Who We Are
Lucy Black Entertainment is a women and musician-owned entertainment company based in Washington, D.C., with a branch in St. Louis, MO, and serving clients worldwide. Founded in 2018, we bring over 30 years of experience in live entertainment for weddings, social, and corporate events.
We stay closely involved from contract to execution, joining your music planning calls, meetings, and site visits, and asking the right questions before we ever recommend a band. We're proud to be trusted partners to planners and vendors across the industry. Every event has a dedicated Entertainment Coordinator on-site managing the artists and talent throughout the night. When your vision calls for something outside the ordinary, we'll build it or find it, creating custom lineups and original arrangements suited specifically to your event.
Meet the Team
Lauren & Rebecca, Co-Founders
Lauren and Rebecca met as viola students at the University of Memphis and have been close friends and musical partners ever since. Rebecca went on to earn her Master's in Viola Performance at the University of Maryland; Lauren completed a double Master's in Viola Performance and Classical Studio Production at the University of Surrey in England. Their paths reconnected in Washington, D.C., where Rebecca was building the strings division of another entertainment company. Lauren joined as a sub before taking on a full in-house role, and the two found themselves working side by side again. In the summer of 2018, after years of growing together in that world, they took a leap of faith and started something of their own: Lucy Black Entertainment. The name reflects who they are, the softness of "Lucy" and the strength of "Black," a nod to their belief that women can hold both without apology. It's also a nod to two beloved rescue dogs, Lucy and Lulu, who inspired it all.
Rebecca Steele & Lauren Brettell, Co-Owners of Lucy Black Entertainment
Photo: Love Life Images
Behind the Scenes
Jessica leads all of our sales, working closely with new clients from their very first inquiry to help shape the right entertainment plan for their event, and often serves as an on-site Entertainment Coordinator as well. Holly is our administrator, managing everything behind the scenes so our team can stay focused on our clients and artists. These two keep our operations on track from start to finish!
Music Directors, DC & St. Louis
Our DC Music Director leads the musical direction of our house bands and personally helped build our St. Louis team from the ground up. Our music directors manage every band artist under their direction, running the show from the stage at every event rather than stepping back once the music starts. They drive the musical direction in real time, cueing transitions, adjusting tempo and energy, and making split-second calls based on how the room is actually responding, not just what was planned in advance. This hands-on leadership is what keeps every performance polished and precise while still feeling alive and responsive to the moment, whether that means extending a song because the dance floor is packed or shifting direction entirely because the crowd wants something different than expected.
Our core bands, including Lucy Black Luxe, Lucy Black Gold, Lucy Black Beat Collective, Lucy Black Electric, and our DC and STL String Machines, along with a variety of instrumental combos, are built and managed in-house. With a full in-house production team, we also cover sound and lighting. Beyond our own roster, we work with a trusted network of partner bands, DJs, dancers, acrobats, and more.
As an entertainment partner, collaborative relationships are the heart of our operations and essential to maintaining our standard of excellence across all events. Our mission is to entertain, inspire, and connect people through our diverse and inclusive offerings, and to value the artists who bring that vision to life as much as we value our clients. We are dedicated to honesty, integrity, and kindness, ensuring equal opportunity for all. Our commitment to these values drives us to create innovative entertainment experiences that enrich the lives of our clients, musicians, teammates, and the wider community.