Pop, rock, blues, country artists heading for stages in our area

Pianist Jim Brickman has shows coming up in Toledo, Monroe, and Tiffin.

It's shaping up to be a comfy concert season for local music fans, with a predominance of veteran acts and longtime favorites coming to the stages of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Soft-pop pianists and world-class entertainers Lorie Line and Jim Brickman, for example, have developed strong followings in the region with annual visits and will continue to build on that momentum this season. Line, whose stage show and audience rapport are as noteworthy as her songs, is scheduled to return with her Holiday Extravaganza to the Stranahan Theater on Nov. 22.

Brickman, a Cleveland native who's topped the charts with his smooth piano stylings and vocal duets, has three shows coming up in the area: Dec. 2 at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo, Feb. 10 at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts in Monroe, and March 26 at the Ritz Theatre in Tiffin.

Among the veteran artists heading this way are Bo Diddley, one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, performing Oct. 15 in Monroe; Christopher Cross, the singer-guitarist best known for the 1978 ballad "Sailing"; vocal greats the Lettermen, whose 47-year career includes such hits as "When I Fall in Love" and "Hurt So Bad," and Mary Wilson of legendary Motown trio the Supremes.

Fans of modern rock will get their fill with 3 Doors Down, coming to the Toledo Sports Arena on Oct. 26. The Escatawba, Miss., group, known for such hits as "Kryptonite" and "Be Like That," has sold more than 12 million albums since its 2000 recording debut.

Country great Tanya Tucker, who first hit the charts in 1972 with "Delta Dawn," comes to the Ritz in Tiffin for a show on Oct. 15.

John Mayall, a genuine blues legend, will lead his Bluesbreakers in concert at the Valentine Theatre on Nov. 6.

The 71-year-old keyboardist is widely regarded as "the father of the British blues movement" and helped launch the careers of such stars as Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, and Mick Fleetwood.

Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.