Local vocalist Mary Kay Steele with the group Me and the Boys will gleefully remind concert goers that “It don’t mean a thing,” at the next First Friday in the Chapel musical performance, at Noon, July 6 in the La Porte Hospital Family Chapel.

The music, which will focus on traditional swing from the 1930s to today, will include selections from composers such as Gershwin, Arlen and Ellington. The group also plans to discuss the basics of swing music, and why it is so infectious. Peter Steele will join on piano, with Jack Collings on bass.

Mary Kay Steele has been performing as a singer, dancer, and actor in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area for the last 30 years. She has appeared in numerous stage productions, including lead roles in most of the greatest shows of our time, including Annie Get Your Gun, Always, Patsy Cline, Ragtime, Anything Goes, My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, and many others. She has performed at the American Girl Theater in Chicago, and is a former contestant, celebrity judge, and audition judge for Hoosier Star. Steele also serves as the featured vocalist for the Midwest Big Band.

Peter Steele, on piano, is studying classical and jazz, and has played keyboards professionally for more than 40 years in the genres of rock, gospel, Christian, and jazz. He and Mary Kay met while playing in a Chicago band in the late 80s, and were soon married. They have raised two daughters: Olivia and Miranda, and are members of the worship team at First United Methodist Church in La Porte.

Collings, on bass, has been playing bass in local bands for more than 50 years, and has the incredible ear of a long-time piano tuner as well.

First Friday in the Chapel is made possible by the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to empowering residents to live healthy and well in and around La Porte. HFL is proud to support health and wellness programs and services to achieve the vision of La Porte becoming one of Indiana’s top 10 healthiest communities by 2030. For more information about First Friday in the Chapel performances, please call 219-325-7633.