MUSIC LINE UP

Gulf Coast Brunch Festival has invested in high quality entertainment which will take place on two stages. Our line up includes, 2021 Grammy Award winner Bobby Rush, Contemporary/Jazz Violinist Dominique Hammons, Southern Rock Band Grits & Greens, Folk Rock band Jelly Biscuit and the Flaky Layers, and Jake’s Jazz Trio. We have also secured two DJ’s to entertain attendees between sets.

BOBBY RUSH

2x GRAMMY winning legend, Blues Hall of Famer, six-time Grammy nominee, and 13-time Blues Music Award winner, with cameo in the Netflix original Dolemite Is My Name starring Eddie Murphy, and autobiography on its way

Bobby Rush has been making records for nearly 70 years and has more than 400 recordings, 75 career releases, and now 27 studio albums to his name. He’s finally telling his story in his autobiography I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story currently available for pre-order and due out June 22 via Hachette Books who have published Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, and Tina Fey to name a few.

After earning a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and a Blues Music Award for Album of the Year for his studio recording Porcupine Meat in 2017, he spent a year writing his follow-up. In 2019, at age 85, he released Sitting on Top of the Blues with 11 originals, earning him another Blues Music Award and Grammy Award nomination. Rush is one of the last Black bluesmen from the class to emerge out of and triumph in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. He has recorded for more than 20 labels, from Checker/Chess and ABC to Philly Int’l and Rounder/Concord. To cap off 2019 he had a cameo in the Golden Globe-nominated Netflix original film Dolemite Is My Name, the Rudy Ray Moore biopic featuring Eddie Murphy as Moore. Rush kicked off 2020 with the release of “Dolemite Kid,” a single inspired by his nine years on tour with Moore, his day working with Murphy, and the hit film itself.

DOMINIQUE HAMMONS

Dominique Hammons is a young, energetic, Contemporary/Jazz Violinist who is a Houston native and started playing classical violin at the age of 8. He attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston where he was a
member of his school orchestra program for four years. After high school, Dominique attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, where he graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance with Jazz emphasis.

During the early part of middle and high school years, he performed for four years with the Houston Youth Symphony orchestra receiving high accolades for excellence. During that time, he also performed with other orchestra and chamber groups such as Virtuosi of Houston and TMEA Allstate orchestra. He was also chosen to study and perform with the Diaz Music Institute’s Youth Latin Jazz group, “Caliente”.

His God given talent has been recognized with many awards and among them, the Houston Symphony’s “Young Artist Competition”, where he won the opportunity to play a solo on stage with the Houston Symphony. He also competed and won medals and recognitions while participating in NAACP “Actso” competitions.

Since graduation, Dominique has gravitated teaching classical violin lessons to youth who desire to follow in his footsteps; and continues to perform in the Houston and surrounding cities as a solo artist. His popularity has risen in high demand to perform at many venues and performs various genres of music such as classical, pop, gospel, jazz, hip hop and R&B. His unique blend of music and style has granted him to perform across the nation such as Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, and Washington State.

GRITS AND GREENS

Ryann and Jesse have spent the last few years fine tuning their on-stage chemistry as husband and wife at venues in Colorado, Mississippi, and all points in between. Once settled in Hattiesburg, MS in 2021, Grits & Greens was born.

Front woman Ryann McGhee shines with commanding guitar licks and a powerful, gritty voice that is both sweet enough for the gospel and rough enough for the blues. Jesse McGhee's soulful slide guitar work is tastefully characterized by open tunings and melodic riffs. Kenny Paul Mann lays the foundation with driving bass lines rooted in country and funk rhythms. Jackson Bounds ties it all together with an explosive, yet intuitive, rock and roll percussion style.

Together, the group offers a unique experience to listeners with a style that is best described as Southern rock with a soulful and jam-heavy delivery. But the band's four part vocal harmony and lyrics are what truly set them apart; sharing stories that are personal, playful, and perfectly satirical.

The obvious love that the band has for each other, as well as playing music, is beautifully exemplified by their warm stage presence and tight performances. This bond keeps their performances fresh and ever-exploratory, always leaving the listeners wanting more.

Ryann McGhee - vocals, guitar

Jesse McGhee - guitar, vocals

Kenny Paul Mann - bass, vocals

Jackson Bounds - drums, vocals

#EATYOURGREENS