Local blues musician has Ocean Springs gladly singing the blues

A local piano teacher and YouTube sensation had Ocean Springs happily singing the blues tonight. She held her very first concert in the city this evening. Laurie Carpenter works as a piano teacher at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center, but tonight she played before fans rather of students. Attendees enjoyed a variety of blues hits from legends such as Jelly Roll Morton, Roosevelt Sykes, and James Booker.

Laurie’s husband, David, joined her on stage toward the end of the night to perform even more blues hits on his guitar.

“This is great!” says Laurie. “We’ve never got to play unless it was somebody’s wedding or somebody’s birthday or Halloween. This is just…You guys are coming to see us all by ourselves so yeah it’s a completely new experience for us. Also it’s a chance to educate the community about the legends here in Mississippi.”

Concert tickets were $10 at the door and the performance lasted from 7 to 9 pm. To hear tunes from Laurie and David, search “D.C. Studio” on YouTube.