The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts will host blues artist Lionel Young from 7 to 9 pm at the Turner Center Art Park, 605 North Patterson St., on Fri., March 21, 2025. The concert is the third of 10 free, live performances in the 2025 Levitt AMP Valdosta Music Series, sponsored by the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation, The Price-Campbell Foundation, WALB News 10, Lamar Advertising, and the Valdosta Daily Times.
Lionel Young is a high-energy performer with a bent for the blues. His LIONEL YOUNG BAND, winners of numerous awards for best in and around the Colorado region, have won the 2011 International Blues Challenge (IBC) band competition. Added to his victory at the 2008 IBC in the solo-duo category, that makes Lionel 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, along with the strength and passion of Young’s playing, his smooth vocals and unique translations. The 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.
Lionel has had the honor of working with such show biz luminaries as: Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Paige/Robert Plant, Doc Severinson, Linda Ronstadt, Living Color, Billy Taylor, Woodie Herman, Stanley Turrentine, Homesick James, Homer Brown, Hamlet Bluiett, Chief Bae, and Johnny Long.
The public is invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs to the concerts. In addition, the on-site food vendor is Big J’s BBQ and the drink vendor is Downtown Social. Community partners for this show are Valdosta Lowndes Jobs and LAMP-Valdosta. Admission is free.
Visit turnercenter.org or scan the QR code for a full schedule of concerts and directions. Patrons who need special assistance may contact the Center at 229-247-2787 to make those arrangements.
About the series: The Levitt AMP Valdosta Music Series is supported in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which partners with towns and cities across America to activate underused public spaces through the power of free live music, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations. Presenting a broad array of music genres and cultural programming, Levitt venues and concert sites are community anchors where families, friends, and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds come together. Learn more at levitt.org.
In 2025, the national Levitt network of music venues and concert sites is presenting 650+ free concerts in 50 towns and cities, with audiences of nearly 1 million people. In addition to supporting free concerts, the Levitt Foundation is dedicated to advancing equitable music ecosystems through research and partnerships. www.levitt.org
