The Barn Concert Series, hosted by Kay and Steve Ellis at their home on Mac Davis Road, resumes on Thursday with a Blues show featuring Doug MacLeod with special guest Rachel Maxann.
Parking and dinner for the concert begins at 6 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be found at barnconcertseries.com.
MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit and unforgettable live performances. At the heart of a Doug MacLeod performance is his knack for storytelling, bringing characters from the faceless to the legendary to strikingly real life.
Doug is a multiple Blues Music Award winner, including the 2024 Blues Music Award for Acoustic Album Of The Year Raw Blues 1 and the 2023 Blues Music Award for Acoustic Artist Of The Year. In 2025 he received two Blues Music Award nominations for Acoustic Artist Of the Year and Acoustic Album Of the Year Raw Blues 2. In 2022, “A SOUL TO CLAIM,” produced by Jim Gaines was released. It was named a Downbeat Magazine ‘Album Of The Year’ for 2022.
His latest record, “Between Somewhere and Goodbye”, has been receiving strong reviews in the Blues world.
MacLeod’s playing landed him sideman gigs with George ‘Harmonica’ Smith, Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, Lowell Fulson, and Big Mama Thornton. Over 40 years, 29 studio albums, several live records, compilations, two blues guitar instructional DVDs, and a live performance DVD, MacLeod has consistently earned raves. His songs have been covered by many artists including Albert King, Albert Collins, Joe Louis Walker and Eva Cassidy.
Like the old masters who taught him, MacLeod’s music expresses life and times through an intangible, elusive quality that may simply be a keen sense of what matters most. Doug’s music, stories, and philosophy provide a healing that has helped others overcome the hardships of their lives.
Doug says the most important lessons he learned as a young musician came from Ernest Banks a one-eyed country bluesman from Toano, Virginia. “Never play a note you don’t believe” and “Never write or sing about what you don’t know about.”
As Blues Hall Of Fame artist Pee Wee Crayton’s widow Esther once told Doug, “You have a message and you’ll send that message mainly to the people who don’t go to church.”
Opening the concert at The Barn will be Rachel Maxann of Memphis, Tennessee. Maxann possesses a rare and unparalleled vocal talent that is truly once-in-a-generation. Her powerhouse vocals resonate with a profound depth and richness that captivates audiences and leaves them in awe.
In addition to her remarkable vocal prowess, she delivers a live show that is nothing short of electrifying, commanding the attention of every individual in the room. A master of musical fusion, Rachel seamlessly blends the soulful rhythms of blues, the heartfelt melodies of folk and a dash of vintage indie rock to create a sound that is uniquely her own. Her musical artistry has taken her to stages across the globe, from large crowds to intimate venues. Beyond the music, it’s the impact of it all that Maxann strives for.
It’s present in everything she does, from her work as a therapist and activist to the music she makes and the people she inspires along the way.
All concerts at The Barn feature free dinner and beverages for the audience and the Ellises place a donation jar near the food tent for local charities. The beneficiary for this concert is The Rowdy Foundation, an organization “Raising Autism Awareness & Special Needs Acceptance throughout North Mississippi.”
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