Get ready and be on the lookout for more information about KORT Community Showcase - Return of the Big Steppers
KORT Community Showcase: Return of the Big Steppers - Talent Show 5pm -6pm / Live Entertainment 6pm -8pm
From the Southside of Chicago to the Southside of Rockford, Chicago Steppin' - the smooth community-based dance style - has changed the world! Join us Sunday July 6th for a family-friendly celebration of music, dance and culture - featuring a live R&B/jazz band, line dance & steppin' presentations, cash prizes for couples' dance challenge, celebrity judges and MORE!
National Celebrity Host George Daniels -
He’s the man when it comes to Black culture and Black music, helping so many icons get their songs heard before they were famous. He’s considered the godfather of Chicago music worldwide!
In a century where corporate music giants undercut, betray, and scramble for their piece of the pie, music retailer George Daniels quietly observes the bloodbath from the sidelines. As the
founder and proprietor of George’s Music Room, arguably was the country's most influential independent music retailer. George has infiltrated the industry using one simple, six-letter word: Family.
George Daniels is much more than a wildly successful merchant, appearing in numerous music videos and movies, hosting countless conferences, parties, and award shows, and even being
featured in several fashion campaigns. He is a philanthropist, visionary, father-figure, and confidant to artists like Queen Latifah and Snoop Dogg, who affectionately refer to him as “Uncle George” and “The Music Man”. Where George goes, his reputation precedes him, even overseas, where a panel of South African judges named him “Mamadou”, or “The Messenger.”
This title is only appropriate for a man who has spent his life spreading messages of empowerment, honesty, and loyalty, all qualities Daniels understood growing up in New York City and watching his family own and operate southern-style restaurants. There, Daniels first rubbed shoulders with music legends like Oscar Peterson and Miles Davis, who would come in to eat, using their small royalty checks to pay. Crisp New York evenings were often spent with his father, who would tell him about nightclubs like Lennox Lounge and Three Deuces that he was too young to attend. Immersed in gorgeous skylines and a rich musical heritage, Daniels’s decision to attend Loop College in Chicago couldn’t have been timelier. In Chicago, George fell desperately in love with music. He earned his stripes at Chess Records- where he was a janitor, driver, and even provided elementary background noise for recordings. Likening the experience to “running away
to join the circus”, Daniels was overjoyed to be exposed to artists such as Billy Stewart, Etta James, Muddy Waters, and Ramsey Lewis. His subsequent position at One Stop Records gave
Daniels the fundamental retail, stocking, and customer service skills he needed to start running the show.
On December 12, 1969, just shy of Daniels’s 21st birthday, George’s Music Room opened for business on Chicago’s West Side. The original establishment has become a musical mecca for
major and independent artists, including Kanye West, Do or Die, Crucial Conflict, Twista, Common, Mary J. Blige, Ice Cube, Al Green, Usher, MC Lyte, Wu-Tang Clan, and others. Savvy after 40 years in business, Daniels remains far from naïve about the turbulent music industry. He has won countless awards, including the prestigious National Association of Recording Merchandisers “Retailer of the Year”, among one of his most cherished honors.
George never slows down. In 2018, his ventures have included being part of a beverage depot store on the Southside of Chicago, sporting his name, and recently finishing a documentary
highlighting his influence and impact as a mentor and retailer in the music and entertainment business. The documentary will be released in the summer of 2025. Soon, the world will understand why George Daniels, affectionately known as ‘Unk’, the Godfather’, or the ‘Music Man’, is so beloved and respected.
Patten Pending Band
Patten Pending is a dynamic jazz-funk fusion band based in Beloit, WI, founded by trumpeter and vocalist Naomi Patten. Born from a passion for music and community, the band was created to provide a welcoming space for artistic expression and appreciation. Comprised of seasoned musicians who have been playing together since their high school years, Patten Pending delivers an electrifying blend of jazz, funk, and fusion, bringing energy and sophistication to every performance.
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