About Omar Coleman: 

Since deciding to fully pursue a career in music in 2010, Omar Coleman has impressively recorded 3 full
albums, performed 30 overseas dates in 12 countries, and performed as feature vocalist for more than 10
professionally touring bands. Omar has the personality, sound, and passion of the late greats Junior Wells and James Brown and hopes to reach similar acclaim with his own career. Perhaps visit one of the four real deal blues joints in Chicago and ask about Omar Coleman. No tricks, no games…. just blues.

Omar Coleman, 44, has established himself as one of the nation’s premier harmonica players and blues vocalist alive today, billed on festivals with legends like Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Ruth Brown, and Robert Randolph. With a voice soulful beyond his years, Omar has been impressing audiences across the nation with his genuine, seasoned harmonica skills and vocals. Omar is known to interact directly with his audience, befriending an entire audience.

You may have seen Omar Coleman working throughout Chicago Land & Northwest Indiana and across North America with the likes of the Kinsey Report, John Primer & the Real Deal Blues Band or the late-great Chico Banks, Buddy Guy, among many others. The future of Chicago Blues is being redefined by this harmonica virtuoso. Check out the OMAR COLEMAN BLUES BAND when they steamroll through your town with the most soulful sound heard since the 60’s. Omar has performed at the San Francisco Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Spain Blues Fest, Muddy Waters Festival of Westmont, etc. *** ‘Blues in the Schools’ Ambassador to Chicago Public Schools *** Featured on All-Star compilation – Diamonds in the Rough: Chicago Harmonica Project – Severn Records (2006) *** Headliner for “Blues for a Cure” Cancer Benefit Tour & CD in Columbus, OH (2007-2010) *** Mainstay in contemporary Chicago blues – appearing frequently at the Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S., Rosa’s Blues Lounge, Buddy Guy’s Legends, etc. Omar has performed with Louisiana Red, John Primer, Hubert Sumlin, Sean Carney & Henry Gray, Katherine Davis, Bob Stroger, Joanna Connor, Billy Flynn, Kinsey Report, Chico Banks, and hundreds more.

OMAR COLEMAN BLUES BAND W/ LARETHA WEATHERSBY

LARETHA WEATHERSBY

Two calibers of singers exist in today’s music industry. There are vocalists and then there are entertainers. Laretha Weathersby is both.  Her dynamic, effervescent stage presence is unparalleled and her sultry, wispy vibrato makes her a Blues natural. Voted 2009-2010’s “Chicago Blues Diva of the Year,” she belts out traditional Blues classics with passion and poise and delivers riveting renditions of timeless R&B, Soul and Top 40 tunes, all while captivating crowds with her jovial disposition and dynamic dancing.  Known for her rousing stage presence, crowd members rarely blink when Laretha hits the stage, fearing they will miss one of her signature dance moves or the chance to chant along with the charismatic chanteuse.Reigning from the Southside of Chicago, Laretha’s mother, a former Gospel soloist, detected her daughter’s singing abilities and enrolled the toddler in piano classes and encouraged her as a teenager to be an active member of the choir at the family’s place of worship. But it was not until the 1990s that Laretha began to cultivate a personal relationship with Blues music.Emerging as one of the premiere female Blues vocalists in the City of Chicago in the late 1990s, Laretha has performed at such legendary Blues hotspots as The Kingston Mines, BLUES on Halsted and since 2010 is a spectacular presence here at BLUE CHICAGO.Her debut album – Dance the Blues Away – is an eclectic mix of traditional Blues infused with remnants of contemporary R&B and Soul. The album reveals Laretha’s reverence for conventional Blues music while flaunting her fluent transition into contemporary R & B and Soul.According to Ms. Weathersby, “the power of Blues music lies in its ability to relate to each and every member of the human race. People of all different backgrounds can connect with the universal concepts of love, triumph and tribulation, which are the very elements upon which Blues music is based. I consider it an honor and joy to incorporate that human element into my live performances and it is with passion and humility that I accept the honor and challenge of preserving Blues music for future generations.”www.LarethaWeathersby.com

Press Biography

Born & Raised on the Westside of Chicago, Omar Coleman is the real deal. A recent nominee for “Most Outstanding Musician” by Living Blues Magazine, his soulful vocals and fiery harmonica skills have entertained audiences from the Windy City to San Francisco, France to Brazil and beyond.

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Stay tuned… the best is yet to come. Read Full Bio Here

Press Quotes

“…confident in his abilities as a singer, harmonica player and songwriter. [Omar] is steeped in the classic blues sounds of his home city yet unafraid to take them in a more contemporary direction.” 

          – – Living Blues Magazine