On Friday, Sept. 13, an all-star band led by André Cymone performed in north Minneapolis as part of a block party celebration dedicated to his late mother, Bernadette Anderson.

Anderson, known to some as “Queen Bernie,” was a strong voice for civil rights and youth engagement in the community. The festivities included the renaming of Russell Avenue North between Plymouth Avenue North and 12th Avenue North, a section of the neighborhood where Anderson lived, as Bernadette Anderson Way. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, Minneapolis City Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, and many others paid tribute to Anderson.

Anderson was also seen by many as the "mother of the Minneapolis Sound" after opening up her doors to André’s friends and fellow young musicians like Prince, Morris Hayes, and many more to jam down in her basement in the 70s. In honor of those historic jam sessions made possible by Anderson, Cymone gathered many foundational figures in the shaping of the Minneapolis Sound and past Prince collaborators to have some fun on the stage. Among those taking part were Sueann Carwell; Patricia Lacy from Sounds of Blackness; Sonny Thompson and Joe Lewis from Back to Black aka The Family; David “Batman” Eiland from Flight Tyme; Tewdros Suluki from Midwest Express; Homer O’Dell from Mint Condition; Daryl Boudreaux, Wenso Ashby, and Pepe Willie from 94 East, Dr. Fink from The Revolution, and Morris Hayes from The New Power Generation.

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