Big Dog Mercer Blues Band from Chicago, IL

My name is Marty Mercer aka "Big Dog" Mercer. I am a full-time professional musician performing close to 200 jobs per year for the last decade here in the Midwest, but also abroad. We are an award-winning Chicago Blues & Rock band that performs as a trio, 4 and 5 piece band. The trio is guitar, bass, drums and vocals. To fill out the sound we add horns. Typically a saxophone and a trombone. We are a concert and festival band but we are also very adept at being a restaurant/ intimate venue band playing Jazz & Blues instrumentals in the corner. As a trio, we can be as compact as 8'x8'. We can carry our own sound production if needed. We promote every performance. We travel. We have up to 4 hours of material. We're punctual, easy to work with, volume conscious professionals. We dress properly, do not drink on the job and perform a family-friendly show. We have a whole lot of fun while keeping it professional 100% of the time. In 2016, I was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame at Legends in Chicago. We are not JUST a Blues band. Please do not put me in that box. We play Blues & do it well. We perform original music and cover songs. We cover Blues, Rock, Jazz, funk, Roots rock & we might even play a country song - all depending on the crowd in front of us. At many performances, I've had people tell me "I never really cared from the Blues. That was until I heard you guys. You guys are great" Road tested and audience approved. Timeline; 2003 - Released first album titled "Swamp Boogie" (self) 2007 - Crowned Joliet, IL's "King Of The Blues" at Guitar Center 2010 - Signed a four-year recording contract with Electro Glide Records 2010 - Released second album titled "Attack of the Southpaw" (EGR) 2010 - Placed second in the Muddy Waters Slide Guitar Championship 2011 - Awarded "Best Blues Band" by SuburbaNites Magazine Awards 2011 - Released third album titled "Big Dog" Mercer (EGR) 2012 - Awarded "Best Blues Band" by SuburbaNites Magazine Awards 2012 - Tied for first place in the Chicago Blues Challenge at Chicago Blues Festival 2013 - Inducted into the Joliet Blues Hall of Fame 2015 - Awarded "Best Blues Artist" in the Kankakee Valley music awards 2016 - Released fourth album titled "It Ain't Easy" (self) 2016 - Inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame 2017 - Awarded "Best Blues Artist" in the Kankakee Valley music awards 2017 - Performed two shows at the Blues on the Bay festival in Warrenpoint, Ireland 2018 - Performed six shows at the Blues on the Bay festival in Warrenpoint, Ireland 2018 - Performed live on BBC during the Blues on the Bay festival in Warrenpoint, Ireland List of festivals performed; Bensenville Days Festival Big Red Barn Festival Blues N Brews Fest on Rt 66, Joliet Blues on the Bay (Warrenpoint, Ireland) Cedar Lake Festival Chicago Blues Festival Chicago Oyster Festival Chicago CiniFest Frankfort Fall Festival Frankfort Rib Festival Frontier Days Festival Harvard Blues Festival Illinois Blues Festival Illinois State Fair Joliet Blues Festival LaPorte County Fair McHenry Blues Festival Make Music Normal Naperville Rib Fest Orland Days – Orland Park, IL Pasta Vino Little Italy Fest Peoria Blues & Heritage Festival Pork N Blues Festival Scarecrow Festival St John Festival Summer Concert Series – Frankfort Summer Concert Series – Glen Towne Center Summer Concert Series – Olympia Fields Summer Concert Series – Shorewood Taste of Joliet Taste of Orland Park Taste of Westmont Muddy Waters' Tribute Notable Venues; Arcada Theater - St Charles, IL BB's Soup Blues & Jazz - St Louis, MO Balmoral Racetrack – Crete, IL Balmoral - N. Ireland Blue Chip Casino – Michigan City, IN Evanston Rocks – Evanston, IL Fairmont at Millennium Park – Chicago, IL Gilmore Car Museum - Fair Oaks, MI Governors State University – Univ. Park, IL Grand Victoria Casino – Elgin, IL Hard Rock Cafe - Chicago, IL Harrah's Casino – Joliet, IL Historical Museum - Joliet, IL Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, IN John Hancock Tower – Chicago, IL Kingston Mines – Chicago, IL Lansing Library Concerts – Lansing, IL Legends – Chicago, IL Majestic Theater – Kankakee, IL M.C.A.C.N. Car Show - DesPlaines, IL Millennium Park – Chicago, IL Navy Pier – Chicago, IL No. 7 Duke St. - N. Ireland Rosa's Lounge – Chicago, IL Rt 66 Speedway – Joliet, IL Rum Boogie - Memphis, TN Shaw's - Chicago, IL Smoke Daddy – Chicago, IL Starved Rock State Park - Utica, IL Whilstledown Hotel - N. Ireland Ye Old Ship - N. Ireland Wilmot Ski Resort – Wilmot, WI Available for festivals, corporate events, private parties, theaters, and music performance venues.