David "Honeyboy" Edwards is a living legend of the Delta blues, and the Purple Heart Theater on Fort Myers Beach is honored to be among the first performance venues to welcome this ageless acoustic guitarist and singer since he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement on January 30, 2010 (announced during the live Grammy show on January 31). Mr. Edwards will perform at the Purple Heart on Sunday, February 21 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Honeyboy Edwards, at age 94, and his close friend, bluesman and pianist Pinetop Perkins (age 96), are the last of the original Delta blues players still touring the United States. Honeyboy, as he is known, continues to perform up to 100 concerts a year, and undertook a tour of Europe in September and October 2009. His most recent album, released in 2008 by Earwig Records, is Roamin' and Ramblin'.

Never ones to rest on past laurels, the folks at the Island Arts Foundation are about to follow up with last weekend's performance of American rock icon Gary Puckett with another entertainment event featuring a nationally known talent - Female Comedienne of the Year Maryellen Hooper will fill the Purple Heart Theater with laughter on Sunday, November 22nd. Hooper, who grew up in the Tampa Bay area, has been featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Martin Short Show and the Dennis Miller Show with her profanity-free routine based almost entirely on the misfortunes of motherhood. She even had her own half hour comedy special – Lounge Lizards - on Comedy Central. We caught up with this funnywoman on Wednesday to find out how she came to be in comedy, how she comes up with her material, and how she found out about our little theater. Warning – be prepared to laugh, but be aware that the following is but a tease! For a full dose of Hooper, you must come to the Purple Heart!

Belying their small size, the Island Arts Foundation (IAF) and the Purple Heart Theater hit a home run on Saturday night when American music icon and four time gold record recording artist Gary Puckett played to a crowd of 126 people in the intimate setting of the Purple Heart's eclectic space - resplendent with exotic wood and stained glass.

Puckett, formerly of the Union Gap, once played for Prince Andrew at the behest of President Nixon. He pulled out all the stops Saturday night, wowing the audience, who sang along with hits like, "Woman, Woman,” and "Young Girl”.

After the show, Puckett told us that he was pleasantly surprised by the acoustics and the reception he received at the theater – which was the smallest space he'd ever performed in.