June is Black Music Month - created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter to celebrate African-American contributions in music.
Here in Chattanooga, the Velvet Chair Experience - a concert series fusing jazz and uptown soul - premiered last month at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, where the next concert will be held on Sunday, June 25th starting at 6 PM.
Vocalist Karen Collins is hosting and performing in the series - along with bass player Dexter Bell.
![Dexter Bell](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b74a930/2147483647/strip/true/crop/501x220+0+0/resize/880x386!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe1%2Ff0%2F481fd9214960b1f8f4fd23ee1abf%2Fdexter-bell.png)
Barking Legs Theater
![Velvet Chair Experience poster.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d103ac9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1402x697+0+0/resize/880x437!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffe%2F47%2F978adbe84cde80a9d5ac0405bedc%2Fvelvetchairexperience-for-062523.jpeg)
Velvet Chair Experience