A Bay Area blues musician with an award-winning career is set to close out Hayward's free summer concert series this weekend, bringing his guitar and vocals to the grounds of a historic mansion. The JC Smith Band will perform Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mt. Eden Mansion, 2451 W. Tennyson Road, capping the 2026 edition of Music at the Mansion.
JC Smith is a vocalist-guitarist whose career includes performances at the Monterey Jazz Festival and the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, and he regularly performs at top clubs in San Francisco and San Jose, according to The Mercury News. His recognition runs deeper than club dates: in 2024 he received the Bay Area Jazz and Blues Artist Lifetime Achievement Award and was named Male Blues Performer of the Year at the Bay Area Black Music Awards, according to San Jose Jazz. He has also shared festival stages with blues legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy, per the Monterey Jazz Festival.
From Radio DJ to Bandleader
Smith's path into blues started well before he picked up a guitar. He first discovered the genre while working as a radio DJ under the air name “Johnnie Cozmik” at Cupertino-based community station KKUP 91.5 FM after graduating from San Jose High School in 1973, according to Monterey County Weekly. He later formed his first band in 1984, the same outlet notes, and began his blues career as a drummer for the Back to Back Blues Band before stepping out front with a Gibson 335 guitar in 2000.
Smith has released several blues records over the years, including 2009's “Defining Cool,” which was listed for the 52nd Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Blues CD and spent 20 weeks on the national Roots Music Report chart, peaking at #25, per San Jose Jazz. His guitar work draws inspiration from West Coast masters like T-Bone Walker and Albert King, the same source notes.
A Free Series With a Fundraising Twist
Sunday's show marks the finale of the three-part 2026 Music at the Mansion series, which included Chocolate Ice, the Latin Rhythm Boys and 3 O'Clock Jump before Smith's closing set, according to the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. The series has drawn strong crowds all summer — the H.A.R.D. Foundation reported welcoming more than 1,200 attendees to Mt. Eden Mansion during the August concert, according to a listing on Eventbrite. Organizers advise attendees to bring lawn chairs or blankets for the outdoor setting.
General admission remains free, but the district's foundation also offers $50 VIP “Donors Circle” passes that include food, drinks, and band meet-and-greets, with proceeds funding local park and community programs — a portion of the pass is tax-deductible, per the same H.A.R.D. account. More information about the concert is available through the H.A.R.D. Foundation's website.
A Slack Key Guitarist Hosts the Series
The series has been hosted by Patrick Landeza, a Bay Area-raised Hawaiian slack key guitarist who has performed alongside Smith and who has won two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, often called the Hawaiian Grammys, according to Yoshi's. Landeza also has teaching and concert-production work.
The concert takes place at Mt. Eden Mansion, a historic facility whose main hall can otherwise be rented for private events, according to the district's facility listing. The mansion sits in the Mt. Eden neighborhood, giving Sunday's free blues show a historic backdrop.
