By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The Sweetwater All-Star Band made its eighth consecutive appearance in the Decatur Chamber’s Summer Concert Series on Thursday night, featuring heat, the usual great music and a surprise announcement.
Standing on the Madison St. Plaza and looking directly into a blazing sun, lead vocalist and guitarist Bob Bailey told his audience: “It is HOT up here … but we’ll get through it.”
It was hot, alright; 88 degrees hot when the Sweetwater bunch began bringing the music at 6 p.m.
And the heat was undoubtedly what held down the crowd, quite a bit smaller than the previous week.
The temperatures didn’t spoil the music, however, although the All-Stars did cut their normal three-hour show by about 15 minutes due to a pending storm.
Bailey said it would take about an hour and a half to get all the band’s equipment disconnected, packed up and moved out.
The nine-member – all of them employees of Sweetwater Sound near Fort Wayne – has played the concert series for eight consecutive years, missing only the first one, in 2018.
The band will return to the plaza stage on Sept. 3 for the annual Senior Living Concert held by Adams Memorial Hospital.
KELSEY’S LAST: Near the end of the show, it was announced that Brett Kelsey, the trumpet player with several relatives in Adams County, was making his final appearance in Decatur.
He is moving to Florida, reportedly in July.
Kelsey is one of just three original members of the 9-person band still performing with it. Bailey and band founder Chuck Surack are the others.
Kelsey was born and raised in Fort Wayne, but has numerous relatives in the Decatur area, including Decatur Mayor Dan Rickord, Janelle Young, Elaine Rash, Kip Massoth and Keith Young.
Marilyn Noll is his aunt.
Brett’s mother, the late Thelma Noll Kelsey Alexander, was born in Pleasant Mills. She had 15 siblings. His late father was Ned Kelsey.
ALBUM DROPS: One of the band’s lead vocalists, Lisa McDavid, has just released her first full-length album: “Dream World.”
A total of 10 “Dream World” CDs were handed out to audience members on the plaza Thursday night.
McDavid, who is highly popular in the Decatur and Adams County area, is a native of Youngstown,Ohio. She works extensively with the All-Stars and four other bands.
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