It was Labor Day 1990 when Biloxi musician Robert Collier and Andrew Thomas of the Spinners decided to form a band, Meet the Press, which they figured would be around for six months or so.
And now, 28 years later, this weekend at Point Cadet Plaza, local audiences will have a chance to see an R&B group that has established itself as a fixture on the private party circuit throughout the Southeast, playing regularly for parties at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, along the Florida Panhandle and in such distinguished locales as the Governor’s Mansion in Jackson.
“We made a decision years ago that we were no longer going to play bars,” Collier said. “We’ve done really well playing private parties. We have one coming up for the Philadelphia Eagles coaches, but we also have done public Fourth of July events in places like Clinton or Vicksburg. We’ve also played Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the home of the Panthers, and we’ve opened several times for Kool & the Gang and the Gap Band.
“We’ve just not played publicly in Biloxi. This will be the first time in 20 years.”
The seven-member group, all degreed musicians, headlines the Carl Legget Memorial Fishing Tournament at Point Cadet, taking the stage Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
The repertoire, Collier said, is all R&B: “If it’s funk we play it.”
Weekend preview: Its First Friday
Tonight Biloxi Main Street hosts the monthly downtown affair, First Friday. Shops along Rue Magnolia and Water Street stay open late and from 5 to 8 p.m. visitors will find art exhibits, food and shopping specials, live entertainment by Megan Trochesset, giveaways, and the Mississippi Beach Cruisers Cruise-in at the Mardi Gras Museum.
Elsewhere: Biloxi Parks & Recreation holds registration for its cheerleading and football leagues from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Donal M. Snyder Sr. Community Center, the 24th Annual Carl Legett Memorial Fishing Tournament takes place throughout weekend at the Point Cadet Pavilion, and the Biloxi Shucker begin their four-game homestead with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at MGM Park. Over at the casinos, the America Rock Band LIVE performs at the Beau Rivage, and Lorrie Morgan and Mark Willis will be at the IP.
See the Biloxi Community Calendar
See the weekend lineup
News & Notes: City Desk, Swimming lessons, BNews Monthly, traffic
City Desk podcasting: School begins Aug. 6 for Biloxi Public Schools and in this week’s installment of the City Desk podcast, recorded Thursday morning at Biloxi City Hall, listeners are reminded of back to school driving safety, activities and more. To listen, click here.
Swimming lessons: The Biloxi Parks & Recreation Department will begin registration for its fall swimming lessons on Monday, Aug. 13 at the Biloxi Natatorium from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more details, including class schedules, click here.
BNews Monthly: The August issue of BNews Monthly has been delivered to all addresses in Biloxi and distribtuted to all city facilities. If you haven’t seen the issue yet, you can view it online. To see the monthly newsletters, click here.
Traffic: To see the latest traffic advisories and road closures, click here.
