By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Aleena York can’t recall when she first began singing. “I’ve been singing ever since I could talk,” she said this week.
“She’s been singing a lot; she loves it,” said her grandfather, Dan York, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Decatur.
Aleena and her band of three guys delighted a hometown crowd Thursday night on the Madison St. Plaza as part of the Decatur Chamber’s ongoing summer concert series.
She presented a diverse range of music, from Don Henley (Eagles) to Bonnie Raitt, from Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) to Alyanna Myles (“Black Velvet”), from Steve Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) to Heart and the Beatles.
York said she has been singing professionally since she was 9, traveling with her family for several years.
“Now I have a classic rock band (Aleena York and The Tall Boys) and I’m part of several acoustic duets that play in and around Indiana for public and private events,” said the 25-year-old.
She’s something of a regular at Club Soda in Fort Wayne and recently performed at the Crooked Lake Music Festival.
York spends her daytime working at Highway 27 Landscaping near Decatur, but music is definitely her thing.
”I give private voice lessons to people of all ages so I’m constantly around music! There’s nothing I’d rather do,” Aleena will tell you.
The daughter of Kelly and Taya York of Decatur, Aleena is A 2016 graduate of Bellmont High School and gradated in 2018 from the University of St. Francis’ music technology program.
The young woman is appreciative of the opportunity to entertain at home. She said she’s performed on the plaza three orfour times, including a gig with her original band, Blue Pluto, when the Chamber first began holding concerts on the downtown site.
“This will be my current band’s first time on the plaza and we’re so excited,” she exclaimed.
“I want to add a big thank you to the committee for having me back to play in my hometown where everything started for me!”
Making Thursday an all-local night, Laci Braun, a 17-year-old Adams Central student, entertained the crowd to get the show on its way.
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