Panelists George Boykin, Wardell Greer, Richard Hayes, and Rev. Geames Ivory join local historian Jim Tillman to highlight an era of local music that nurtured great talent like drummer Russell Bizzett. The Black History Month program will be moderated by Monique Scarlett, Unity in the Community, and Ike Rayford, Sioux City NAACP.

Along with hearing from the panelists, the audience will be invited to share their remembrances of the West 7th music scene during the era.

Among the stories to be featured is a local family with a young musical prodigy. A friend of Louis Armstrong, trumpeter Clarence “Pops” Kenner, owned a West 7th nightclub, the 7-11 Club. At the age of 12, his grandson drummer Russell Bizzett started playing gigs at the venue. After graduating from Bishop Heelan High School in 1969, Bizzett was touring at age 19 with Chuck Berry and with later Muddy Waters and Tommy Bolin. He performed on TV shows and with world-renowned symphony orchestras. Inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, Bizzett continues his long career in California.