The 2025 Music in the Park series returns to Elgin Thursday with a performance by the Rush Cleveland Trio. The live performance is scheduled from 5-8 p.m. at Elgin City Park. In addition to the live music, a meal deal will be served from 5-7 p.m. Funds raised will benefit the 2029 Elgin Homecoming celebration.
The Rush Cleveland Trio has been 78 years in the making. Rush, himself, is a proud member of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame; the oldest ever inducted. He cut his musical teeth as a street musician in his hometown of Cedar Falls, quickly forming and joining bands throughout the region.
Country and folk music first caught his ear, but as Rush matured, he honed his craft as a blues man. Influenced by all the great players of his day, he continued to play a variety of music, but in his heart, he yearned for a blues sound unique to him.
Given his raw guitar style and the blues tunes he was writing, it was certain that Rush would form a pure blues group and searched for the players to flesh out the dream.
He found his drummer at a festival 11 years ago, in the person of Will Quegg. To his surprise, and as good stories go, he knew Will Quegg for decades, through family, friends and music. It just fell in place, it worked, and they were a band.
However, the Rush Cleveland Trio of today was still years away.
Rush and Will formed Moonshine Sorrow and used the stage time to perfect their tight sound. The band was short lived but was the catalyst for other bands to come.
It was in this version of the band that they were joined by Jim Stout, and the Rush Cleveland Trio started to jell.
It is interesting to note that Will came from a background of metal and punk. He was an expert in the use of double bass pedal, and that is one of the edgy elements of the Trio. They infuse the music with a driving pulse uncommon in traditional blues.