INDIANAPOLIS — In recognition of Black History Month and to inaugurate the Eskenazi Health Indiana Avenue Music Legacy Series of concert performances, renowned keyboard artist Rodney Stepp and the Stepp Walker Project will perform a free concert at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 6. The performance will begin at noon and take place in the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation Concourse at Eskenazi Health. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Eskenazi Health Parking Garage, located at 720 Eskenazi Ave.
Rodney Stepp grew up along Indiana Avenue and burst onto the Indianapolis music scene in the late 1960s with his teenage R&B band The Diplomats. As a keyboardist, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur, Stepp’s musical career has spanned more than 50 years and five continents, including performances alongside Michael Jackson, Babyface, and other notable artists.
Eskenazi Health will host three concerts celebrating the remarkable history of music along Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis.
During the mid-twentieth century, Indiana Avenue emerged as one of the most significant cultural hubs for black music in the Midwestern United States. Indianapolis Jazz icons like Wes Montgomery and Freddie Hubbard mastered their skills in the clubs along Indiana Avenue, while legendary touring musicians Duke Ellington, Tina Turner, Nat King Cole and Aretha Franklin performed in neighborhood venues including the Sunset Terrace, Walker Theatre and Pink Poodle. The dozens of music venues along Indiana Avenue provided steady work for hundreds of talented Indianapolis jazz, soul, blues and funk musicians — many of whom continue to perform in the city today.
