Deb Lux

My love for music started at a young age in the 50s, listening to my mom sing along to Patsy Cline on the radio while she milked the cows on our farm in North Dakota. Of course on Saturday Night, The Lawrence Welk show was a staple, and I wanted to be a Lennon Sister.

As I grew up in our isolated community, I craved hearing new music. And the radio station KOMA was my go to, I could only tune it in late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping, but I was sneaky! In my preteen and teen years, Ed Sullivan introduced us to Elvis, The Rolling Stone etc. Then I discovered “Midnight Special”, The late night variety show that brought me the Doors, Ike & Tina, James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire and Sly and the Family Stone , among so many others. 

After seeing Sly and the Stone, I wanted to be Cynthia, the Trumpet player,  so I went to KMart and bought an Afro wig and inappropriately sported it around my small hometown. My parents thought I had become possessed by the devil and made me return the wig.

Eventually I landed in Rapid City SD on the night of the flood in 1972, I put down new roots and enjoyed my anonymity in my new environs, I became involved in the local community theater and the Rapid City Art Councils Jazz and Blues Committee. That was the beginning of my involvement in the incredible community of live music in the Black Hills!

Since then, I have become an avid fan and invested in supporting the amazing talented musicians in our community any way I can!

1980s- DLux Blues Band. Performed at special events. Bandmates: Greg McDonald, Jon Margolis, Bob Fahey, Doug Perry, Tim Renshaw, Ray Keller

1990-2023 Booking agent booking national touring acts into local event spaces in Rapid City

1998-2002 Directed, Coordinated and booked the Black Hills Jazz and Blues Festival. An outdoor summer music festival that originated at the Deer Mountain Ski Area and eventually moved to the Memorial Park Bandshell in Rapid City. This event featured local talent as well as regional and national performers. Such as : Koko Taylor, The Kinsey Report, Pancho Sanchez, Eddie Palmieri and Roomful of Blues to name a few. Also presented club events throughout her tenure,

2003 - currently- Established the Black Hills Blues Society (BHBS), The BHBS mission is to support and encourage music and musicians, especially that of the Blues genre, BHBS has presented the Living Blues Festival, a free Blues Festival on Main Street in Deadwood, featuring acts like: the Neville Brothers, Reggae Cowboys, Tommy Castro, Also presented dozens of events in Rapid City featuring national touring acts in local venues, Featuring acts like - Eddie Shaw and the Wolfgang, Chris Duarte, Tinsely Ellis, Ana Popovic, Eris Sardinas, Sugar Ray Rayford and Hamilton Loomis, etc, Covid caused a break, but in June of 2023, BHBS presented the Earth Wind and Blues Festival at Abys in Rapid City featuring local and regional talent, At this time the BHBS is collaborating with the Rapid City Arts Council to present a music series and a Blues showcase in order to send a local musician/band to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2025,

2013-2016 - Rapid City Arts Council Development Director, During this time she helped to establish, develop and facilitate the Emerging Artist Program for the Rapid City Arts Council at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, This program was established to give a safe, supportive space for emerging artists to experience performing in front of a live audience, Every Friday was an open mic, where there was supplied a sound system, mics, mentors in a safe and supportive environment. As the program grew, so did it’s reputation. With participants from the tri-state area and SDPB Radio recorded it weekly and featured segments in their programming, Many of the young emerging artists went on to become professional performers locally and beyond. Including Rowan Grace who became a finalist on NBC-TV The Voice. She credits the Emerging Open Mic for giving her a safe place to learn to perform in front of a live audience,

2016- Recieved theRapid City Chamber of Commerce Rushmore Honors Award for her contribution to arts and music in the Rapid City community.

2022-2023- Booked local acts to perform at the Shooting Star in Black Hawk. A small listening room venue that became very popular with musicians as well as attendees because it was a place where people came to listento the music.

2023- Became Emerging Artist Facilitator for Rapid City Arts Council to re-establish the Emerging Performing Artist Program(EPA) . (which had been suspended because of covid)

In September 2023, presented the EPA First Friday Open Mic in the Lien Cultural Cafe at the Dahl. The program is already so successful that it expanded to 2 Fridays a month,

Deb continues to support live performance and musicians in the Black Hills. Presenting small events and attendinding many events and promoting events on her Facebook pages,

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Awards