During the 1920’s the concept of providing great music to communities where none was available originated in Battle Creek, Michigan. On a shoe string budget that city devised a method to provide affordable local concerts. In the 1930’s, Columbia Artists, an artist’s management firm, created Community Concerts as a nationwide organization through which lead artists could be booked without financial risks. The new concert plan was revolutionary.


In 1960 the South Bay Community Concert Association was organized under Columbia Artists as a permanent concert association based on a nonprofit basis with volunteers serving as officers and workers. Each spring an intensive membership campaign is conducted to renew the subscriptions of current members and to solicit sufficient new members to fill SBCCA’s performance venue. Members are entitled to attend all concerts of their subscription season. Selected SBCCA guests are admitted to our concerts subject to seating availability and a nominal per concert fee.


Al Lukes was the first president of the South Bay Community Concert Association. Dr. Earl Brown and Norman Neblett were among the early presidents. The current President is Dick Johnson.


In 2002 Columbia Artist sold Community Concerts and the buyer subsequently dissolved the organization. Since this dissolution, the South Bay Community Concert Association has been working directly with artists and artists’ management firms to assemble each season’s program. SBCCA has realized a substantial improvement in the quality and cost of our annual programs since we became an independent organization.


The more than 80 volunteers including members of SBCCA’s Board of Directors give their time and effort to bring these fine concerts to our area. Many South Bay residents who would not otherwise be able to enjoy high quality concerts can purchase affordable annual memberships and enjoy professional live entertainment presented in our local community. Annual membership includes admittance to five or six live concerts. In addition, SBCCA members may attend concerts presented by other local Community Concert Associations. Following the sell-out of membership subscriptions, a waiting list for the following season is maintained by the Association.