Blues, Brews & BBQ

The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation will host its Annual Blues, Brews, & BBQ event on Saturday, September 28, at the restored St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall. The Hall – now a nationally recognized historic landmark – once served as the social center of New Town, a neighborhood for African-American residents during segregation. It houses a museum of African-American history and culture, and serves as an important reminder of the resilience, pride, self-reliance, and community spirit of the people who lived in New Town, as well as the legacy of injustice that segregation imposed. The Blues, Brews, and BBQ event recalls some of the happier times in New Town, when friends and neighbors would gather for dancing, community, and fellowship.

Beer & wine, barbeque, and sweet treats will be available for purchase from Blue Ridge Beverage, Kirk’s Famous BBQ, and Next Door Bake Shop. Additionally, local chapters of the NAACP and The League of Women Voters will be providing voter registration information.

Admission is free, though a $10 donation is suggested. Seating is limited, so you may wish to bring chairs.

Event Sponsor: Virginia Tech Foundation

Performance Schedule

12:30-1:30pm              The JoJo Stockton Project
2:00-3:00pm                McFadden and Friends
3:30-4:30pm                Lady D and Mi$$ion

Musical Guest Information

The JoJo Stockton Project
The JoJo Stockton Project contains a back line: killer drummer Chris Oneal, monster bassist/ lead Nigel Banks, and fire on Keys, Mr. Tom Floyd.

JoJo Stockton (from moonshine capital Franklin County Va.) has opened for several Grammy-nominated artists at venues such as the Harvester Performance Center, The Cove, The Taubman, The Moss Center, 5 Points Sanctuary and the Bower Center. Corey “lil pop” Ledet, “TAZ” Brandon Niederauer , Delbert McClinton, Adrian Crutchfield, Cedrick Burnside, and Rueben Studdard are among the artist he’s performed with or opened for. The list of local artists he’s jammed with is way too long to list.

If you can’t find him downtown Roanoke playing the local scene with his popular band “Solacoustix “, or with a blues jam, JoJo is out supporting other local artists (his favorite thing to do). For that reason, he is coined Roanoke’s “Mayor of Music” and actually received the key to the city from the Mayor himself in July 2023. Even though he loves all genres, coming up playing blues music with his pops (the late Alvin Stockton) this man is committed to keeping the blues alive!

McFadden and Friends
The McFadden and Friends Band was formed in 2018 and consists of five members with many years of experience playing Jazz, Blues and R&B. The band has played at Fatback Soul Shack, Old Salem Brewery, Parkway Brewery, Big Lick Brewery, Twisted Track Brewpub, Mac And Bob’s Restaurant, Joe’s Deli, Homeplace, Vineyard Music Festival, Brady’s Distillery, Eastern Divide Brewery, and many private events.

Members of the Band:
Roscoe McFadden – Keyboards, Vocals, Harmonica
Davel Burch – Saxophone
Jimmy Dickason – Bass
David Gregory – Drums
Glen Holmes – Keyboards
Jeff Criner – Guitar (special guest)

Lady D and Mi$$ion
Lady D was born in the coalfields of Cabin Creek in West Virginia and has since become known as W.Va.’s First Lady of Soul.

Lady D has become well-known for her original one-woman stage play titled, “The Lady and the Empress” and the abbreviated version titled “Bessie’s Blues,” based on the life and music of blues legend, Bessie Smith.

Lady D’s regularly performs as a duo with keyboard or guitar and she has made many appearances with blues luminaries such as Bruce Katz and Johnny Rawls, but she is best known as front woman for her 4-piece  band, MI$$ION.  This group of seasoned musicians easily cover several genres that make up their shows. From R&B, blues, jazz and reggae to pop and soul, as well as her own original music, Lady D & MI$$ION hold their own on any musical line-up. Lady D & MI$$ION have been the opening act for soul legends such as the O’Jays and Jagged Edge and performed at the Obama for Change Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC in January 2009.

Members of the Band:
Dan Bailey – Guitar
Phil Copney – Bass Guitar
Demetrius “Meech” Cross – Drums
Robert Gray – Keys

Lady D has six CDs to her credit, including her newest and most recently released, “Disturbing My Peace.”