Bio

Our Music

Whether she’s performing a great blues/rock tune by Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, or Aretha Franklin, Midnight Hour lead singer Shirel Smith has been belting out rock and the blues since the age of four. Together with co-founder and husband Mark Rainey, Midnight Hour was born seventeen years ago and has been rocking the socks off blues and rock audiences ever since. But it was when keyboardist Dave Townsend—with his penchant for strong vocal harmonies and first-rate musicianship—joined the band that Midnight Hour found its bluesie center of gravity, its groove, and its rockin’ vibe.

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Song Sampler

Ain’t No Sunshine 
Baker Street 
Ball and Chain 
Boogie Man Boogie 
Chain of Fools 
China Grove 
Gimme Some Lovin’ 
Heat Wave 
Me and Bobby McGee 
New Orleans 
Proud Mary 
Sultans of Swing 
Turn the Page 
Unchain My Heart 
Wild Nights 
Your Mama Don’t Dance 

Available for Venues and Private Events

About Midnight Hour Band

Midnight Hour plays more than 50 of the greatest hits of the 60s, 70s, and beyond, and does it with the band’s own special innovation and style. Featuring Shirel’s soaring alto-to-first-soprano voice, Midnight Hour creates rich renditions of those tunes we all remember and enjoy. In short, we deliver the goods! And just as four band members contribute vocal harmonies across a varied repertoire of blues, RnB, and rock classics, all four Midnight Hour instrumentalists—lead guitar Nick Ostrye, Dave Townsend on keys, Steve Marshall on bass, and Mark Rainey on drums—take pride in their respective soloing chops as well as in providing solid, soulful back-up to those terrific vocals. 

Midnight Hour is all about finding the creative core of each number, then incorporating the talents of all five band members to give it a special twist, an interpretive touch that North Sound audiences love to listen and dance to! That includes creating medleys of classic numbers to call out a certain vibe, theme, or featured instrument. In one musical sequence, Midnight Hour performs “Devil With a Blue Dress,” “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” and “Travelin’ Band” as a hard-driving medley, contrasting the joyous celebration of good times with a bit of grittiness and dirt that so many of the greatest blues numbers exude. Dave and Shirel’s vocals dominate this one, supported by short, punchy keys and guitar solos throughout. And when Midnight Hour segues from Norah Jones’ iconic ballad “Turn Me On” to Koko Taylor’s and Irma Thomas’s drivin’ renditions of “You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don’t Mess With My Man,” the smokey sweet guitar complement to Shirel’s sultry-turned-growlin’ voice, helping to bridge those intertwining emotions—perfect for rock/blues!