Harmonica player, guitarist and vocalist Grady Champion, dubbed “Mississippi’s Champion of the Blues” has captivated audiences for more than two decades. In 2004, Champion shared a Grammy Award with Etta James for a song he co-wrote entitled, “Trust Yourself.” This year Champion was honored with the 2017 Bobby Rush Lifetime Entertainers Award at the Jus’ Blues Awards. Over his career, Champion has released a string of best-selling albums on the Malaco label including his latest, One of a Kind.

Will Schwalbe is the author of Books for Living (Vintage). The book is an inspiring and magical exploration of the power of books to shape our lives in an era of constant connectivity. Schwalbe explains that reading is a way to entertain but also to make sense of the world. In each chapter, he discusses a particular book and how it relates to real life. These books span centuries and genres—from Stuart Little to The Girl on the Train, from David Copperfield to Wonder, from Giovanni’s Room to Rebecca.

One reviewer described the music of Oxford band, Bonus, as “a bedroom recording project of Kieran Danielson turned full band, Bonus is clean-toned, direct and nostalgic pop.” Danielson is the songwriter and front man for Bonus when it morphs into a four-piece rock band. Following their Thacker appearance, Bonus will perform a full set at Proud Larry’s at 9 pm as opening act for Dent May.