This Week on One Detroit:

Gayelynn McKinney, trailblazing Detroit jazz drummer paves way for other female drummers

Women’s History Month is underway. What better way to celebrate the month than by highlighting one of Detroit’s trailblazing women in music, the renowned jazz drummer Gayelynn McKinney, who’s made her presence known in what was once a male-dominated area of the music industry.  

As the daughter of legendary Detroit jazz pianist and Tribe member, Harold McKinney, and the late singer Gwen Shepherd McKinney, Gayelynn jokes she didn’t have much choice in her career path. Now, as one of Detroit’s most accomplished drummers, McKinney sits down with Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ for a conversation about her roots and the importance of showcasing women in music.

They talk about the barriers McKinney has had to break through as a female drummer, her trailblazing work with Straight Ahead, an all-female jazz band that formed after McKinney finished college, and the origins of her “Women Who Drum” festival, a way to share the love and highlight female drummers in the music industry. 

One-of-a-kind Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club paves way for the city’s emerging artists

At the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club, you won’t find any fancy wines or cheeses. You won’t find any breakfast either, but you can find a community of mixed-media artists showcasing, seeking advice on, and selling their work. And it’s all uniquely Detroit.  

The group started in 2009, when co-founders Henry Harper and Harold Braggs used to meet at Noni’s Sherwood Grille for breakfast and to discuss art. Not long after, others started to join their conversations, and eventually, the table for two outgrew the entire restaurant. Today, because of its size, the Breakfast Club meets on Mondays at the Marygrove Conservancy, where you’ll find emerging and existing Detroit artists, art collectors and art lovers.

One Detroit Senior Producer Bill Kubota spent an evening with the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club for a look at the weekly experience and how it’s paving the way for the city’s Black and brown artists to become part of America’s artistic story. 

One Detroit Weekend: March 8, 2024

It’s about time to break out your favorite green attire to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day around Detroit. Some festivities are starting early this weekend including a Taste of the Irish Hills and Shamrocks & Shenanigans. If you want to hit the green instead, you can head over to the Michigan Golf Show. Plus, see the stage play of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” check out a drawing exhibit or head to Maplefest 2024. See what else is coming up in and around Detroit on “One Detroit Weekend” with Peter Whorf of 90.9 WRCJ.

Upcoming Events: 

  • Get your golf game back in the swing of things at the Michigan Golf Show taking place at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi through March 10.  
  • Kick off your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations with a Taste of the Irish Hills sampling food from 20 local restaurants throughout Irish Hills, Michigan on March 9-10.  
  • Lace up your running shoes for the Shamrocks & Shenanigans walk and run in Ann Arbor. The kids’ 1K begins at Conor O’Neill’s Irish Pub at 9:45 a.m. and the 5K run begins at 10:15 a.m. March 10.  
  • Check out the David Klein Gallery’s new “Drawing” exhibit, featuring 21 contemporary artists including Tylonn Sawyer, Willie Wayne Smith and others.  
  • Head to the Fisher Theatre in Detroit to see the classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” adapted to the stage by Academy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin.   
  • Learn about the history of Hudson’s Department Store at the “Cabin Fever Lecture” March 8 at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. 
  • Satisfy your sweet tooth and learn about making maple syrup during Maplefest 2024 at the MSU Extension Tollgate Farm and Education Center in Novi March 9-10. 
  • View College for Creative Studies photography students’ work at the Midyear Photo Thesis Exhibition at the Valade Family Gallery in Detroit through March 22. 

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