.

Throughout his career, Mr. Young has won numerous awards, including The Young Artist Award (Pittsburgh Symphony), The Concerto Contest (Carnegie-Mellon), The Passamenic Award (Branchwood String Quartet), and the award for the Best Blues Band in Westword’s Best of Denver. He’s also won a position with The Denver Chamber Orchestra and premiered a solo piece by William Hill.

Young has had the honor of working with such showbiz luminaries as Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Paige/Robert Plant, Doc Severenson, Linda Ronstadt, Living Color, Billy Taylor, Woodie Herman, Stanley Turrentine, Homesick James, Homer Brown, Hamlet Bluiett, Chief Bae, and Johnny Long.

Joining Lionel Young on Saturday is local blues artist Neil Bradley Owen.  Owen, or “Blue” as he is also known, is the winner of the 15th annual Telluride Blues Festival’s 2008 Solo Acoustic Blues Competition. Owen’s songs prove to be instantly memorable, with melodies and lyrics that speak to the heart.  Ryan Tilby, an area multi-instrumentalist, will accompany Owen as he plays the Zion Summer Concert Series at the O.C. Tanner.

Visit www.dixie.edu/tanner for a full list of this season’s performers and events. The doors for Saturday’s show open at 7:30 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $6 for kids, and can be purchased at the door or from the DSU box office by calling (435) 652-7800.  Help support local music!