For nearly 16 years, Marc Boon has been singing the blues—and that’s a good thing!  In 1986, Marc founded the popular blues band “Hip Pocket,” and they have been a fixture on the Central Illinois music scene ever since.  Marc handles lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and also takes care of the more mundane administrative tasks of booking and setting up rehearsals. 

Marc’s day job has been that of a successful radio personality and program director.  Starting in 1991, Marc began serving as Music Director for WGLT-FM, the NPR station associated with ISU.  In 1997, Marc finished second to the legendary Don Munson as “Best Radio Personality” in a Pantagraph reader poll.  Since leaving WGLT, Marc has joined the Bloomington office of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra as an Associate Executive Director.

Combining rhythm and blues and a rock sound, Hip Pocket’s popularity has steadily risen.  At 15 years and counting, it is one of the longest tenured live bands in Central Illinois.  The band has played at two presidential inaugurals, and has opened for such popular blues performers as B.B. King, Etta James and Delbert McClinton.  The band has two CDs, and continues to play to enthusiastic crowds throughout the country.

Marc has a Mass Communications/Broadcasting degree from ISU.  He lives in Danvers, and is very active with U-High and in the community.  He speaks to U-High students at least once a year, and has helped organize class reunions.  In a recent Pantagraph article, Marc humbly attributed his success to luck, “We’ve been lucky to have good friends in this town and we’ve been lucky to have had very good musicians who wanted to come and play and have fun.”  Fortunately for Hip Pocket’s fans, the fun keeps on coming.