Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues return in tour celebrating 50 years in the biz
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An entertainer is returning home to the Mid-Ohio Valley as part of a tour celebrating her 50 years as a professional musician.
Liz Pennock with her husband Paul "Dr. Blues" Shambarger are Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues, They will perform from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 5 at Riverbend Family Dining in Beverly, Pennock's hometown where her first paid show was on Sept. 4, 1976.
That was 50 years ago and seems more like 20 or 30, Pennock said.
"It's nice to be back up here," Pennock said. "I can't believe it's been 50 years."
Pennock and Shambarger met in 1981 and married in 1983, the year they began performing together. They are recording artists for Upright Records and now are based in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Pennock and Shambarger return to the area most every year and play gigs at venues around the region, except when COVID 19 affected performance schedules, Shambarger said.
"We missed a couple of years because of the pandemic," he said.
The style of music hasn't changed much over 50 years, but the musical library from which she draws from has expanded, Pennock, a native of Beverly who was inducted into the Fort Frye High School Hall of Fame in 2025, said.
Songs from artists including Carole King, The Beatles, the Eagles and Bob Dylan were in the earlier shows with songs she wrote. After 50 years, Pennock, who was born without two fingers on each hand, said she has more of the music she wrote to perform.
Shambarger began as a drummer in the late 1960s, later becoming a guitarist. He wrote the lyrics to the duo's "Alimony Blues," "Taxi Driving Woman" and "Low-Tech Guy."
Their first album, "Bluesy Atmosphere," was released in 1986 and the second, "Blue Illusion," in 1989.
Their newest CD, "Christmas Eve Present," their eighth, was released in 2024 and includes holiday favorites and five original pieces.
Besides the Riverbend show, other shows in the 2026 tour are 5-8 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Blues & Brews, Elm Street Plaza, 525 Elm St., Cincinnati, and from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Woodshed Smokehouse & Grille, 107 E. Mulberry St., Lebanon, Ohio.
Liz Pennock and Dr. Blues have toured around the United States, Belgium, France, Germany and Mexico. They were inducted into the Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame in 2008.