Young trio from suburbs representing Chicago at International Blues Challenge

GLENWOOD - They are following in the footsteps of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy.

A group of young suburban musicians are “singing the blues” all the way to an international competition at the end of this month.

It is music you can feel, and it is typically associated with old souls. But a young group out of Glenwood is changing the face of the blues.

"My opinion of blues is like, blues doesn't have any age,” said 17-year-old drummer Stacy Norris.

Norris has been playing drums since she was seven, when her dad bought her a Toys ‘R’ Us drum set.

"Blues is the type of music where it really comes from your soul and for guys who are 16, 17, 18 years old -- it's amazing that they can express it that way,” said Norris’ dad, Michael.

Norris, Kendall Carter and Payton McDowell met at Homewood-Flossmoor High School where two are still students. They became “Mud City Blu.”

"My grandmother taught me to just listen and find good blues records everywhere, like just where to go, even the stores,” McDowell said.

Their idols include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters.

"I think it's really timeless, I think it's really a genre of music that's really expressive and defies all age limits,” Carter said.

At the end of the month, the trio will be traveling to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge. They are the only youth group from Chicago going to the festival and they realize the responsibility of representing the home of the blues.

"We definitely have a responsibility as blues musicians coming from where we come from, the rich history in Chicago,” Carter said. “And we're always just thinking in the back of our minds about everybody that came before us as we're playing."