Guests to the St. James Hotel Lounge will get a chance to see a trio of talented, well-known musicians perform a set of current and past musical hits beginning at 8:30 p.m. tonight.

The group is made up of Alabama natives and good friends who have done well with their talents over the years, performing with some well-known musicians.

Steve Ellington is a resident of Uniontown and the grandnephew of famous jazz pianist and composer Duke Ellington. Sam Williams is a former tenor and saxophone player for the ’60s Motown group The Temptations.

Also in the group playing at the St. James will be Collie Woodson, who is the keyboard player for American Idol winner Rubin Studdard.

“Steve has been in the St. James numerous time for lunch and I’ve gotten to know him,” said St. James manager Janet Dawkins. “We have bands that play here every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I told Steve we had a vacancy this Friday, and asked if he wanted to play. He said he would get a couple of friends together to come perform.”

Dawkins said the trio will play a mix of early jazz and modern soft rock, with a little bit of everything else in between.

“Steve told me that between the three of them, they have a repertoire of around 5,000 songs to choose from,” Dawkins said. “They described it as giving their audience a ‘ musical massage’.”

Dawkins added there would not be a cover charge to see the band tonight and the group may have CD’s for sale for those who want to take their music home with them.

The trio is also scheduled to return to the St. James for a second performance on July 30.

For more information about the band, contact the St. James Hotel at 872-3234.