Justine Blazer To Perform Thursday In Saline Summer Music Series

National recording artist Justine Blazer will perform 7 p.m. Thursday in another free concert in the Saline Summer Music Series, on South Ann Arbor Street between Michigan Avenue and Henry Street.

Blazer, who tours all over the country and plays 200 dates a year, sings and performs and plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and harmonica, wrapping her five-octave voice around a modern country sound that resonates with her rock ‘n’ roll and soul music Motor City roots.

“I’m very excited to play Saline again for the fourth year in a row,” she says. “Always a great time and full of fun!”

The national winner of the 2011 RAM Trucks Battle of the Bands, a 20-Time Detroit Music Awards nominee and winner of the 2007 Detroit Blues Challenge, her single and video “Red, White and Blue” has become an anthem for U.S. troops overseas.

A native of Canton, Blazer moved to Nashville with her family where she became a fan of Patsy Cline, Martina McBride, Faith Hill and Reba McIntyre.

Blazer, who started writing songs at 8, playing piano at 10, and studying opera at 12, recorded her first three-song EP at 13, and got noticed on the Nashville scene. After graduating from high school, she began learning guitar and moved away from home, landing her first professional gig as a cast performer at Cedar Point. She then moved to New York to learn the music business.

Traveling around the country as an auto show spokesperson and model – and singing the national anthem at pro sports events – she became proficient on multiple instruments, appeared in showcase performances and songwriter events, recorded in studios, and even earned an invitation to dance with the Radio City Rockettes.

In 2004, she recorded an album, “Just a Justine Christmas,” followed a year later by her first contemporary CD, “Passion in Me.” In 2008 she released the LP “Red, White and Blue,” and most recently “Welcome to My World," where she wrote and produced all 12 songs. The first single from the new album, “New Country Beat,” was released a year ago, and plays on country radio across the country and also in Europe. 

She has shared the stage with such acts as Kathy Mattea, The Miracles, Justin Moore, Regis Philbin, Terri Clark, Lee Brice, Jason Aldean, and Lonestar, has sung for the NFL, NBA, NHRA, MLB and many more, has been heard on CMT Radio, AOL Radio, XM and Sirius Satellite Radio and has appeared on TV stations such as FOX 2 News Detroit, Channel 4 WDIV, and Channel 7 WXYZ.

Blazer is backed by singer-guitarist Kerry Adams, bassist Rick Jacoby, Mark Sutton on drums, John Lang on pedal steel and Don Whyte on sax and keyboards.

The Summer Music Series will wrap up with a concert by Six Foot Poles on July 28.

The in Saline will provide bubbles, chalk art, removable tattoos and more, for children.

In the event of bad weather performances will take place in the gym at Liberty School, 7265 Saline-Ann Arbor Rd.

For more information, visit www.besaline.com and www.justineblazer.com.