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Memorial jazz concert at LHS May 20

The 50th Annual Grant Johnson Memorial Jazz Concert will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 in the Lebanon High School Auditorium.

A pre-concert potluck reception for all band alumni of the last 50 years will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Santiam Place. Attendees are encouraged to wear a blue shirt in honor of Grant and the Blue Boys.

This year, Larry Page and Steve Carter, two of Grant Johnson’s bandmates, will attend.

The Grant Johnson Memorial Jazz Concert is performed annually in memory of Grant Johnson, the son of Don and Maryland Johnson, who was killed in a car accident on Dec. 2, 1967.

Johnson was a high school senior at Lebanon High School at the time of his death. He enjoyed playing jazz piano and saxophone, and was a member of Grant & the Blue Boys, a local rock band. The concert was started in cooperation with Grant’s parents and then LHS band director, Mel Knight, as a means of raising money to fund scholarships for band camps for LHS band students while celebrating Grant’s love of jazz.

To mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this benefit concert, Seven Oak and Lebanon High School Jazz Bands will be joined by an alumni band comprised of past band members. This band will be directed by Mel Knight. This year’s guest artist, Susie Jones, an alumnus of LHS and recently retired Jazz educator, will be joined by trombonist, Stan Bock. All proceeds will fund Grant Johnson Memorial Scholarships for LHS band students to attend summer jazz band camps. More than 90 band students have benefited from this scholarship program over the past 50 years.

Admission to the concert is $5 for adults and $3 for students with school ID.

For more information, contact LHS Band Director Heidi Etter at [email protected]  541-451-8555 x1056.