2010 ih mississippi valley blues festival

8/9/2019 2010 IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival

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2 0 1 0 I H M i s s i s s i p p i V a l l e y B l u e s F e s t i v a l • J u l y 2 - 4 • L e C l a i r e P a r k ,

D a v e n p o r t I A |

by Mike Schu

“I started gravitating toward the blues in

about 1969,” says 60-year-old vocalist

Shirley King. “What happened was I’d

moved to Chicago rom Caliornia – I’d been staying

with my dad and came back to stay with my mom

– and I was supposed to be getting married to a

boyriend I’d been liking ever since I was small. So

I pretty much ollowed him here to Chicago to get

married ... and he decided he’d had a change o mind,

and wanted to marry my girlriend .“So I think that must’ve pushed me over to the

blues!” exclaims King, with a deep laugh, during our

recent phone interview. “Because, man, I got it then!”

Did she ever . For nearly 20 years now, the

Chicago-based King has been a staple at area blues

clubs; a popular touring artist who has perormed in

Canada, Italy, France, and even Iceland; and a darling

o blues ans and critics, with Prevue magazine

describing her as “a musical gem” and the Web siteMNBlues.com lauding, “King sings with passion,

energy, and power.”

But what’s surprising about King’s reminiscence is

that she didn’t get the blues beore that heartbreak o

her youth, considering that her dad is the King o the

Blues himsel – B.B. King.

“I was like most kids,” says Shirley, who was born

and raised in West Memphis, Arkansas. “I didn’t like

the blues. It was a music that I elt had nothing to do

with me. For young people, we thought blues was

old-olks music, and when you heard your parents

listening to it, you were like, ‘Ye-e-e-ech!’

“And I doubly hated it,” she continues, “because it

kept taking my ather away rom me” whenever thelegendary musician was called on tour. “So I didn’t

have anyattachment to the blues. At all. None.”

Tat changed, however, both with the loss o

King’s beau (and, one presumes, her girlriend), and

with her gradual immersion in Chicago’s blues scene,

ollowing her late-teen years spent pursuing an

acting career in Caliornia.

“Here in Chicago, there were blues clubs all over

the reaking place,” says King, “and that was the way

to work i you wanted to make some money. So I

stayed on in Chicago, and started making riends,

and started getting involved in the nightlie.”

Yet despite her lineage and musical talents – “All

growing up,” she says, “I always knew how to sing”

– King didn’t initially set out to become a blues

vocalist. Instead, “I started dancing proessionally. I

was a regular dancer or show clubs and everything

all over the city o Chicago. In those days, every

cabaret club, every social club, did their own shows.

“And I had a bomb o a body,” says King with a

chuckle, “and people liked that, so I was able to do

pretty good.”

While dancing in blues and R&B clubs, King says

she “got the chance to meet all the bigger stars that

I hadn’t met” via her amous ather. “Joe ex, Little

Milton, Bobby Bland ... . I mean, during those days,

everybodywas here in Chicago, coming through

to perorm, and I’d always be one o the regular

dancers.”

Laughing, she continues, “I was even part o the

little go-go team that was the opening act along with

another warm-up act – the Jackson 5. When they

took o and became that amous, I was like, ‘How

did that happen?! We was on the stage side by side!’”

Realizing, though, that show dancing was

“nothing you can do or a lietime,” King says that

“aer 21 years, I gured, ‘Hey, I’m ready to do

something else now,’” and began considering a career

as a vocalist in the genre she had previously shied

away rom.

“I went to clubs,” she says, “just watching dierent

blues people. And I saw that you can do the blues

’til you pass on away. I would ollow Koko aylor

around, I would be up with Lonnie Brooks, Buddy

Guy ... you know, all the blues people. I just hung

around clubs seven nights a week – just sit there until

the clubs closed – just to gure out what to do.

“Because I wasn’t developed as a blues singer,”

King continues. “I didn’t know a lot o words to

dierent blues songs, I didn’t know how to end songs,

I didn’t know how to tell people my key ... . Man, Ididn’t know a lot o stu. I was very much learning.”

And most o her blues education, she says,

came rom the amed Chicago nightclub Kingston

Mines. “Tat was a late-night place where everybody

was at that time,” says King. “All o the people that

were trying to make a name or themselves, they

would work the Kingston Mines. And the crowds

were just antastic in those days. Tey loved the

entertainment.”

Aer months o soaking in the styles o Kingston

Mines perormers – months spent, says the vocalist,

“like a little hungry dog with his tongue stuck

out: ‘Can I sit in and sing a song? Can I? Can I ?!

Lemme!!!’” – King was nally given her chance o

the venue’s stage in 1990, and chose, as her debu

to cover Muddy Waters’ blues classic “Got My M

Working.”

“It was this basic song that I had heard them

playing there over and over,” she says, “and so I k

o elt like, ‘Okay, I can do this.’ And I busted up

there – I was so happy to be on the stage – and a

could do was see the way people were looking at

Tey told them who I was, and that really made

ready or me. ‘B.B. King’s daughter?! Oh, Lord ! YI bet she can get down!’

“And I got up there on the stage, and I couldn

remember no words,” King continues, laughing.

“I just kept singing, ‘Got my mojo working, but i

just don’t work on you!’ over and over. And then

when I was just too ar rom getting the song, I ju

started dancing and shaking my hips and movin

ast. And the crowd went crazy! I don’t know whdid right!”

Clearly, though, she did something right. “Wh

I got through,” says King, “people told the owner

‘Doc’ Pellegrino, ‘You’ve got the hire her. Tis

woman is good .’ And o course, people saw the

advantage o having me there, what with the nam

and stu. So he came over and talked to me, and

he said, ‘Well, I don’t re nobody to hire nobody

– that’s not my rules here – but i somebody leav

or something, I will call you.’

“Well, somebody must’ve wanted to leave,” sh

adds with a laugh, “because I got a call maybe a

month or two later to come to work. And I prett

much had a steady gig there or about three yearTat gig subsequently led to many, many mo

“In those days, anybody who was anybody woul

come to the Kingston Mines. So by me working

there, I was getting exposure almost like a booki

agent set. I was able to go to Europe, get a record

deal, and do a CD [ Jump Trough My Keyhole] a

my rst year o singing, you know?”

And while King acknowledges that having B

King as a ather certainly hasn’t hurt her career a

(“With the Kingston Mines situation,” she admit

helped like crazy”), she believes that what audien

respond to in her blues perormances isn’t herita

so much as presence.

“I’m able to maintain a stage like nobody’s

business,” says King with a laugh. “I control the s

And people like that, you know? Tey’re used to

people getting up there singing, but when you ca

actually perorm on that stage – dancing, shaking

– that tells people, ‘Hey, I’m here or you to watc“I wasn’t a seasoned singer when I started,” sh

continues. “I was very new to it. But I was able to

an entertainer . And that’s what I still am today. I

people all the time, ‘I you come to see me, you’r

not coming to hear a record. You’re coming to se

a show. So buckle your seats, ’cause I’m gonna ta

you or a ride.’”

Daughter of the BluesShirley King: Friday, 10:30 p.m., Tent Stage



by Jef Ignatius

Mud Morganeld has this to say about being the son o Muddy Waters, who also sired (in a less

literal way) Chicago blues: “It’s a curse,

and then sometimes it’s a blessing. Becausepeople begin tocompare you.”

Don’t eeltoo sorry orMorganeld,though. His careeris built on re-creating the Muddy Waters sound, andhe’s almost beggingor the comparison.

“I wanted to

represent my dad’smusic, and whathe stood or,”Morganeld saidin a recent phoneinterview. “It camenatural to me. ...People think maybe I was somewhere inthe basement studying it, and listening torecordings. You can’t get that close with that.I do what I do because I’m his son. Tat’s just all there is to it.”

Although he’s played music most o

his lie – starting with the drums hisather bought him each Christmas, andthen graduating to bass – he only begana proessional career in the past veyears, when he was already past age 50.Morganeld said that aer Muddy Watersdied in 1983, he began visiting his son inhis sleep: “It started with me having dreamsabout my dad – reoccurring dreams, samething. [He] never would talk to me, but [hewas] always just there playing and singing.... Maybe he wanted me to do something.And here I am.”

When he appears at the IH MississippiValley Blues Festival, expect a mix o oldand new. “I try to mix it up, with a ew o mine and a ew o Pops’,” Morganeld said.

He declined to name his avorite Muddy Waters songs. “All o ’em,” he said. “Hewas my dad. Even on them that somepeople think he didn’t do well on, I love’em. Anything that came out o my ather’smouth, I loved ’em. I love him.”

Morganeld said that when he’sperorming his ather’s music, he eels closeto him. “Unbelievable. It’s just like he comes

“Pretty Close to Pop”Mud Morganfeld: Friday, 7 p.m., Bandshell

inside o me or is sitting right next to me,”he said. “Always. I can’t hit those kind o notes and do that kind o blues like that ... .It has to be God and my dad.”

In reviewing Fall Waters Fall ,Morganeld’sdebut, SLBlues.net noted thathe “possesses asinging voice thatis very reminiscento his ather’s,especially whensinging in a lowerregister. Mudcan denitely channel the elder

Morganeld’senunciating, o theway Muddy would‘hit’ (or stress)certain syllablesor emphasis oremotional impact.”

Te CD o his own songs, Morganeldsaid, was an attempt to cra an identity distinct rom his ather’s. “My dad came upin one era, and I came up in another era,” hesaid. “I have my own blues, too.”

He also has a live album, and he’s

preparing or a new studio CD. “I’mtrying to establish mysel now as my ownbluesman,” he said. But he stressed thatMuddy Waters will always be a touchstone:“Quote me on this: Tere will always ... besomething in my work pertaining to my dad. Always. ... I’m going to always put someo my dad’s stu somewhere in there.”

But Muddy Waters hasn’t returned to hisdreams, Morganeld said. “He hasn’t donethat,” he said. “Since I started this career,actually. Sometimes I look or that.

“My dad was always on the road. And he

didn’t get a chance to really be right there.I saw more o my Pops going to work tosupport us than I saw him in his ace.

“I wish he could come to me sometimesnow still. Kind o explain to me. SometimesI get discouraged. I get blues like anybody else. I need that kind o guidance andtalking.”

But Morganeld said he doesn’t doubtthat he’s eectively capturing his ather’sspirit: “I’ve heard way worser, and I’m goingto leave it at that. I’ve been told it’s pretty close to Pop.”





to join my band.’”

Tat opportunity, however, wasn’t in the cards. “Te

deal that I brokered with my mother,” says Harmon,

“was i she would just let me go out on the [Dorothy

Moore] tour, then I promised, when the tour was over,

I would go to college. So when Little Milton called me,I had to tell him that I couldn’t play because my mom

wanted me to go to college. And the rst thing he said

was, ‘By all means, you go to college. I I had known

that that’s what you were going to do, I never would’ve

called you.’

“And that kind o encouragement rom him kind o

sealed the deal or me,” he continues. “o go ahead and

nish college beore I went out to pursue my career.”

Majoring in economics and accounting, Harmon

received his degree rom Jackson State University in1980, even though, as he says, “I had no intentions o

doing anything other than music.” Happily, though,

when he decided to seek employment in music rather

than nance, he did so with his parents’ approval.

“My mother and ather said, ‘Tis is what you want

to do? Okay. But you cannot do it here, because the

industry is not here. Te industry is in Los Angeles

and New York. So i you’re going to do this, that’s

where you need to be.’”

New York – or rather, near New York – was

Harmon’s rst destination. “I went to Philadelphia,” he

says, “because I had a girlriend who was good riends

with some o the olks at Phila International Records.

“But when I got there, it was in the middle o winter, and there was snow, and cars were sliding

everywhere ... . I was just not accustomed,” Harmon

says with a laugh. “I’m a Southern boy, you know? So I

was like, ‘You know what? Uh uh. I can’t do this.’”

Caliornia’s climate, says the musician, proved

much more tting, and between 1981 and 1985, he

worked a day job, spent evenings playing guitar as

a studio musician, and even ound time to earn an

MBA rom Malibu’s Pepperdine University. “I had a

ull plate o things,” says Harmon. “And around 1985, I

nally started making more money playing that I was

working my job, so I was able to stop the day job and

Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s

and ’70s, guitarist and vocalist Zac Harmon

says, “Te thing about the blues is that it

wasn’t something you heard and said, ‘Oh, I like that.’

It was part o the culture, so when I started playing, it

was only natural that that’s what I played.“Blues was like air,” he adds. “And i you breathed,

you was gonna get it.”

With JazzNow.com lauding his “soulul vocals and

breathtaking showmanship” and the Edmonton Sundescribing him as “the closest the blues gets to a heavy-

metal star,” it’s clear that Zac Harmon got it good

... even i it did take a while or people to realize it.

Following two decades as a Los Angeles-based studio

musician, writer, and producer, Harmon released his

rst solo CD – Live at Babe & Ricky’s Inn – in 2002,

and our years later, at age 49, received the Blues

Music Award or best new blues artist.

“It’s kind o unny,” says the musician, during our

recent interview, o his relatively late emergence in

the blues spotlight. “Folks sometimes say, ‘Oh, wow

– he’s an overnight success!’ But overnight in the

music business can sometimes be 20 years.”

He laughs. “Tat’s a lo-o-o-ong night.”

Te son o a blues-harp-playing ather and pianist

mother, Harmon says he began his own musical

education on the violin at age six, and became

ascinated with the guitar at nine, much to the

annoyance o one o his siblings.

“My sister had a guitar, and I would wait until she

went to sleep at night, and I would slip her guitar and

play. And she nally caught me one night, and the

house exploded ,” he says with a laugh. “So my momdecided she would buy me one.”

And it wasn’t long aer securing a guitar o his

own – “around 1968 or ’69” recalls Harmon – that his

adoration or the blues was solidied. “My mother

took me to a show at the Mississippi Coliseum,” he

says. “I think Bobby Rush was the opening act, but

the show eatured Little Milton Campbell, B.B. King,

Albert King, and Albert Collins. And I just le there

scarred or lie.”

Yet while he continued to hone his blues skills,

Harmon says that, as a youth, he didn’t seriously

consider pursuing a career in music. “I didn’t know

what a proessional musician was,” he says. “It wasn’t

like I knew successul musicians or anything, youknow? I just wanted to play, and it didn’t make any

dierence where I played, or who I played or, or

whether I was getting paid or not. I mean, money was

kind o like a secondary blessing that happened to

come along.”

Te rst o such blessings came, says the musician,

“when I graduated high school. I went on tour with

Dorothy Moore, who had a big hit record then called

‘Misty Blue.’ And then, when the tour was over, I got a

call rom Little Milton Campbell, who was one o my

idols. He called because he had heard me out on the

road and was impressed, and he was like, ‘I want you

concentrate solely on music.

“I was very, very lucky,” he adds. “Having that b

base really helped me a lot because a lot o guys wa

me playing on their records because I had that eel

Southern-blues kind o eel, which worked or wha

they were doing musically in L.A. at that time.”From his tenure as a studio musician, Harmon

went on to a career as an L.A.-based songwriter an

producer, collaborating with such blues and R&B

artists as Karyn White, Freddie Jackson, and Black

Uhuru, whose Harmon-produced Mystical ruth

album received a Grammy nomination in 1994

And while the musician says he was grateul or

success during the late ’80s and through the ’90

“the only thing I wasn’t really happy about was

my own career as a blues artist was kind o on h

Tat changed, says Harmon, when “the

landscape o music changed” at the beginning o

the 21st Century. “Te whole session scene was

pretty much gone because rap music came in an

took over, and it was either you were gonna get

that, or nd something else to do.

“And at that time in Los Angeles,” he continu

“gangster rap was real popular. And because, I

guess, o my Southern roots and the act that I’m

Christian, I just could not bring mysel to be pa

o some o the things that they were saying. It ju

didn’t work or me. I couldn’t be on a record tha

had to have the tag o ‘Parental Advisory,’ you know

“So in 2002, I nally said, ‘You know what? I’ve

played on or written or produced or been a part o

over 100 records. Not one have I done on me. So I’

going to do a record on me. I’m gonna go into a cluand I’m gonna do a show, and I’m gonna record th

show. And I’m gonna put it out – no overdubs, no

nothing – and just be who I am and what I am. An

nobody buys the record, that’s ne. But I’m gonna

what I came here to do.’”

Te result was Live at Babe & Ricky’s Inn

– described by MNBlues.com as “an excellent debu

CD” – and as Harmon says, “Te record really too

o, you know? Blues olks were digging it, and one

thing led to another, and two years later I won the

IBC [International Blues Challenge] award” or Be

Unsigned Blues Band. “And here I am today.”

Harmon’s busy touring schedule, which he says

keeps him on the road roughly 30 weeks per year, halso ound him in Canada, France, Italy, northern

Arica, and Iraq, where the musician perorms blu

standards and compositions rom his post-2002 C

Te Blues According to Zacariah (2005) and From t

Root (2009). And while he says that he’s “so excited

and so happy” to be in this year’s IH Mississippi Va

Blues Festival lineup, Harmon hopes, and expects,

his audiences might be even more excited and hap

“Te only thing I can say,” states the musician, “

that people need to get there on time, and they nee

take a good, deep breath beore we start. Because t

won’t be able to exhale until we nish.”

Harmon-izingZac Harmon: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Bandshell

by Mike Sch



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Events begin at 1 p.m.

Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.





It might seem strange for a European to be born

into the blues, but that was the case for Ana

Popović.

“This is the only thing that I remember as

far as music growing up in Serbia,” said the

Belgrade-born singer, songwriter, and guitaristin a recent phone interview. “We never listened

to Serbian music, and basically none of the

European stuff ... .”

The blues came

both from albums – “I

learned a lot of English

from the records,” she

said, and “I sang those

songs way before I

could imagine and

understand what they

were talking about” –

and home jam sessionsled by her father. (She

eventually wormed

her way into those

sessions because she

learned slide guitar.)

Her rst concert

(at age 13) was Tina

Turner, and one

can hear the vocal

inuence in the ery

deance and soul of “Wrong Woman,” from her

2009 album Blind for Love. Pair that with the

subdued, quiet condence of the same record’s“More Real,” and it’s evident that this is an artist

capable of nearly boundless blues. It’s overstating

her skills, but think Turner paired with Stevie

Ray Vaughan and you’ll get some sense of this

woman’s multifaceted attack.

The 34-year-old Popović – a nominee for “best

new artist debut” in the 2003 W.C. Handy Blues

Awards – said that the aim with her albums is

to provide a well-rounded batch of songs over a

variety of genres.

“I like to have a little bit of each style on the

record ... ,” she said while on vacation in France.

And while her own songs have increasinglydominated her albums – she wrote or co-wrote

all the songs on Blind for Love – she plans for

her next studio album to be split evenly between

originals and covers. (She’ll be recording in

November, and in the meantime a live CD/DVD

lmed at a medieval Italian castle is due this

summer.)

She said she’s now going through recordings by

Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, and Elmore James,

looking for relatively obscure tracks that she could

do for the next album. She called her approach

“going a little bit back to the roots.”

That’s partly reverence for her blues elders, but

she also considers covers complementary to her

own songwriting. She featured Snooky Pryor’s

“How’d You Learn to Shake It Like That?” on

2007’s Still Making History because “I don’t even

think I can write that song that way,” she said.Popović isn’t giving herself enough credit.

Blind for Love has a wide breadth and deep skill,

and she never sounds

like she’s stretching or

beyond herself. It’s rare

that a singer and guitarist

doesn’t out of necessity

lean heavily on one or the

other skill, but both her

instruments are capable

of carrying any song, and

the result is an album

with a lovely balance between hard and soft,

fast and slow, emotion

and technique.

Cautioned by her

father about the perils of

betting on a music career

– specically of reaching

middle age still waiting

for a big break – Popović

learned graphic design,

and she studied jazz for three years at conservatory.

The goal, she said, was to develop her own sound

rather than just copying her forebears. She got that, but she quit her studies before they were nished.

“I went really far from where I came from,” she

said. “I was starting to play too many notes. And it

didn’t really make a lot of sense with where I came

from. It was stopping to be groovy and bluesy,

because that’s what these studies do to you.”

Many performers go to conservatory as hard-

rock or blues players, but “at the end, they were

all mixed up,” Popović said. “Not good enough

to become great jazz guitar players, but these four

years they lost what they were actually good at. I

promised this wasn’t going to happen to me.”

While her performing schedule contributed toher choice to abandon her studies, Popović appears

to have a healthy awareness of herself and the

music business. “Don’t waste your four years [at

conservatory] trying to be John Scoeld,” she said.

“The most important time of your life and your

career is actually the 20s. That’s when you really

need to make your sound and style. Don’t waste

it on style you’re not going to be making money

with.”

And she said that she has always been willing to

give up her music career if it didn’t work out.

But, she noted, “that point never came.”

Boundless BluesAna Popović: Saturday, 2:45 p.m., Bandshell

by Jef Ignatius




D a v e n p o r t I A | 10

The numerous plaudits or singer/songwriter

Ruthie Foster include O magazine calling her “a

blues powerhouse” and Paste magazine raving,

“Tere’s no denying the power o Foster’s monstrous

voice,” and she received a 2009 Grammy Awardnomination or her CD Te ruth According to Ruthie

Foster – which is about as confdent a title as one could

imagine.

Yet during our recent phone

interview, the Austin, exas-

based musician admits that

power and condence were by

no means inherent traits.

“I knew early on that I wanted

to be in music doing something ,”

says Foster o her proessional

goals, “but being a singer out

ront was not my idea o what

I wanted to do. I wanted to besupport. For anyone. I was kind

o shy, so I didn’t really see mysel

doing what I’m doing now.

“So yeah, I wanted to be in

music, but to this capacity?” she

continues. “I just kind o learned

how to be out in ront o people

and how to entertain. You know, you just keep saying

‘yes,’ and all these opportunities come up.”

Foster (who doesn’t reveal her age) says her rst

opportunities arose during her upbringing in the

central-exas town o Gause – estimated population:

400 – where the uture blues headliner’s love o music

developed through piano and guitar lessons and

“mostly the church. My mother, and her mother, and

all my aunties and uncles, they all sang and worked in

the church.”

Her solo debut, at age 14, even took place in her

uncle’s church choir. “Tat was intimidating,” Foster

says, “because I grew up around all these great singers

– lots o cousins – and I didn’t want to be a solo singer.

But I kind o got pushed in that direction. It was kind o

my turn to do it.”

Following that perormance, says Foster, “I knew

that going to school or music was a major part o what

I wanted to do, because I was really kind o excited

about teaching.” And aer high-school graduation, sheenrolled in Waco’s McClennan Community College,

and took courses in music, audio engineering, and

voice, where she was “immersed in every genre there

is. I was actually classically trained, learning how to

sing in French and German, doing arias and all o

that.”

Her evenings, however, soon became ocused on

an altogether dierent style o singing, aer riend Joe

Silva asked her to join his ensemble as a lead vocalist.

“I went to school and ended up in this blues band , o all

things,” says Foster with a laugh. “Tat denitely kept

my voice teacher on edge.”

Foster’s stint with the Waco-based Joe Silva Band

was her rst serious exposure to the genre she’d later

make her name in. “I had no idea what the blues really

meant ,” says the musician o her early perormances

with the group. “But I learned that it’s what Buddy Guy

used to say – blues is about eelings. And the older Igot and the more I sang, the more I could put my own

eelings into singing blues.”

She stayed with the band through graduation, but

then decided to do something

unusual or a newly minted

graduate with lead-vocalist

credentials and an adoration o

music: She enlisted in the Navy.

“I was so immersed in music

rom a young age,” she says,

“and in college, you know,

orget about it – when you’re in

music school, that’s all you do

is practice and perorm. And I

think I wanted a break. I wanted

a break rom music, and I had

always wanted to be in the

military.”

During her rst year in

the Navy, which Foster spent

stationed in San Diego,

the musician says she “kind o foated around at a

helicopter squadron, ordering parts. Kind o like Radar

on M*A*S*H , where you’re kind o a do-it-all person

because you don’t really have a destination as ar as

what you want to do yet.” Yet while Foster may have

enlisted, in part, to escape the world o music, it wasn’tlong beore music ound her .

“My company commander had a party,” she says,

“and there was a band there, a makeshi band, where

he played guitar, and a couple other guys played

drums. Tey were doing a blues number, and I was

like, ‘Well, you know, I sing a little bit ... . Can I do

something?

“And I did Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Red House,’” Foster

continues. “And my company commander pulled me

aside the next day, and he demanded that I go try out

or the Navy band. He said, ‘Why are you here?’”

Laughing, Foster adds, “So I was busted.”

Her tenure with the Navy band (or which she

served as a percussionist) ound Foster stationed inCharleston, South Carolina, touring the southeast, and

traveling to such locales as Puerto Rico and Iceland.

She also joined, as a vocalist, the Navy ensemble

Pride, which Foster describes as “a top-40, unk-band

branch o the military band. Tose guys are the best

musicians I have ever played with, and I’ve played with

a lot o great musicians. Tey’re very, very sharp, and

can read and write their asses o.”

Armed with a newound passion or music, Foster

nished her our years in the military and, aer a

brie stay in Charleston, set o or New York City. “I

wanted to do music on my own terms,” she says o the

decision. “You know, I didn’t want to run away ro

music anymore, and New York was denitely whe

needed to be.”

Foster admits that New York “kicked my butt”

but adds that “I kicked back,” and she was eventuacontracted as a songwriter or Atlantic Records.

“Atlantic was a great umbrella to be under while

gured out what I wanted to do, genre-wise,” she s

“I I wanted to play guitar, or just sing in ront o a

band, or what. So I did that or three years, and I w

with some great people.” Foster also continued to

perorm, requently playing small clubs and venue

Greenwich Village, “in places that Bob Dylan play

in. It was beautiul . I was livin’ the dream.”

In 1993, though, she opted to relocate yet again

– this time, back to her home state. “My mother [w

passed away in 1996] wasn’t doing too well,” Foster

explains, “but I was also homesick. Really homesick

So homesick that the only thing I wrote about in N

York was exas.”

And it would be hard to argue that her return ha

been a boon to Foster’s proessional success, as her

1997 debut CD Full Circle – and the three albums t

ollowed – were all produced there.

“For a rst project,” says the musician o Full Cir“I think it was great. You know, it was all home-don

had riends to take the [CD cover] picture, I had ri

do up the artwork ... . It was done well, and it was a

relatively easy process ... although the people behind

would probably say it wasn’t , because they know ho

much I really don’t like going into the studio.”

Foster laughs. “When it’s my project, I kind o hto be dragged. I love doing projects with other peop

it’s just when it comes time to making decisions, it’

really good or me to have a great producer.”

Which, says Foster, is exactly what she got in Ch

Goldsmith, who produced her h CD Te ruth

According to Ruthie Foster, described by Blues Revu

magazine as “a ull-on blast o soul and blues.”

“I don’t know how it happened,” she says o the

CD, Foster’s rst to be produced outside o exas, i

Memphis’ legendary Ardent Studios. “I have to giv

it all to Chris. How he managed to get [the late blu

pianist] Jim Dickinson to come up was just beyond

me. But he did. He wasn’t eeling very well, but he

got in there, and he gave everything that he was. ARobben Ford played guitar. He only had about two

days he could spare beore going o to Italy on tou

And Wayne Jackson o the Memphis Horns came i

and just laid down some brilliant stu.

“It was just incredible,” she says. “A really good

experience. And that’s what keeps me doing [music

It’s really about just getting up and creating , you kn

Even i it’s just journaling – that turns into a song o

me a lot o times.

“Music is very much still exciting or me. And i

doesn’t get that way, I just stop, and I do something

or a while.”

by Mike Schul

Just Keep Saying “Yes”Ruthie Foster: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Tent Stage



by Karen McFarland

“You know the saying that

you got to be in the right

place at the right time?”

singer Kim Massie asked in a recent

phone interview. “It wasn’t until I

came to St. Louis where it was like,

‘Tis is the place I’m supposed to be!’

Everything started to happen. One

thing led to another.”

Kim Massie is not a household

name, even in the context o the

blues. She has become an institution

in the great blues and jazz city o St.

Louis over the past 10 years, twice

winning the Riverront imes’ emale-

vocalist-o-the-year award, and she’s

the eatured artist twice a week at

the blues club Beale on Broadway.

Yet she rarely perorms outside o

her hometown – trips to Hungary, Seattle, San

Francisco, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C., but

no tours. St. Louis is a place like Chicago or New

Orleans where blues musicians can nd enough

work that they don’t have to leave.

Mike and Nanci Livermore o the Mississippi

Valley Blues Society’s Entertainment Committee

“discovered” Massie in St. Louis and were so

impressed with her show that they suggested

the committee get her or the 2010 estival. Te

committee loved her powerul, soulul singing,

which SLBlues.net described as “the voice o God

with growling nuances o Etta James.”

Although Kim lived in the St. Louis area until

she was nine, she spent the next three decades in

Lorain, Ohio, a town west o Cleveland. In both

places she participated in gospel and school choirs.

“I’ve been singing since I was two years old, and

always loved music,” she recalled. “I started singing

in church like a lot o black entertainers. But I had

such a passion or the music it went arther than

just gospel music.”

She was a single mother o three in the ’80s

and hit the karaoke circuit, winning a state and

a national competition by the mid-’90s. But shewas never able to make a living rom her music.

“Cleveland had its own things going on,” she

said, “but I don’t think that was the right place

or me. Lorain is 25 minutes west o Cleveland. I

lived there or 33 years, and nothing ever seemed

to actually work out there. When I moved back

here to St. Louis [in 1999] – when I moved back

to this area to live with my mom – that’s when

things really started happening or me musically

speaking.”

A riend heard Kim singing karaoke and

suggested she go to a certain club, and the people

there told her to go to BB’s Jazz, Blues, & Soups, a

club near the Soulard district amous or its blues.

Tat’s where Kim met Oliver Sain, the Mississippi-

born saxophonist and bandleader who came to St.

Louis in 1959 and never le.

“Oliver Sain asked me to sit in and sing a song

or two with his band, and I met all the musicians.

It just kinda snowballed, where someone told me

go sit in with this band or go sing over there. And

I was just amazed at how close-knit the whole

amily was in St. Louis to let me come in and be

a part o this. In St. Louis people come into town

on business, and o course they want to hear someblues. Even the hotel people and the ood-service

people were telling them to come see me!”

One o the people who heard Kim singing

with Oliver Sain in 1999 was Bud Jostes. He

opened Beale on Broadway in 2000 at the same

intersection as BB’s and asked Massie to play

there one night a week. Now she perorms twice

a week, nally making a living rom her singing.

“He’s very supportive o me, very protective o me,

treats me very well,” Kim said o Jostes. “I don’t

stay anyplace that I’m not treated well. And he has

enabled me to do whatever I want to musically

speaking.” While her specialties are blues, gospel,and R&B, Kim also sings some pop, rock, and

country tunes, depending on her audience.

Kim has a regular backup band that gives her

the reedom to switch gears musically. Tey’re

called the Solid Senders, named by Jostes. “I never

have a song list on stage – you will never see

that,” Kim said. “I have a song list like a reerence

list, because we’ve done so many songs I can

hardly keep up with it. During the course o an

evening I will be asked to do the whole gamut o

dierent genres o music. So over the years I’ve

gone through my share o musicians to where

the group I have now is absolutely

perect or what I do. I have keyboard,

bass, drums, guitar, and saxophone.

We know enough music to keep our

audience happy.”

Make no mistake, most o the genre

Massie plays are blues-related. In 2003

Kim was one o seven lead singers in

a St. Louis production o the musical

showcase It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Bluesgiving the history o the blues through

song – and the next year she joined

the Kansas City cast. Te experience

gave Massie a new appreciation or the

blues: “It was so exciting to be a part o

telling the story o where blues came

rom. Tat’s something that the young

olks need to learn about.

“Te executive director ... , he heard

me at the Beale in 2002. A production was coming

through and he needed one more singer; I was

the one he contacted. ... We did songs rom Ray

Charles and Howlin’ Wol, and the list goes on and

on.” Tere are actually more than 40 songs in the

production., rom eld hollers and spirituals to the

electried blues o the postwar era.

Yet one o Kim’s ondest memories is o a

dierent stripe: singing with Cyndi Lauper. “In

2007 on the Fourth o July I opened or her,”

Massie said. “Well, she heard me singing and

asked me i I would sing with her. We had a quick

rehearsal, and I sang some o her number-one

songs like ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun.’ We did

‘ime Aer ime’ and we actually sang ‘At Last’

– we did that together. It was a lotta un!”

O course, “At Last” is a song made amous by

Etta James. But Kim is particularly ond o the

Queen o Soul. “My avorites are Aretha Franklin

‘Drown in My Own ears’ – that’s a song I ound

out was originally done by Ray Charles, but I rst

heard Aretha sing it – as well as ‘Chain o Fools.’”

Kim has a live CD that’s a tribute to Aretha, in

addition to a live jazz album, her latest ( A Lady

by Choice) that eatures blues-related are, and anupcoming gospel CD titled Inspired .

But despite citing Aretha and Ray Charles

– soul artists coming rom a gospel tradition

– as her major infuences, the blues played a key

role in Massie’s development. “I remember as a

young child my ather playing Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland

records and B.B. King,” Kim said. “I’ve heard

those songs over the years and they always stuck

with me. I’ve sung those songs or so many years,

and now as an adult I get to honor those people

that have enabled me to make a living singing. It’s

just awesome!”

Right Place, Right TimeKim Massie: Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Tent Stage





At the 2010 Blues MusicAwards in May, ommy Castro and his bandmates

walked away with our awards: bando the year, contemporary bluesmale artist, contemporary bluesalbum (or Hard Believer ), and thebig one – B.B. King Entertainer o the Year.

In a recent phone interview,Castro sounded genuinely grateuland surprised. “You need a shotin the arm,” he said. “It was a bignight or us.” And with a charminglack o vanity, Castro oered twoexplanations or his our-or-ournight specically, and or his successgenerally.

“I got opportunities to have acareer playing blues, I think, beoreI was really ready or it,” he said.“When Blind Pig signed me [in themid-1990s], I didn’t have any songs.... I’ve been learning how to do thiswhile I was doing it. ... I think thatover a period o time we’ve gotten alittle bit better at making records.”

He credited having a good band, agood producer, and good songwriterpartners. “My talent might lie insurrounding mysel with all the

right people to help me do what I do best,” hesaid. “I have my little thing that I do. I’m a airly procient songwriter, I’m a good singer, and agood guitar player. I don’t think I’m great at any o those things. ... I’ll take all the help I can get.”

Te Caliornia-based Castro will have plenty o help at the IH Mississippi Valley BluesFestival, as the ommy Castro Band will bebacking separate sets by its leader, guitaristDebbie Davies, harmonica player MagicDick, and shouter Sista Monica as part o theLegendary Rhythm & Blues Revue. Tat closesthe estival’s bandshell stage on Sunday and will

culminate with a jam eaturing all the artists.Jams have long been a part o the Legendary

Rhythm & Blues Cruise and its earlierincarnation, but it was Castro’s idea to try it onland as part o a tour.

“Some o the best stu out o people happensunder those circumstances,” Castro said. “Andalso there’s the possible train wreck that couldhappen at any time. We’re all proessionals, andit’s not likely to happen, but it can happen atany time. ... Tere is a chance, the possibility or things to go terribly wrong at any second.Tat makes it exciting. Why do people enjoy

watching cli-diving, or any other dangeroussport? ... Tat element o danger involved. ...

“I saw the look on people’s aces when the jamwould happen [on the cruises], especially whenthe really great shit would happen. I thought,‘Tere’s got to be a way to create something likethis on the road.’”

Te tours started a ew years ago with MagicDick, pianist Deanna Bogart, and guitaristRonnie Baker Brooks. Castro said the goal isalways “a well-rounded show. Everybody didsomething dierent, but when we jammedtogether, there was some magic there in that

original lineup.”While Castro’s band gets quite a workout, hesaid it’s simply good business. “It adds dates tothe calendar, basically,” he said. “You have a kindo music that appeals to a pretty small section o the population. Not everybody in the world is ablues an. You’ve got a strong ollowing, a aithulollowing ... . We oer people a lot – a really strong show to get them to come out. ... Tey geta chance to see our national acts at once, onenight. We’re giving them a lot or their money.”

Make no mistake: Castro is a draw all onhis own. In addition to this year’s awards haul,

Castro won the contemporary-blues-album and B.B. Kingaccolades at the Blues MusicAwards in 2008, and Hard Believer earned strong reviews.About.com called it “a white-hot collection o spirited,unpretentious perormances, esong approached by Castro andhis famethrower band with theerocity o a hungry heavyweigclass prizeghter.”

Hal the songs on Hard Beliare originals, and I generally prthose to the covers. “Monkey’sParadise” has a particularly strong groove, “Make It Back toMemphis” is joyous roadhouseand “rimmin’ Fat” has a lighttouch with the sad realities o th

economy as well as the live-mubusiness: “He could hardly evenlook me in the ace / And he sa‘Karaoke really packs this place

Castro and his band nailAllen oussaint’s “Victims o thDarkness,” with great alchemy between the horns, the guitar,and Castro’s roughly warm voi– which the All Music Guidecompared to “a cross between

Delbert McClinton, James Brown, and BobSeger.”

And there’s no denying that Castro and hiband play the covers with conviction, wheththe lounge-jazz strains o Je urmes’ “Terouble with Soul” or the Godather o Soultreatment o Wilson Pickett’s “Ninety-Nine &One Hal.”

Castro admits that many people – includiBruce Iglauer, head o Castro’s new labelAlligator – advised him against doing BobDylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” because it hbeen overdone. But Castro was undeterred.

“I remember hearing Bob Dylan do it, andthinking to mysel, ‘Look at those big gapingholes there where there should be a ... big AlKing guitar lick in between those choruses.’”

Te singer and guitarist has certainly earnthe deerence to make records however hepleases. And in Alligator, he’s ound a labelwith a rereshingly artist-centric attitude abothe music business. Castro said that Iglauerunderstands that concerts are the lieblood onot only perormers but also their labels: “Tway to sell the most records is to get people tmy shows.”

“I’ll Take All the Help I Can Get”Tommy Castro: Sunday, 8 p.m., Bandshell

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The Kinsey Report, 5 p.m. MySpace.com/kenkinsey

Te Kinsey brothers – guitarist/vocalist Donald,

drummer Ralph, and bassist Kenneth – developed

their unk-orientedblues sound rom a

lietime o working

together on stage

and in the studio.

Teir ather and

musical mentor, the

late Mississippi-born

Lester “Big Daddy” Kinsey, introduced his sons to

gospel and blues early on. As youngsters, they saw

rsthand the emotional power o music in their

grandather’s church in Gary, Indiana. By the time

Donald was 13, he was an accomplished guitarist

who perormed with Big Daddy around Gary.During the late 1960s, Big Daddy began taking

the amily act on the road. In 1972, Albert King

recruited Donald as his rhythm guitarist.

In 1975, Donald and Ralph ormed the heavy-

metal group White Lightning, cutting an album or

Island Records and touring nationally. At an Island

Records reception in New York, Donald met reggae

superstar Bob Marley, who in turn introduced

him to Peter osh. osh invited Donald to sit in

on the recording o Legalize It . Aer touring with

osh or a year, Marley asked Donald to overdub

some guitar parts or Rastaman Vibration. Donald

moved to Jamaica in 1976 and toured with Marley.Te Kinsey Report came together in 1984,

with Donald returning home to join Ralph in re-

orming the amily band with Big Daddy. Youngest

brother Kenneth took over the bass slot. Te band,

Big Daddy Kinsey & the Kinsey Report, combined

the sons’ rock-infuenced sound and their ather’s

Mississippi Delta-blues roots. Te Kinsey Report’s

debut album or Alligator Records, 1988’s Edgeo the City, led to three Blues Music Award

nominations. Downbeat declared: “Te band is

telepathically tight, and its impact is devastating.”

And that description stands true today or the

Kinsey Report – the brothers plus guitarist Nick Byrd – with their mix o ery guitars, unky

rhythms, streetwise lyrics, and boundless energy.

– Karen McFarland

o read a 2008 River Cities’ Reader article on theKinsey Report, visit RCReader.com/y/kinsey.

Mud Morganfeld, 7 p.m. MudMorganfeldSite.com

His real name is Larry Williams, but this

rstborn son o blues icon Muddy Waters

(McKinley Morganeld) was raised with the

names “Mud Jr.” and “Little Mud.” Now 56, Mud

Morganeld has a voice that’s uncanny in its

resemblance to his ather’s.

Similar to the early lie o Muddy Waters, Mud

Morganeld was a truck driver with a passion ormusic. In his spare time, Mud Morganeld would

sing with local soul groups. But it wasn’t until aer

the uneral o his ather in 1983 (where he met his

hal-brother Big Bill Morganeld or the rst time)

that Mud Morganeld immersed himsel in the

blues. He perormed in the clubs o Chicago’s South

Side but has otherwise kept a low prole.

In July 2007 Mud stepped out into the limelight

playing a show with Big Bill Morganeld at the

Muddy Waters Memorial Festival in Westmont,

Illinois, and then went on to his own set at the

Chicago Blues Festival in 2008. Tis was ollowed

by sold-out tours o Europe and South America.Mud Morganeld takes pride in re-creating the

sound o his ather. So be prepared or a set o deep

Chicago blues when Mud Morganeld hits the

stage. He’s bringing a great band o bluesmen rom

Chicago to play with him, including Eddie aylor

Jr. on guitar, Harmonica Hinds, and Kenny “Beedy

Eyes” Smith (son o Willie “Big Eyes” Smith) on

drums. – Karen McFarland

Bernard Allison, 9 p.m.BernardAllison.com

In keeping with our “Blues in the Blood” theme

night, Bernard Allison is the son o the late, greatLuther Allison. Bernard was born in Chicago on

November 26, 1965, the youngest o nine children.

Running around the stage as his ather played had

a proound eect on Bernard. He states that he was

about seven years old when he decided he wanted

to be like his ather. He didn’t start playing ’til he

was roughly 10 years old.

Bernard made his rst appearance on record

at age 13, when he played on a live LP his ather

recorded in Peoria, Illinois. Luther bought Bernard

his rst guitar, a Fender Stratocaster, but also told

him to get an education rst. Bernard joined his

ather on stage at the 1983 Chicago Blues Festival.One week aer graduating rom high school,

Bernard got a call rom Koko aylor asking him to

be the lead guitarist in her band. He played with

Koko’s band or three years. Ten in 1989, Bernard

recorded with his ather in Europe and lived there

or a while, playing in his ather’s band. Luther and

Bernard both can be heard tearing it up at the 1989

Chicago Blues Festival that was released on Luther

Allison’s album Let’s ry It Again on Ru Records.

One year later, Bernard released his rst solo

album, appropriately entitled Te Next Generation.

I don’t mean to slight any other blues perormers,

and there are thousan

o great musicians, bu

Luther Allison is in m

opinion the greatest b

perormer that has evgraced a stage! Bernar

has denitely inherite

some amazing genes

rom his ather, and ev

though he doesn’t like to be compared to his at

he doesn’t have to be, because he is getting grea

his own! – Steve Heston

Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, 11 p.mLilEdAndTeBluesImperials.com

Lil’ Ed, although small in stature, is a true

giant o the blues, and among the very last

authentic West Side Chicago bluesmen. His banincludes himsel on lead guitar, his hal-brother

James “Pookie” Young on bass, Mike Garrett on

rhythm guitar, and Kelly Littleton on drums. Li

Ed’s storybook rise in the blues world has taken

him rom working in a car wash to entertaining

thousands o his ans all over the world, leading

an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brie(in a hilarious lm with Lil’ Ed teaching Conan

how to play the blues).

Lil’ Ed was born in Chicago on April 4, 1955

and was surrounded by the blues growing up. H

was playing guitar, drums, and bass by the time

he was 12. Along with Pookie, Ed received lessoand support rom his amous blues-playing, slid

guitarist uncle, J.B. Hutto. Ed says that J.B. taugh

him everything he knows and wouldn’t be wher

he is today without him. Ed met up with Alligat

Records President Bruc

Iglauer at a time when

Iglauer was looking or

local talent or an antho

o some o Chicago’s

younger blues musician

Te band showed up

expecting to cut two son

they had never been in recording studio beore. Aer doing those song

the place was jumping with excitement. Lil’ Ed

the engineer and all o the Alligator staers beg

or more, and Iglauer oered the band a ull-alb

contract on the spot. Te end result was 30 son

three hours with no overdubs and no second ta

I you want to see a band that is guaranteed to

you up on your eet dancing, then you don’t wan

miss Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials! – Steve Hest

o read a 2005 River Cities’ Reader article on LiEd, visit RCReader.com/y/liled.

Friday, July 2: Bandshell (“Blues in the Blood”)Every act on both stages Friday is a descendant of a blues legend.



Alvin “Little Pink” Anderson, 5 p.m.LittlePink.20m.com

Alvin “Little Pink” Anderson is the son o

Piedmont blues giant Pink Anderson. Alvin was

born on July 13, 1954, in Spartanburg, SouthCarolina, and by the age o three was perorming

with his ather as a tap dancer and singer in the

medicine shows that traveled throughout the South.

It was also at this early age that Pink Anderson

started teaching Alvin to play the acoustic guitar. By

the time Alvin was 13, he was touring with Clarence

Carter – until his age was discovered!

Over the next ew years, Alvin assimilated his

ather’s guitar style, and Little Pink was making a

name or himsel on the local scene playing both

electric and acoustic blues. But by 18 he was in

prison or the rst o two times; he was 20 and still

in prison when his ather died in 1974. In 1994Alvin was back in prison or three years or an

illegal-driving charge, but that stay helped him to

put his lie in perspective. He was determined to

ollow in his ather’s ootsteps

by devoting his lie to playing

and writing about the blues.

Aer interviewing Little

Pink, Ray Stiles o Blues onStage had this assessment: “In

the short time I spent with

Anderson I ound him to be

very honest and open in expressing his eelings. He

is also totally committed to the music he grew upwith. ... Anderson said he is an Albert Collins reak

and showed us what he meant with his scorching,

staccato-like licks on guitar. He is an excellent

musician with a powerul, soulul blues voice. His

playing combines both traditional and modern

blues, and he played an electriying version o ‘Te

Sky Is Crying’ that le the late-night audience

screaming or more.”

Anderson will also present a workshop at 2:30

p.m. on Saturday. – Karen McFarland

Caroline Shines, 6:30 p.m.

CarolineShines.comFriday at the Blues Fest is called “Blues in the

Blood,” because sons, daughters, and relatives o

blues legends will be perorming.

Tere is no better example than

blues and gospel singer Caroline

Shines, the daughter o blues

guitarist and singer Johnny

Shines, best known or the three

years he spent perorming and

touring with Robert Johnson (whom most blues-

music historians argue is the most celebrated gure

in the history o the blues). Johnny Shines was a

very original slide guitarist who infuenced artists

such as B.B.King, who once claimed: “Johnny

Shines was the best guitar player who ever lived.”

Johnny Shines perormed at the 1989 Blues Fest

right here in LeClaire Park, which is one o thereasons the MVBS can rightully claim that this

blues estival is “where legends come to play.”

Growing up in uscaloosa, Alabama, Caroline

Shines says she learned about all types o music

and how to sing rom her ather. Early on, Caroline

and her mother sang in the choir at Morning Star

Baptist Church, which Johnny attended when he

was not traveling.

Caroline’s rst proessional singing was or the

uscaloosa alent Search. When she auditioned,

aer hearing her sing only one verse, the person in

charge hired Caroline on the spot! Now Caroline

spends quite a bit o her time perorming andconducting Blues in the Schools workshops with

Debbie Bond and the Alabama Blues Project

begun by Willie King. Caroline perormed with the

Alabama Blues Project during a week’s residency

in the Quad Cities in November 2006. At Mojo’s

during that visit, Caroline let it all hang out and

showed blues ans how to holler the blues! Tis is

what blues ans can expect to hear when Caroline

Shines takes the stage in the ent on Friday night. – Jimmie Jones

Lurrie Bell Chicago Blues Band, 8:30 p.m.

Lurrie.comWhen the Entertainment Committee heard

Lurrie Bell’s latest release, we agreed unanimously

that we wanted him to play the

Fest. Guitarist/vocalist Lurrie

is the son o amed Chicago

harpmeister Carey Bell, who’s

oen compared to harmonica

powerhouses Little Walter and

Sonny Boy Williamson. Be

prepared to be mesmerized by some deep Chicago

blues when Lurrie and his band take the stage.

Born December 13, 1958, Bell was raised in a

Chicago household steeped in blues, with regularguests to the house including Eddie aylor, Eddie

C. Campbell, Jimmy Dawkins, Eddy Clearwater,

Big Walter Horton, Sunnyland Slim, and Muddy

Waters pianist Lovie Lee. Lurrie started playing

guitar at the age o six; when he was eight, he went

to live down South with his grandparents and

played in the church.

Back in Chicago in his teens, Lurrie joined up

with Billy Branch and Freddie Dixon to orm the

Sons o Blues. Tey perormed at the Berlin Jazz

Festival in 1977, and then recorded three cuts or

Alligator’s Grammy-nominated Living Chicago

Friday, July 2: Tent (“Blues in the Blood”)Every act on both stages Friday is a descendant of a blues legend

Blues series. Lurrie’s guitar talent and knowledge

o dierent blues styles was noted by publications

such as Rolling Stone and the New York imes. At

20, Lurrie was asked to join Koko aylor’s band,

and he traveled with her or several years.Battling and deeating some personal demons

kept Lurrie out o the studio and o the road or

a period in the ’80s and ’90s, but he returned with

our CDs or Delmark and then an Alligator releas

in 2004 – an acoustic duet with his ather that

was nominated or a Blues Music Award or best

acoustic album.

Te year 2007 was a hard one or Lurrie; he lost

his lie partner, photographer Susan Greenberg,

to cancer in January, and then Carey Bell passed

in May. But also that year, Lurrie was nominated

or a Blues Music Award or guitarist o the year.

– Karen McFarland

Shirley King, 10:30 p.m. MySpace.com/theshirleykingband

Being the blues-singing daughter o B.B. King

has earned Shirley King the title “Daughter o

the Blues,” but she is an outstanding singer and

perormer in her own right. And she’s bringing a

topnotch band rom Chicago with her to our est

– so you don’t want to miss this set!

Her ather’s career exposed her to the company

o great singers. Born and raised in Memphis,

Shirley began singing in the church choir at age

nine. When she was 13, she met another musiclegend: Etta James. Young Shirley was so impressed

by Etta’s perormance that she made Etta her

musical role model. Ruth Brown and Mahalia

Jackson were also infuences.

When Shirley was growing up, she studied

acting and dancing as well as singing, giving her

the skills to be a dynamic singer. She’s an all-

around entertainer, which comes rom her years

as a stage baby watching such talents as James

Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke. From all

o them she learned that there’s more to being an

entertainer than just being a singer or musician.

Shirley came late to perorming the blues, rsttrying it on in 1990. Within six months she was aregular at Kingston Mines in Chicago. And onceB.B. caught Shirley’s act, he lent her his ull supportto her carrying on the blues tradition. Shirley’s noteor her high-energy stage presence, and her bluesrange rom traditional to gospel to R&B to soul.

Shirley has sung at major blues clubs and

estivals worldwide. She has perormed with her

ather, Bobby Bland, Albert King, Little Milton,

yrone Davis, Otis Clay, Jerry Butler, Koko aylor,

Lonnie Brooks, Eddy Clearwater, Billy Branch, and

many others. – Karen McFarland





Steady Rollin’ Blues Band, 1 p.m.Just ve weeks aer winning the Quad Cities

round o the Iowa Blues Challenge, the Steady Rollin’Blues Band emerged victorious rom the nal round

o the state challenge in Des Moines on May 22. Teprize package includes studio recording time and a

slot at the IH MississippiValley Blues Festival orJuly 3, as well as money tohelp support the band’s tripto Memphis next January,when they will represent

Iowa in the International Blues Challenge.Steady Rollin’ is made up o seasoned pros who

have been part o the Quad Cities music scene ormore than 15 years. Te Steady Rollin’ Blues Bandplays every Tursday night at Rascals in Moline.Teir music is good to dance to and eatures dierentstyles o blues, rom jazz to unk to R&B, Memphisto Chicago, with covers o artists such as yroneDavis, Bobby Bland, and Marvin Sease. Craig Bentley is on guitar, Perry Hultgren on keyboards, Jimmy VanHye on drums, om Norman on bass, andJimmie Lee Adams on vocals.

Five bands rom across the state competed in thenal round o the Iowa Blues Challenge. roubleNo More, the Bob Pace Band Featuring Steve E.George, Bella Soul Blues Revolution Featuring inaHaase Findlay, and Stoney Ground were the otherperormers that gave the Steady Rollin’ Blues Banda run or their money. Steady Rollin’ ollows in a

tradition that has seen the Quad Cities entrants in theIowa Blues Challenge walk away with the top prize,including the Avey Brothers Band in 2008 and 2009.– Karen McFarland

Ana Popović, 2:45 p.m. AnaPopović.com

Ana Popvić was born on May 13, 1976, in Belgradein the ormer Yugoslavia, the rst daughter o Milutinand Vesna Popvić. Her ather is a guitar/bass player,and Ana grew up listening in on many blues and soul jam sessions he hosted. Inevitably Ana was bitten by the guitar bug. Her parents paid or private lessons

when her ather realized that her natural gi o playing went beyond his own abilities.

In 1995, Ana ormed her rst band, Hush, and hadrequent appearances at estivals and on televisionin her home country. With the all o communism,musicians were allowed to travel more reely, andthey start playing blues estivals in Greece andHungary. In 1999, Ana was studying music at TeConservatory in the Netherlands and ormed a Dutchband that became popular on the Dutch and Germanblues scenes.

In October o 2000, Ana traveled to Memphis torecord Hush! , her rst release or Ru Records. She

joined artists such as Bernard Allison, Eric Burdon,Walter rout, Popa Chubby, Jimmy Tackery, ajMahal, and Buddy Miles on a Jimi Hendrix tributeCD titled Blue Haze. In 2001, Ana appeared as aspecial guest on tour with Bernard Allison, and in2002 Ana was part o the European Jimi Hendrixtribute tour with Walter rout.

In 2006 Ana was invited to be on the Legendary

Rhythm & Blues Cruise, the rst European artist tobe oered a spot on the cruise with her own band,and in 2009 she was invited back to the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise again. We eel very honoredto have this talented musician on our stage. – Steve

Heston

Zac Harmon, 4:30 p.m.ZacHarmon.com

Te Entertainment Committee is made up o members with varying tastes in blues. So it’s rare orus to agree when we listen to solicitations or the Fest.But that’s what happened – we agreed! – when we

listened to Zac Harmon.Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Harmonis a disciple o the Farish Street blues sound. (FarishStreet is universally recognized as the home o many great blues legends, including Elmore James.) Duringthe ’50s and ’60s, Harmon hung out at his ather’spharmacy on Farish, soaking up the aura and soundso the musician customers while developing his skillsas a guitarist, organist, and vocalist. Like many, hehoned those skills while at church.

Harmon’s early years included stints as guitarist orZ.Z. Hill, Dorothy Moore, and Sam Myers. Sam alongwith Mel Brown played a signicant role in Harmon’sdevelopment, guiding his progress through rock and

roll to the true blues.Moving to Los Angeles in 1980 to pursue a career

in music, Harmon worked as a studio musicianand began to make a name or himsel as a writer/producer, craing songs or such varied notables asEvelyn “Champagne” King, the Whispers, and theO’Jays. He produced songs on the Mystical ruth album or Black Uhuru that received a Grammy nomination in 1994.

In 2002, Harmon decided to pursue his longtimedream o recording his rst blues project. Teresult, Live at Babe & Ricky’s Inn, was an electriyingtestimonial to the blues, eaturing eight original songs

that truly embody the Mississippi blues sound.Sponsored by the Southern Caliornia BluesSociety o Los Angeles, Harmon & the Mid SouthBlues Revue went on to win the Blues Foundation’s2004 International Blues Challenge as “best unsignedblues band.” – adapted from ZacHarmon.com

Vasti Jackson, 6:15 p.m.VastiJackson.com

“Vasti Jackson is the real deal! He plays the blues,he sings the blues, he writes the blues, he producesthe blues, and yes, he eels the blues. When youunderstand the blues, the blues like Vasti has hadsince his Mississippi childhood, you know that there

are no boundaries to the music.” – Art ipaldi (BlRevue magazine)

“Vasti is one o the most talented and creativebluesmen o the younger generation. He is amasterul guitarist with a deep knowledge o blueroots, and a terric live showman.” – Bruce Iglaue(Alligator Records)

I you’re ready or some soulul, down-home b

make sure you catch Vasti Jackson’s set! Maybe yoalready heard him live: He was the leader o Louispianist Katie Webster’s band in the 1980s and earl’90s. Vasti grew up in McComb, Mississippi, and played his rst proessional gig at 15. In the late ’7he moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he studiemusic at Jackson State. Once in town, Jackson beg

working with gospel groupsincluding the Williams Brothand the Jackson Southernaireand soul and blues artists GeaDavis, ommy ate, and SamMyers, as well as his own unkand R&B group, Wisdom.

Aer a short stay in L.A.,Jackson returned to Jackson, where he became thmusical director or Z.Z. Hill just on the cusp o Hhuge success with Down Home on Malaco. Jacksoplayed guitar on the Malaco records o Latimore,Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush, and Johnnie aylor. also drew on his ormal musical training in writinhorn and string arrangements or the label, and cproduced Rush’s Grammy-nominated CD rom 2Hoochie Man. Jackson recently worked on recordby Cassandra Wilson and Michael Burks, as well aNew Orleans-based Henry Butler and John Clear– adapted from VastiJackson.com

Quad City Symphony Orchestra, 8 pQCSymphony.com

At rst blush, the pairing o the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and the IH Mississippi VallBlues Festival seems reminiscent o Te Odd CoupNeat and pristine, typied by tuxedos and centuriold compositions, the symphony appears a stark contrast to blues – a genre derived rom Arican-American work songs, spirituals, and eld hollersBut passion, with all its inectious qualities, has a o smoothing out the dierences.

Quad City Symphony Orchestra musicians trarom Denver, the win Cities, and throughout the

Midwest to perorm. I a 1,600-mile round tripdoesn’t speak to dedication, then the countless hoo rehearsal and years o practice required to reacthis caliber o musicianship do. In the same vein, IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is the longestrunning volunteer-produced estival in the countFor the core group o organizers who make up thMississippi Valley Blues Society, this isn’t a day jobut rather one they do on nights, weekends, andholidays. Tey’ve survived foods, rain, swelteringheat, and budget constraints to produce one o thmost highly respected blues estivals in the nation

Both the symphony and the Mississippi Valley

Saturday, July 3:Bandshell



Blues Society strive to enrich people’s cultural livesthrough perormance, education, and enhancedappreciation o their respective art orms. “Tis is agreat opportunity or us to introduce new ans to theblues,” said blues-society President Bob Covemaker.“For us, the est has always been about diversity,and what better way to diversiy than to include thesymphony?”

Te symphony, led by Conductor and MusicDirector Mark Russell Smith, will include in its blues-inspired Patriot Pops set “St. Louis Blues,” composedby W.C. Handy – the “Father o the Blues” and amongthe most infuential American songwriters.

Te Quad City Symphony perormance ispresented by Red, White, & Boom! and its sponsors:Genesis Health System, the Riverboat DevelopmentAuthority, and IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union. – Laura Ernzen

Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys,10:30 p.m.

RosieLedet.net Rosie Ledet is denitely worth waiting or, so

be at the Bandshell at 10:30 or the Saturday-nightnale and wear your dancin’ shoes! I have been ahuge Rosie Ledet an or many years, since the rsttime I saw her perorm at Gumbo Ya Ya. Rosie’sshow was hot! She had the entire crowd dancingand partying to her zydeco beat. What a party band!Tose o you who saw Rosie Ledet on the ent Stageat our estival a ew years ago know what I mean.She had the ent crowd worked into a renzy that

night!At the age o 16 Rosie Ledet

heard Boozoo Chavis play at a

zydeco dance, and her ate wassealed. She taught hersel to play the accordion, began writingmusic, and started playing aroundLouisiana and exas. Soon Rosie’saccomplished accordion playing

and her sultry, bluesy voice combined to makeher a rare gem in the zydeco world. Aectionately reerred to as the “Zydeco Sweetheart,” Rosie rontsthe Zydeco Playboys: Andre Nizzari on guitar,Pernell Babineaux on bass, Kevin Stelly on drums,and Damon Dugas on rubboard.

Rosie’s dance-riendly tunes, like all authentic

zydeco, are rhythm-oriented and continue thezydeco-party-music tradition o Clion Chenier andQueen Ida. Rosie has said that she thinks o zydecoas “sped-up blues,” and bluesy heartelt zydecomusic is what this singer and accordion playerknows best. She is one o the ew younger zydecomusicians today who still writes and sings much o her own material in Creole French. One o only ahandul o women in zydeco, Rosie Ledet’s warmstage presence combined with her inectious zydecobeat make her irresistible to audiences everywhere.

At 4 p.m. on Saturday, you can see Rosie at aree workshop, where she’ll demonstrate zydecoaccordion. – Ellen Clow

Little Brother Jones, 1:30 p.m.

LittleBrotherBlues.comI must start out this bio admitting I

have not witnessed this gentleman inperson. Sometimes it is better that way. I

do know by listening to

his CDs and reading hisstories that this guy isgoing to be the real deal.Tis guy is a bluesmanin every sense o theword. Tis is going to

be another one that you will be saying,“Where do they nd these olks? LittleBrother Jones is great!” Well, thank BobCovemaker or this one.

It seems Doug Jones was drawn tothe early blues style rom the beginning.He has studied his cra very well, and

it shows in his songs that he writes andperorms. He combines exceptionallyrics with an authentic tone that he hasdeveloped and honed over time. Tis is aguy you possibly could hear on the corneri you went back in time and walked downthe street. I think I would just sit on downand listen or a while – probably or along while. Little Brother Jones plays toyour soul. He plays that old-time country blues while keeping with Piedmont style.I usually don’t compare these guys to oneanother, but to give everyone an idea, it

has been written by Cora Mae Bryant that“he plays that song just like I heard ampaRed play it. He’s got it right.” Be lookingto hear some great music rom the oldacoustic-guitar collection this guy has.

And don’t orget that Little BrotherJones will present a workshop on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. He’ll concentrate on Georgiapre-war blues. – Michael J. Livermore

Olga Wilhelmine with CodyDickinson, 3:30 p.m.LaOlga.com

wo newcomers to the Fest this yearwill be Olga Wilhelmineand Cody Dickinson.While it is true they arenew to our est, they are notnew to the blues.

Olga, originally hailingrom San Francisco,

currently resides in New Orleans. A multi-talented artist, she is equally adept as amusician or as an actress. As a musicianshe has proven hersel a writer, any style

rom pop to straight-up hill-country

blues. As an instrumentalist she’s masteredguitar, piano, and violin to name a ew, andas a vocalist she has a soulul voice. Amongher many early infuences are such notablesas Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, JuniorKimbrough, and Memphis Minnie. A more

recent riend and mentor was the late, greatJessie Mae Hemphill, whose likeness gracedthe ront o last year’s Fest shirt.

Joining Olga or both her ent-stage andworkshop perormanceswill be none other thanMemphis resident Cody Dickinson. Cody, bestknown or his role as thedrummer with the drivingbeat behind the NorthMississippi Allstars, is amultiaceted artist as well.

In addition to his work with the Allstars, he is an accomplished guitarplayer, songwriter, and producer. Much in

demand, Cody somehow nds time betweenthe 180 or so live shows he perorms each yearto work on several studio projects as well.

ogether these two “newcomers” bring a vast variety o talent and infuences that willnot only prove to be entertaining but willshow that the blues can be both unique yetrespectul o the traditional artists o the past.Teir workshop at 1 p.m. on Saturday willocus on the hill-country blues o northern

Mississippi. – BobCovemaker

Little Joe McLerranQuartet, 5:30 p.m.LittleJoeBlues.com

I rst heard Little JoeMcLerran as the winner

o the solo/duo competition at the 2009International Blues Challenge in Memphis.But he also comes highly recommended by Blues Sis Jeanie Webster o ulsa, HawkeyeHerman, and Vicki Price. Bob Kieser o Blues

Blast notes: “Little Joe plays Piedmont bluesand since the death o John Cephas may bethe heir to the crown o ‘the best’ around. Fora guy that is only 25 years old, he oozes withtalent.”

Besides winning at the International BluesChallenge, Little Joe (he stands six eet tall!)has issued our albums, toured throughoutthe U.S. and Europe, and recently was listedby Roots Music Report as the most-listened-to blues player in America. Even at age 25,Joe is a veteran o blues music; at age ninehe was playing the blues with his brother

Saturday, July 3: Tent





Jesse in Boulder, Colorado, shopping malls.When he was 15, the McLerrans moved toulsa, Oklahoma, where Joe took the name“Son Piedmont” and his brother became“Washboard Jesse.” A regular Sunday-aernoon gig at the River’s Edge Bistro inulsa led to more restaurant jobs and privateparties, as well as the Oklahoma Blues

Festival.But Jesse died in an accident in 2003, and

that devastated Joe. Eventually Joe returnedto perorming, working his way up throughcoeehouse jobs to blues estivals and tours –sometimes solo, occasionally ronting groups.

Tis spring, the Little Joe McLerran Quartet(Little Joe on guitar, his dad Robbie Mack onbass, Ron McRorey on drums, and BlueSKoolstar David Berntson on harmonica) toured theSaudi Arabia peninsula or three weeks as parto the U.S. State Department’s Rhythm Roadprogram bringing American music abroad.

Tey perormed concerts as well as playing inschools. I’m sure they’ll have many stories totell! – Karen McFarland

Ruthie Foster, 7:30 p.m.RuthieFoster.com

I you’ve never seen Ruthie Foster live,here’s your chance to catch the “it” singer o the blues with her band. Her 2009 release,Te ruth According to Ruthie Foster ,was nominated or a Grammy or BestContemporary Blues Album. Last year she wason tour with the Blind Boys o Alabama, so

that should give you an idea o what Ruthie’sall about. Ruthie’s music has been called ahybrid o blues, gospel, roots, and olk; herstrong, pure, soulul voice has actually beencompared to that o Ella Fitzgerald and ArethaFranklin.

Georey Himes in the Washington Post gives this description o seeing Ruthie live:“When Ruthie Foster perormed at the Southby Southwest music conerence two weeksago, the short, dreadlocked singer demandedattention with the sheer power o her mezzo-soprano. With an acoustic guitar strapped

around her neck and singing the LucindaWilliams song ‘Fruits o My Labor,’ Fosterresembled a olk singer on the verses. Butwhen she tilted back her head and belted outthe chorus, she revealed her background inthe New Hope Missionary Baptist Churchin Caldwell, exas.” He also points out thatRuthie’s blend o singer/songwriter olk musicand Arican-American gospel is similar towhat distinguishes Odetta and Richie Havens.

On Te ruth According to Ruthie Foster ,the heat o soul music burns at its core. It

was recorded in Memphis with a small city o notable musicians who began work on theday o Isaac Hayes’ uneral, trying to convey the energy o Ruthie’s perormances, cuttingalmost everything live, going or eeling aboveall else. Blues Revue notes that “the truth,according to this remarkable album, is thatRuthie Foster is one o America’s nest soul-

blues artists.”– Karen McFarland

Billy Branch & the Sons o Blues,9:30 p.m.BillyBranch.com

Billy Branch has perormed or MVBSat two estivals and our blues educationalresidencies during the past 10 years and hasproven to be a most exciting, dedicated, blues-loving perormer and educator.

William Earl Branch was born in GreatLakes, Illinois – just

north o Chicago– on October 3,1951. However,he was rearedin Los Angeles.Billy returned toChicago to attendthe University o Illinois, where he

eventually graduated with a degree in politicalscience. Billy spent a great deal o time atlegendary blues clubs such as Queen Bee’sand Teresa’s Lounge, where he learned rom

all-time-great harp players such as Big Walter,James Cotton, Junior Wells, and Carey Bell.

Billy rst gained recognition or hisharmonica playing in 1976 as the result o aharmonica battle at the Green Bunny Club,when he beat Chicago legend Little MaxSimmons. Not long aer, Billy replaced Carey Bell in Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All Stars,a real blues-education gig or Billy that lastedsix years.

During the ’70s, Billy ormed the “Sons o Blues” eaturing Lurrie Bell (son o Carey) andFreddie Dixon (son o Willie). Tey toured

Europe, played at the Berlin Jazz Festival, andrecorded or Alligator Records’ Grammy-nominated Living Chicago Blues series.

For more than 30 years Billy has beenpassing on the blues tradition through hisBlues in the Schools program. During thattime he has taught in the Chicago schoolsystem as part o the Urban Gateway Project.Billy will display his blues-educational skillsand Chicago harp playing at a ree workshopSaturday starting at 5:30 p.m.; harps will beprovided to attendees. – Jimmie Jones

The Jimmys, 2 p.m. JimmyVoegeli.com

As luck would have it, when theEntertainment Committee was looking

or aregionalband orthe openslot onSunday the Festacross ocollectivdesk cam

a disc by Te Jimmys. Not only was themusic rollicking, dance-worthy blues, bthe band had horns – something missi

rom other acts at the Fest.Te Jimmys are a powerhouse, nine-

piece band inuenced by dierent stylerom raw Chicago blues to second-line New Orleans unk. With touringexperience throughout the U.S. andEurope, this Madison, Wisconsin-baseband has garnered international acclai

Te heart o the band is Jimmy Voegeli, who is probably best known ohis keyboard work with the WestsideAndy/Mel Ford Band but has been amainstay on the Wisconsin music scen

thanks in large part to his supreme skion Hammond organ. Voegeli is also asongwriter and arranges the horn charor the band.

Good vocals, horns, Hammond B-3 the blues will be jumpin’ early on Sundso make sure you’re there or the un!– Karen McFarland

The Shawn Kellerman Band, 4 pShawnKellerman.com

Te Shawn Kellerman Band is theultimate power trio! oronto guitar

wizard Shawn Kellerman is truly thehardest-playing blues guitarist aroundTose words are not exaggeration tothose who have seen the band live. Shacontinues to build on his past experienand push the boundaries o traditionalblues into modern territory by addingsome soul, unk, and rock inuences. Tband has become a Quad Cities avoritaer all its road visits here, and now weproud to bring the Shawn KellermanBand to the 2010 Blues Fest.

According to his MySpace page – cit

Sunday, July 4:Bandshell





as inuences Albert King and Albert Collins– Shawn understood rom the beginningthat true blues is passed down directly romtoday’s masters to the next generation.So he spent ve years in Mississippi and

Washington,D.C., living,playing, and

touring withsuch notableblues artists asMel Brown andBobby Rush.Shawn was aregular on bluesstages playingthe Chitlin’

Circuit and has perormed hundreds o international gigs in more than 20 countries.

Tese years on the road gave birth toShawn’s trademark stage presence, a high-energy assault on the audience that is asmuch elt as heard. Over the years Shawn hasalso earned the status o a highly respectedguest artist or numerous live shows andrecording sessions. In 2005 Shawn wasinvited to play at Te House o Blues 80th-birthday celebration or B.B. King. Shawnperormed on Bobby Rush’s 2007 CD Raw that won a Blues Music Award or BestAcoustic CD.

During the past two years he hasconcentrated on touring with his own trio,Te Shawn Kellerman Band, and we are theluckier or that. – Karen McFarland

Reba Russell Band, 6 p.m.RebaRussell.com

I rst heard o Reba Russell as a backup

singer or Jimmy Tackery. Ten one time in

Memphis, I heard her live! What a great voice

she has – Reba reminds

me o Bonnie Bramlett

(remember On our with Eric Clapton?)

and racy Nelson

– and what a tight

band backing her up!(Wayne Russell, bass;

Robert “Nighthawk”

ooms, keyboards

and harmonica; Josh

Roberts, guitar; and

Doug McMinn, drums.) All in the name o

Memphis blues – that soul-infected, sometimes

unky, sometimes a little country brand o

roadhouse, hard-drinkin’ rhythm and blues.

Art ipaldi o BluesWax put it this way: “I

have been listening to Memphis singer Reba

Russell since 1995. My rst glimpse o her was

on Beale Street at the Black Diamond on a

Wednesday night. As she belted out the blues,

James Cotton came running in. He and Russell

did a hal-hour o rockin’ blues. Since then, I’ve

been hooked on that voice. And every trip to

Memphis means scouring the papers to see i

Reba’s perorming during my short stay.”

On the Memphis scene or more than 25

years, Reba has won three Premiere VocalistAwards rom the Memphis chapter o the

National Association o Recording Arts &

Sciences and released ve independent CDs in

the past seven years. Reba also works regularly

in Memphis studios as a background vocalist.

Her credits include working with B.B. King,

Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, racy Nelson,

Debra Coleman, and Bernard Allison, as well as

appearing on U2’s Rattle & Hum.

In reading Reba’s short bio on her Web site,

I can say she loves to party and jam – like the

time on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

with Jimmy Tackery, or in Eureka Springs withDebbie Davies (who will ollow Reba on stage at

our Fest). I think she’ll make something happen

at the aer-est showcase, i not beore. – Karen

McFarland

Legendary Rhythm & Blues RevueFeaturing Tommy Castro, Debbie Davies,Magic Dick, & Sista Monica, 8 p.m.ommyCastro.comDebbieDavies.com MagicDick.comSistaMonica.com

Band o the Year – ommy Castro Band! B.B.King Entertainer o the Year –ommy Castro!

Contemporary Blues Artist o the Year – ommy

Castro! Contemporary Blues Album o the Year

– Hard Believer! Come join the big party at the Bandshell and

congratulate these

2010 Blues Music

Award winners!

Te ommy

Castro Band is here

in LeClaire Park as

the host band o the

Legendary Rhythm& Blues Revue,

an oshoot o the

Legendary Rhythm

& Blues Cruise. Te

Revue has been touring or a number o years

now with dierent artists eatured, but always

anchoring the gig is the ommy Castro Band.

A press release rom Alligator Records

describes Castro’s sound: “Singer, songwriter, and

guitarist ommy Castro is amed not only or his

hard-hitting, impassioned vocals, soaring guitar

work, and his blues-inused, rocking R&B sound,

but also or his striking, original songwriting

and exhilarating stage show. According to

Te San Francisco Chronicle, ‘Castro navigate

seriously unky Southern soul, gritty big-city

blues, and scorching rock. ... His silvery guita

licks simultaneously sound amiliar and resh

Te Philadelphia Inquirer declared, ‘Castro pl

inectious, roaring

roadhouse romps w

incendiary licks and

touch o New Orlea

soul.’”

According to her

Web site, in 1988

Debbie Davies was

recruited by Albert

Collins to join his

band the Icebreaker

and or the next thr

years she was a eatu

guitarist perorming behind one o the most

innovative bluesmen o all time. “I stepped

through a door into the real blues world when

I joined Albert’s band,” Davies says. Guitarist

Coco Montoya has said, “Debbie is one o the

direct links to the originators o this music. Sh

knows what the blues is all about, and you can

hear it in the passion o her playing.” Harmon

genius Charlie Musselwhite adds, “Debbie is

incredible guitarist who plays with great taste

and can cook like mad. Debbie plays rom the

heart, and her heart has a lot to say. She inspi

me.”

Magic Dick (a.k.a. Richard Salwitz) is best

known or his many years as the harmonica m

in legendary blues/rock band Te J. Geils Ban

which he co-ounded in 1968. As a member o

that group, he toured the world extensively o

more than 15 years, headlining stadiums and

estivals and releasing 14 successul major-lab

albums on Warner Bros. and EMI, culminatin

in the certied-platinum album Freeze Framewhich spent 70 weeks on the national Billboaalbum charts, including our weeks at numbe

one.

You may have heard Sista Monica Parker s

on our Bandshell many years ago. I so, you k

she’s got a powerul voice and a commanding

stage presence, whether she’s belting out bluecrying out soul, or shouting out gospel. Her

current “ministry” is a gospel choir she starte

in her hometown o Santa Cruz. wo years ag

the cancer survivor ran a newspaper ad to att

singers who might like to learn techniques o

gospel music as it has traditionally been sung

Arican-American churches, and the choir is

going strong at 50 voices.

Each act in the Revue will perorm a 30-

minute set, ollowed at the end by an all-inclu

jam! What a great way to salute America’s

birthday! – Karen McFarland

Magic Dick

Sista Monica



Bill Sims Jr. & Mark LaVoie, 2 p.m.BillSimsJr.com/billmark

Bill Sims Jr. (guitar and vocals) and Mark LaVoie (harmonica) call themselves theAmerican Roots Blues Duo. Bill is rom New

York City, and Mark lives in Vermont. Tey have been working together or more than15 years, mostly in Vermont. In the early ’90s while working in Burlington, Vermont,Bill met Mark and they became ast riendsaer discovering their shared love o acousticblues.

Bill Sims Jr. played on the soundtrack o American Gangster , starring Denzel

Washington. Andhe was a musictechnical advisoror the movie

Cadillac Records.Bill taught actorJerey Wright(who playedMuddy Waters)how to play in

the blues style that Muddy was playing whenAlan Lomax discovered him in 1940. Billalso plays guitar in the Stovall Plantationscenes, and he has a part playing bass inMuddy Waters’ band and a part playingpiano in Howlin’ Wol ’s band.

Mark LaVoie is a master harmonica player,

and is a protégé o harmonica virtuosoSonny erry. He was Sonny’s driver in thesummer o 1976 and perormed with Sonny erry and Brownie McGhee. For more than30 years Mark Lavoie has been perormingand teaching, showing his passion or andcommitment to blues harmonica. He is aHohner endorsee; he enjoys spreading theword about harmonica music and is anactive member o national groups working topreserve and promote the harmonica as anaccessible, inexpensive instrument.

I saw the duo two years ago at the third-

annual Delta Groove All-Star Blues Revue inClarksdale, Mississippi. When they nishedthe last song o their showcase, the audiencegave them thunderous applause, and MCRandy Chortko said, “Now that’s some realblues!”

Sims and LaVoie will also host a workshopat 4 p.m. Sunday. – Karen McFarland

Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, 3:30 p.m. MySpace.com/daverileybobcorritore

Te Mississippi-meets-Chicago pairing

o Dave Riley (guitar and vocals) and BobCorritore (harmonica) began when they metat the 2004 King Biscuit Blues Festival inHelena, Arkansas, and became ast riends

and musical collaborators. You mightremember Bob rom 2008, when he playedthe Fest as part o Big Pete Pearson’s bandrom Phoenix; he also conducted a Festworkshop. Te duo has two albums: 2009’sLucky to Be Living , and the Blues MusicAward-nominated ravelin’ the Dirt Road rom 2007.

Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Davespent his early years learning gospel. Barely ateenager, he moved to Chicago and ended upliving on the West Side near Maxwell Street,where he was steeped in the blues. It wasn’t

until he met up with Delta-blues legendsSam Carr, Frank Frost, and John Weston thatDave revitalized his career in the mid-’90s;they ormed a musical bond that would leadDave back to the Delta and back into bluesull-time.

Growing up in Chicago, Bob Corritoreell in with the blues early on, taking upharmonica at age 13. A student o Big WalterHorton, Louis Myers, and others, Bob playedaround Chicago with, some o the greatesto that city’s bluesmen until relocating toPhoenix in 1981. He now hosts the weekly

radio program Tose Lowdown Blues onKJZZ in Phoenix and is the owner o theRhythm Room. As a recording artist, Bobappears on 33 CDs, including his solo albumBob Corritore’s All-Star Blues Sessions on theHighone label.

Dave Riley and Bob Corritore play bluesdeeply rooted in the Chicago and Mississippistyles that represent their upbringings. Dave’sgritty Mississippi voice, articulate bluesguitar, and rowdy, personable, original songscombine with Bob’s passionate, ull-tonedharmonica to spell out down-home blues!

Riley and Corritore will also conduct aworkshop at 1 p.m. Sunday. – adapted from

MySpace.com/daverileybobcorritore

The David Boykin Expanse, 5:30 p.m

MySpace.com/davidboykinexpanseSome o the blues ans who come to

LeClaire Park might wonder why jazz bandsperorm at the estival. When the MVBSwas ormed in 1985, the bylaws that wereapproved included the statement: “Teobjective o the society is to educate thegeneral public on America’s sole, original artorm, blues-related music.” Gospel, hip hop, jazz, R&B, rap, rock and roll, and zydecoare all blues-related musics. And there aremany types o blues, among them Chicago,Delta, Kansas City, Piedmont, soul, exas,

West Coast, and Memphis. Te MVBSEntertainment Committee tries to bring as

many o theseblues-relatedmusics to theestival as we can

David Boykincomes roma long line o great Chicagotenor-saxophoneplayers, includingGene Ammons,

Johnny Grifn,Eddie Harris,

Cliord Jordan, Von Freeman, and FredAnderson. Partly rom listening to themand other greats such as Sonny Rollins andJohn Coltrane in person and on records, andbeing exposed to other music and lie on theSouth Side o Chicago (where he has livedall his lie), David Boykin developed his ownstyle and sound on the tenor sax.

David Boykin organized his currentband, Expanse, in the late ’90s. At thesame time, he was eatured in utist Nicole

Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble. From the very beginning back in the ’90s, Te DavidBoykin Expanse has perormed regularly atFred Anderson’s legendary Velvet Lounge.David Boykin has perormed at estivals andclubs throughout the U.S., France, Russia,and Dakar. Te David Boykin Expanse hasrecorded 10 CDs.

David Boykin is the director o theCreative Music Ensemble at DuSableLeadership Academy and is a proessor atRoosevelt University in Chicago. – Jimmie

Jones

Sunday, July 4: Tent





Kim Massie, 7:30 p.m.KimMassie.net

Kim Massie is coming rom the great blues

and jazz town o St. Louis. She has been singing

with her wonderul voice in clubs there or

quite some time now. In this writer’s opinion,

i you like a real soulul and ull voice, this is

where you nd it. She has seemed to develop

her singing in the gospel choirs. I have been

ortunate to hear her sing live on a couple o

occasions while passing through the St. Louis

area. When she starts on some o those songs,

it’s just powerul. When she sings that Robert

Johnson tune “Come on in My Kitchen” or, o

course, “Amazing Grace,” she just has the voice.

Like a good riend o mine once said: Te most

important blues instrument is the voice. Tat

isn’t to say that we leave out the band that backs

her up; she has a tight three- or our-piece that

backs her up and knows where to go with her

at any given time. I will be looking orward to

hearing her in a beautiul setting here and alsowatching the guitar player that I have seen with

her. I believe he is just waiting to show us his

stu with that thing in our park. – Michael J.

Livermore

The Nighthawks with HubertSumlin, 9:30 p.m.TeNighthawks.comHubertSumlinBlues.com

It never ceases to amaze me how the music

o the Nighthawks can li my soul. Tey’vebeen road warriors or more than 35 years now.

Tey’re my homeboys rom the D.C. area. I

remember seeing them just aer Mark Wenner

(tattoos and harmonica) and Jimmy Tackery

ormed the band in 1972. Tackery and the

other two original members are gone now, but

the Nighthawks live on, still perorming their

Chicago-meets-rockabilly style o blues. Te

current lineup o the Nighthawks is bandleader

Wenner on harp, guitar wizard Paul Bell, eclectic

Johnny Castle on bass, and Tackery’s longtime

drummer Mark Stutso.

Te Nighthawks have played with so many

blues legends. I know Muddy Waters is among

them, and I saw them play with J.B. Hutto back

in the mists o time. Beore Tackery le in

1986, they had toured the world and recorded

numerous albums, including the bestselling Jacks& Kings with Pinetop Perkins, Luther “Guitar

Junior” Johnson, Calvin Jones, and Bob Margolin.

In early 2009, satellite-radio blues guru Bill

Wax heard that the Nighthawks were doing some

acoustic shows and suggested the band come in

to cut some live tracks. Te result is Last rainto Bluesville, an album that includes covers o

Muddy’s “Can’t Be Satised” and James Brown’s

“I’ll Go Crazy.” It’s just that kind o variety that

has kept the Nighthawks in touch and in tune

over the years. Tey were playing roots music

beore the term was invented.

Te Nighthawks have perormed with Hubert

Sumlin many times beore. Placed 65th on

Rolling Stone’s list o the 100 greatest guitar

players o all time, Sumlin is a living legend.

He grew up playing his guitar with harmonica

great James Cotton. In 1949 at the age o 18, he

became Howlin’ Wol ’s lead guitarist, a position

he held down or the next 25 years, except or

a six-month stint in Muddy Waters’ band. He

has played with Pinetop Perkins, Willie Dixon,

the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, and countless

others. He counts among his biggest ans Jimmy

Page, Carlos Santana, and John Mayer, as well

as Keith Richards and Eric Clapton, both o

whom play on About Tem Shoes, Sumlin’s 2003

Grammy-nominated album. From Je Beck to

Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan – all have

cited Sumlin as a major infuence on their work.

Muddy Waters sideman Bob Margolin has

said: “When Hubert Sumlin plays guitar he takes

you to his World o Blues Feeling – rom despair

to ecstasy, rom delicate grace to raw power,

rom lost to ound. Tough he’s infuenced and

inspired many o the most amous guitar players,

Hubert owns the magic. His style is original and

personal and instantly recognizable.” Amen to

that! I just keep thinking o Hubert’s intro to

“Killing Floor.” – Karen McFarland

David Horwitz, Workshop at2:30 p.m. Sunday

Photographer and educator David

Horwitz o ucson, Arizona, has beentraveling to clubs and estivals or decain search o great blues music or his eaand visual images to capture on lm.Winner o the 1999 Blues Foundation’sKeeping the Blues Alive Award orPhotography, David has spent more th25 years capturing moments o the blumasters. His works have appeared incountless publications. – Ann Ring

David Berntson, BlueSKool2:30 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.mSundayCrossroadsLearning.org

What would the IH Mississippi VallBlues Festival be without blues educatoand harpist David Berntson? Tree woDavid brings it. Originally hailing rom

Galesburg, Illinois,this ulsa, Oklahomblues-club ounder,prevention educatoand drug/alcoholcounselor continua

shares his enthusiasand passion or theblues with youngpeople and adults.David presents Blu

in the Schools at a number o schools,including alternative schools or at-riskstudents. Look out when he digs out higigantic harmonica. His passion and loor kids is unstoppable, and he leaves ko all ages with something more thanwhat they came with.

David is an endorsee or Hohner

harmonicas and has taught harmonicaclasses through adult continuingeducation at ulsa Community Collegor more than 10 years. He also teachechildren’s harmonica classes or the uparks-and-recreation department.

Te Mississippi Valley Blues Societythanks its educational sponsors ortheir continuing support: the RiverboaDevelopment Authority, Te Lodge,KALA-FM, Illinois Arts Council, Alcoand the River Music Experience. – Ann

Ring

BlueSKool andWorkshop Artist

The Nighthawks

Hubert Sumlin. Photo by Annie Leibovitz.



Hal Reed & Ellis Kell, BlueSKool3:45 p.m. Saturday and SundayEllisKell.com

Blues harpist, guitarist, singer, bandleader,and educator Hal Reed was born inMississippi just a ew miles rom the Delta,

where he grew

up inuenced by his grandather,a talentedSouthern-olk-blues artist who,in addition toinspiring youngHal’s love orthe blues, taughtHal the need topass it on romgeneration togeneration.

In 2009 andalso in 2007, Hal Reed was MVBS Bluesin the Schools artist-in-residence alongwith guitar player Donald Kinsey. Teir“Generations o Blues” program was popularin the schools and all the public venues they played.

Hal Reed is also a veteran musicianon the Quad Cities scene. He’s ronted various bands, and took one o them to theInternational Blues Challenge in Memphis.Tis is Hal’s third year moderating theWinter Blues Kids perormance at BlueSKool

along with Ellis Kell. For a third year, Halwas one o the instructors at the River MusicExperience’s Winter Blues program this pastDecember.

Ellis Kell is a guitarist and vocalist aswell as a songwriter. His Ellis Kell Band hasbeen going strong or 20 years. Te EllisKell Band won the 1994, ’96 and ’97 Quad-City imes reader-poll award or avoritemusician/band, the 1995 Oil music magazinepeople’s choice award or blues band, and the2000 Dispatch/ Argus reader-poll award oravorite local CD release. Tat’s not all. Tey

also won the 2003, ’04, ’05, and ’06 blues-band titles in the River Cities’ Reader’ s Besto the Quad Cities poll. And they’re not justlocal avorites. Te Ellis Kell Band has beeneatured on the nationally syndicated radioprograms Te House of Blues Radio Hour andTe Red Rooster Lounge.

Ellis is also the director o programmingand education at the River Music Experience,where he was one o the major architects o the Winter Blues program or kids, as wellas organizer and instructor or the program’sthird year. – Karen McFarland

Charles “Wsir” Johnson,BlueSKool 5 p.m. Saturday and2:30 p.m. SundayWsirArts.com

Charles “Wsir” Johnson has an inectious

excitement about the blues and education. As a

storyteller, musician, and cultural historian, he

shows the roots o the blues in a way that kidsleave wanting more.

For part o the Blues in the Schools program

in Durham, North Carolina, Johnson guided

youth in making more than 60 diddley bows.

Te same with a blues summer camp in

Mississippi. In 2008, he was invited to make

more than 80 diddley bows at the Chicago

Blues Festival. Tat’s where Nate Lawrence

o the MVBS Education Committee rst saw

Johnson. Nate was so impressed with Johnson’s

artistry and teaching abilities that we contacted

Johnson to see i he could do a mini blues-

education residency in the days beore the Fest

Johnson will be spending three days at the

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in

Rock Island, helping the kids to each make a

diddley bow and learn how to play it. A didley

bow is a one-stringed instrument made out o common materials; it mimics the instruments

made in the South by virtually all bluesmen

starting out in the 20th Century, with a piece

o baling wire nailed to the side o a house

or porch and then tightened so that it can be

plucked or music.

Te Education Committee is excited to

welcome this educator and instrument-maker

to BlueSKool! – Karen McFarland

Blues too

Iowa Blues Challenge Winners

AVEY BROTHERS

MARK SELBY

Performances by:

329 E. 4th St.

Waterloo, Iowa

319-291-2038

July 165:30-9:30

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