The “Live at Idlewild” festival unfurling June 27-28 in Idlewild will star Kindred the Family Soul, Take 6, Stanley Jordan, Alexander Zonjic and more. The scoop at Local Spins.
Going Live in Idlewild: The festival returns to the iconic Northwest Michigan community next weekend. (Courtesy Photo)
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The third year of Live At Idlewild will celebrate music and the history of the “Black Eden,” but will do so without one of its headliners.
Vocalist Peabo Bryson, who was set to headline June 27, suffered a stroke May 31 and died two days later.
Festival organizer Alexander Zonjic says Bryson was a longtime friend. “I’ve known Peabo a long time. He performed in many festivals I worked with and always delivered a wonderful show.
“What I loved most about Peabo was how kind, humble and supportive he was to everyone,” Zonjic continues. “I’m going to miss him.”
“The Live at Idlewild family joins music lovers around the world in mourning the loss of legendary artist Peabo Bryson,” a statement reads on the Live At Idlewild website. “We were honored to have the ‘Voice of Love’ scheduled to perform at the 2026 festival and extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and fans.”
Headliners: Kindred the Family Soul performs on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)
Grammy-nominated duo Kindred the Family Soul will join the 2026 Live at Idlewild lineup as Saturday’s headlining act.
Other performers on Saturday are Larry Lee and the Back In The Day Band and festival organizer Zonjic with James Lloyd and Spyder Turner. Highlights on Sunday (June 28) include 496 West, Stanley Jordan and Take 6.
The festival is part of an ongoing effort to highlight the area’s past and build for the future. Idlewild, located about an hour and 15 minutes north of Grand Rapids, boasts an indelible heritage. Prior to the outlawing of Jim Crow, Idlewild was one of the few areas in the country where African-Americans were free to congregate, buy property and enjoy social activities.
That included music and nightlife. A-list artists who performed at Idlewild over the years included Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Jackie Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., and the big bands of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. They vacationed there and headlined at local clubs like the Paradise Club and Club El Morocco.
Ironically, while segregation largely made Idlewild prosperous, the repeal of Jim Crow laws enabled Black Americans to enjoy places that had been off-limits, and Idlewild’s appeal correspondingly diminished. “As other resort towns continued to grow, Idlewild began to lose its luster,” says the narrator of a short film about Idlewild posted on the Live At Idlewild website.
“New folks heard of this mythical place,” says local resident Blair Evans. But unlike Brigadoon, Idlewild really existed, and does to this day.
LIVE AT IDLEWILD VIEWED AS SPRINGBOARD TO THE FUTURE
Now, Evans, a resident and longtime vacationer who says his family roots go back five generations, Zonjic and others are using Live At Idlewild as a springboard to a future that includes but is not solely defined by the world-class artists performing there.
For Zonjic, who has parlayed his career as a professional musician into that of a festival organizer and owner, the heritage and musical possibilities went hand-in-hand. He had long considered the area ripe for an event that would include live music as an homage to its past. He became friends with Wayne County Executive Warren Evans – Blair’s brother – through his long-running River Raisin Jazz Festival in Monroe.
What Zonjic calls a casual conversation about Idlewild with Warren really go the ball rolling.
“I’ve always been intrigued by it (Idlewild). I’m an amateur historian. It was in the Green Book,” Zonjic says, referring to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a booklet widely distributed from the 30s to the 60s. It was a guidebook to services and places relatively friendly to African Americans.
Intrigued by Idlewild: Alexander Zonjic (Courtesy Photo)
Zonjic eventually visited the unincorporated village, and was surprised to find what was there and what was not. “It’s a forest. Not a resort,” he says. “Blair owns the Morton.” Morton’s Motel is a historic lodging space and one of the few remaining sites which were listed in the Green Book.
Evans has a long family history at Idlewild, one dating back five generations. He moved there permanently during the pandemic. He is a board member of Lake County Merry Makers, a nonprofit community organization dedicated to fostering, promoting and sponsoring cultural and educational activities for the greater Idlewild community.
Together with his brother, Zonjic and other residents and supporters, they decided to create a one-day festival to celebrate the site’s history. Vocalist Maysa was the headliner, alongside acts including Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Zonjic and others. “It was fun and very successful,” remembers Zonjic.
The second year, they immediately upped the ante by expanding to a second day, with headliners the Ohio Players and Will Downing, and support from Zonjic, Marion Meadows and others.
Now in Year 3, they seek performers from various genres whose appeal can transcend generations and stylistic preferences. “The diversity – soul, R&B, jazz,” Zonjic says. He says it is all about celebrating the various styles of music that were all part of the historical experience at Idlewild.
This year’s festival can indeed lay claim to that approach. “Angela Davis is a wonderful singer, who does covers and originals. She’s a good fit. Larry Lee is an ex-NFL (lineman) who plays old-school funk. It’s a dance party,” Zonjic says. His own music runs toward the melodic, funky side of contemporary jazz.
New Saturday headliner Kindred the Family Soul is an R&B and neo-soul duo composed of married couple Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon. With their intertwined male and female harmonies, they are often compared to iconic acts like Ashford & Simpson.
Sunday’s slate includes Stanley Jordan, who popularized the tapping technique explored by the likes of Steve Hackett and Eddie Van Halen, in a jazz context. “We were lucky to get him,” Zonjic says.
“Kim Waters is a staple. Of all the so-called smooth jazz guys, he’s more than that,” Zonjic says of the popular saxophonist. “Take 6 – you can’t go wrong with one of the premier a capella groups.”
Blair Evans says Idlewild still has much to recommend it as a summer spot. It offers outdoor recreation like boating and hiking in a wooded setting. As a National Register of Historic Places site, Idlewild also attracts visitors eager to explore its history. “It still has social relevance, it’s just slowed down,” Evans says.
Zonjic says the ability to be part of something that recalls a glorious past is special for him. “I can do festivals anywhere. I want the story to be a large part of it,” he says.
The shows start at 1 p.m. each day. Tickets – $113.89 for a general admission weekend pass or $65.87 for a day pass — are available online at LiveAtIdlewild.com.
VIDEO: Kindred the Family Soul, “Belonging”
VIDEO: Take 6, “A Quiet Place”
VIDEO: Motor City Sway featuring Alexander Zonjic
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