Prairie Crossroads Blues Society

Champaign-Urbana IL

Special Event

Candy Foster Celebration

7 p.m., May 20
Foellinger Auditorium, 709 S. Matthews, Urbana

Gerald (Candy) Foster has been performing classic rhythm and blues for 50 years. He's been based in Champaign-Urbana since the 1960s and is known as one of the hardest working blues singers in the area.

Candy's first band, Soul Brothers, gained regional fame in the Vietnam era. Since 1996 his band has been called Shades of Blue.

Candy has played with many great blues artists over the years including: Lonnie Brooks, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Junior Wells, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and more.

One of Candy's main accomplishments has been promoting live entertainment in the Midwest and helping young artists develop their craft.

Come out Sunday May 20th at 7:00pm in the Foellinger Auditorium to pay tribute and celebrate Candy's 50 years as an entertainer, see Candy's Facebook page for more information.

Blues Education

We have new events in our educational program and you can help us out.

We're putting together a series of educational workshops for the entire family at this year's Champaign Blues Brews & BBQ's Fest.

We need anything that could conceivably be made into or part of a percussive instrument. Think plastic bottles, boxes, rubber bands, rice, beans, tin pans... . Think like a kid and help PCBS get ready for the Champaign Blues, Brews and BBQs festival June 29 and 30.

We are currently wrapping up our first foray into the Blues In The Schools (BITS) program. It began with an all school assembly at Wiley School in Urbana that included a blues history presentation and a performance by The Painkillers. With the assistance of an Urbana Arts Grant and the donation of harmonicas by Samuel Music we funded a six week after school program which features a weekly presentation on blues history and harmonica instruction. Read about our efforts on the Wiley School website

Visit our Education Page for all the information about our BITS program.

Monthly Newsletter

The fine staff of our monthly newsletter, Inclusive, do a great job of keeping our members up to date on all our activities. Read the current issue here.

Want to help support the blues? Consider becoming a member of PCBS.
You can sign up or renew online with Paypal.
Or if you prefer, print out and complete our Membership Form.

It's easy to get involved. We meet the third Wednesday of every month at the Champaign Public Library, Room 215. Stop by and say hello!

PCBS is a non-profit organization formed to promote blues music and artists in East Central Illinois. We're a proud affiliate of The Blues Foundation.