Morris Museum 2026 Back Deck Presents Lynette Sheard Live and John Lee and Friends

Lynette Sheard returns to the Back Deck, this time featuring legendary bassist John Lee, celebrating the music of Charlie Parker and Dinah Washington, both of whom share a birthday on August 29th. Sheard is a versatile vocalist, award-winning actor, producer, director, vocal coach, and mental health advocate who performs jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, soul, and pop music, with theater credits including principal roles in Dreamgirls, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Ragtime. Broadway World has declared she is fabulous with a voice that shakes the rafters, and she’s featured in the Encyclopedia of Newark Jazz. From 1984 through 1993, John Lee served as Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist, and has since worked with Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner. A Grammy Award winning record producer and audio engineer, Lee has produced over 100 recordings and co-founded the record label JLP, Jazz Legacy Productions. Accomplished muralist Monet Sheard, Lynette’s daughter, will capture the atmosphere of the event by live painting throughout the performance.