Kathy Blackman is the owner and lead talent buyer of Grog Shop and its basement counterpart, B Side Lounge. From humble beginnings as a 24-year-old music fan in 1992 when she first opened the club at the Mayfield Road end of Coventry, to a respected and celebrated independent business owner and artist advocate bringing huge tours to the city, Blackman will be brutally honest as one of our Grog Shop Idol judges. When she is not leading her venue staff, she is spending time with friends and family and serving as a board member for Assembly for the Arts and Coventry Village SID.