Willie Nelson and Family are in concert May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the State Theater in Kalamazoo. Even if the name Mickey Raphael isn’t familiar to you, you have most likely heard his music. Raphael is the harmonica player in country music legend Willie Nelson’s band.
Music on Beaver Island, Michigan, has always been essential to island life, but it also draws the interest of outsiders such as musicologist Alan Lomax, for its unique color, which draws from a history of Irish American fiddling, songs and ballads of the Great Lakes, and a Grand Ol Opry set list established in the 30s, 40s and 50s.