Everybody loves Joyce Cobb, the Memphis jazz singer, WEVL DJ, and sometime actress who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Cobb’s longtime bandmate, multi-instrumentalist Hank Sable is ready to take that love to the next level. “I’ll tell you what I think,” he says. “I think Memphis would be better off if we made Joyce mayor of the city. She represents the best of who we are. When she sings there’s no black or white or anything else.”
Joyce Cobb
Sable, who’s played violin and guitar with Cobb’s band for 10 years, is just one of the many artists scheduled to perform at a benefit show at Boscos Squared on Sunday, March 29th. The event will include an open bar and food, a silent auction, and music performed by the Stax Academy, members of Cobb’s band past and present, and a long list of friends and musical collaborators.
And, even if you’re not a Memphis music aficionado, chances are you’ve seen Bobby Memphis (aka Bobby Jordan). Long before there were bike lanes in Memphis, Jordan, a cycling enthusiast who’s played bass and sung with bands like the Mudflaps and the Great Indoorsmen, could be seen pushing pedals all over town. Jordan was hospitalized after suffering a heart infection that lead to a stroke, and benefits have been scheduled in both Memphis and Nashville.
The Memphis benefit is Monday, March 30th, at Lafayette’s Music Room featuring performances by Amy LaVere and Will Sexton, Susan Marshall, the Bluff City Backsliders, and Papa Tops West Coast Turnaround. The show starts at 6 p.m. There is no cover charge, but donations are being accepted.