Meisha played with the Michael
Collins band for about four years, performing regular gigs at Kingston Mines
and Wise Fools Pub. She also played with
Shirley King and Maggie Brown and
developed a broad blues and jazz repertoire. By the time she graduated from
Columbia in 1989,
she had stopped
playing and worked
regular full-time jobs
at Borders, Crate &
Barrel
and
R.R.
Donnelly. "I wanted
to be a full-time
musician but I didn't
know how. " she says.
"I'd do some shows
and then get frustrated and get a job."But
she couldn't say
away from music
completely. She fre- Tony Manguillo
quented open mics Rosa's Lounge
and jams at Blues
Etc., Gerri's Palm Tavern, Checkerboard
Lounge and Artis' Lounge. "I was hanging
on the blues scene, jamming with people
even though I didn't have a gig," she says.
The was in the '90s and early aughts, when
neighborhood spots like Timeout Lounge
and Mary's Lounge offered welcoming
spaces for musicians to connect and freely
jam. "It's hurtful that these places are gone
now. It seems like old Chicago is shrinking
and new Chicago isn't fostering much creativity like it did in the past. It's hard to
find anyplace that feels like home.”
48 illinoisentertainer.com march 2015
After expanding her performance skills
on the blues jam scene, Meisha has managed to create her own home with spots in
three different bands. With Red Line
Lounge, she plays country blues and R& B
with a bluesy twang, for Meisha Herron
and Friends, she plays lead, rhythm and
acoustic guitar with R&B and jazz fusion
highlights and with Diane Ellis and the
Jazzy Ladies, she plays soft bebop and
straight ahead jazz with
lots of instrumentals.
When Meisha plays as a
solo artist, anything goes,
she plays everything
from Memphis Minnie to
Fleetwood Mac with her
signature smoky vocals.
As her music continues
to grow, she's happy to
see blues music grow as
well. "The blues is opening up to being universal
and anyone can play the
blues as long as you have
the feeling in your heart.”
Meisha Herron plays
the acoustic dinner set at
Buddy Guy's Legends, 700 S. Wabash, on
April 3, 5:30-8:00. She plays with Diane
Ellis and The Jazzy Ladies on April 19 at
Room 43, 1043 E. 43rd St.
Congratulations to Tony Manguillo
and Rosa's Lounge for garnering the
Keeping The Blues Alive Award from the
Blues Foundation in Memphis, for preserving, promoting and presenting high
quality blues for 30 years. As the only
Chicago venue represented, Rosa's is also
keeping Chicago blues alive and well.