Concert will feature blues singer

Tonight's "Let's Go Downtown" concert at the Downtown Community Plaza features Tampa blues singer Julie Black, a veteran performer who grew up in Illinois, has performed along the East Coast and appeared on such TV shows as NBC's syndicated "Daytime" program.

Following today's 8-10 p.m. performance in Gainesville, the singer and her four-piece band will return to Tampa to perform at Saturday's Tropical Heatwave festival, one of Tampa's largest musical events of the year, which this year also features Graham Parker and Sonny Landreth.

In a review of Black's album, "Call Me Angel For Blues," Blues Revue magazine called her "a major singing and songwriting talent." The Long Island Blues Society described Black's voice as "one of the prettiest" in blues. "On a dime, Julie goes from purring kitty to roaring lioness. Emotion drips like candle wax, leaving searing heat and vision blurred."

The Downtown Plaza concerts are held every Friday night from May 2 through October 31. Admission is free.