Concert Series – Little Jake and The Soul Searchers

Bring your lawn chair and blankets and come enjoy a FREE concert at The Square at Tioga Town Center.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Little Jake Mitchell is an authentic blues child prodigy and R&B singer who works as hard today as he did in his appearances at the Apollo Theater; as hard as he did on tour as “Mr. Excitement” with R&B immortals James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, and Bobby Blue Bland, or at the Pensacola Blues Festival, when B. B. King encouraged him to stay in show business.

Little Jake & The Soul Searchers—that’s what you get when you combine Jake with the Silver-Sonic Horns and a powerful rhythm section. The band has an authentic repertoire of R&B stagecraft to support their classic repertoire of songs. Depending on the venue, Jake and the band treat audiences to sights and sounds seldom seen or heard since the golden age of R&B: opening singers, Tran “The Piano Man” Whitley and drummer, Hal “Halag8r” Saylor; a dynamic, audience-walking lead singer; a strolling horn section; a full-time emcee/announcer, Kenny “The Conductor” Eunice; and one of the funkiest rhythm sections around. The band’s roots are deep, featuring sidemen who worked with Ike and Tina Turner, Billy Joe Royal, Ernie K Doe, Hues Corporation, and other R&B and rock pioneers.

The Silver-Sonic Horns (also known as The Blacklash Horns), organized by Charlie Blade, trace their heritage back to 1969 when originally formed as the horn section for one of Florida’s pioneer R&B show bands, Weston Prim & Blacklash: Blade on saxes, and long-time collaborator Brian Stevens on trombone. They are joined by Doug Meyers on trumpet. Classic R&B section-horn energy, funky improvisation by the whole horn section, a great appearance, and a top-notch sound system make the Silver-Sonic Horns an integral part of the Little Jake & The Soul Searchers experience.

The rhythm section features keyboardist and vocalist, Tran Whitley, holding forth on the real deal—a vintage Hammond B3 organ that anchors the band. Tran is joined by seasoned guitarist / backup vocalist, Charles Henry, who can play it funky, and does. On Fender bass, with years of experience beginning with Billy Joe Royal’s road band, Allen McCollum keeps the bass line bumping and jumping. Providing energetic pulse and punctuation, and featured as an opening vocalist in every show: Hal Saylor on drums.

Little Jake Mitchell is one of Florida’s great native-son ambassadors in rhythm and blues music. Little Jake & The Soul Searchers deliver authentic style and classic repertoire at every performance.