2008 Tentative BluesFest Line-up

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6 Hands Down

http://www.6handsdown.com/

When 6 Hands Down brings their exciting blend of original blues and rock to the stage, they leave audiences on their feet and wanting more!

This band of seasoned musical veterans takes Kevin Nichols' songs to new heights as he leads them with his always-passionate guitar and vocal work. Jimmy "the Bulldog" Kaiser weaves his masterful keyboard playing deep into the fibers of every tune, while the rock-solid rhythm section of drummer Rex Hambone and bass player Dan Hawes lay down groove after infectious groove that leave no doubt that the party is going to go on all night long!

This group is the proud winner of the 2007 and 2008 Capital Area Blues Society’s Blues Brawl. The band also represented CABS in the 2008 International Blues Challenge on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, and they are looking forward to doing it all over again in 2009.

With their unique elements of experience, talent, and sound, this group will leave you with a powerful and memorable live musical experience!




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Bigfoot Bob and the Toe Tappers

http://www.bigfootbob.com/

Bigfoot Bob and the Toe Tappers is an astounding group of world-class musicians who have accompanied a veritable who's who in popular music - Bob Seger, The Temptations, Dolly Parton, Frankie Valli, Lou Rawls, Tower of Power, Grand Funk Railroad, The Four Tops, and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. This genre-hopping collection of musicians wows audiences with everything from the full range of blues music to soul and R&B.

The group is led by Bob Schultz, of Chelsea, Mich., who began studying music at the age of ten, segued into the nightclub scene on keyboards after high school, then played keyboards with the Bob Seger Band 1967-1970. Excelling on saxophone, keyboard, and vocals, Schultz's career has also included such wildly successful bands as the nearly everlasting Blue Avenue Delegates and now Bigfoot Bob and the Toe Tappers.

Wayne Morton on bass and vocals hails from Irish Hills, Mich., and has been actively playing professionally since childhood. Music studies include private instruction and Siena Heights University. He has worked with numerous bands playing about every style of music imaginable, and has toured nationally with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. He is known for participating vigorously with his noted style of solid precision and soulful meter.

Saxophonist Dave Huber, of Flint, is a Wilmington, Del., native, whose interest in music began early in life, listening to jazz, blues, boogie-woogie and classical music. In 1980, Huber successfully auditioned for the Peoples Jazz Band, founded by Michigan jazz drummer and promoter Joe Freyre. In just 14 months, the band played over 200 concerts, including the Montreux International Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. Since 1984, he has played with Michigan jazz great Sherm Mitchell, the Temptations, The Four Tops, Lou Rawls and Frankie Vallie, and The Blue Hawaiians.

Dave Matchette, of Lansing, brings his searing vocal and harmonica skills to the group. A low brass major at Western Michigan University, Matchette is now known for his driving blues harmonica work. He's well known in the field, most recently as the harmonica player and lead singer of The Uptown Band, and as the harpmaster general with Big Bob and the Toe Tappers. With Uptown he's played for such political luminaries as U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Gov. John Engler, U.S. Presidents George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton, and such musical greats as Johnny Littlejohn, Bigtime Sarah, and A.C. Reed. Matchette has also played with legendary harmonica players Peter "Madcat" Ruth and Fingers Taylor. Matchette also keeps the flute, trumpet and guitar handy, and is no stranger to the keyboards either.

Mark Kieme, of Ann Arbor, has been a fixture on several different scenes in the Michigan area for over 20 years. As a studio musician, he has appeared on over 100 recording projects, ranging from independent labels to Warner Bros releases. He has also appeared in ads for dozens of products, and was featured on ESPN's "Getting Fit With Denise Austin" for over five years on cable TV. In addition to his work with Bigfoot Bob, Kieme can be heard on the pre-game program at Comerica Park, with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Paul Keller Orchestra, and the Moon/Kieme.

Jory Petiprin's musical journey with the guitar officially began on Christmas day in 1966 with the gift of an instrument of his own. With skillful hands and youthful ambition he set out as a teenager to pay homage to the incomparable guitar players of the time. Petiprin is a resident of Clio, Mich.

The band also includes guitarist Jimmy Reed and drummer Randy Saunders, both of Jackson, Mich.




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Blue Movie: 10 Days Out ... Blues from the Backroads

http://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/

Once again, the Capital Area Blues Society presents "Blue Movies" during the BluesFest.

"10 Days Out ... Blues from the Backroads" won the 2008 Blues Music Award (formerly the WC Handy Awards) for Best DVD, and the accompanying CD was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of "Best Traditional Blues Album." The film is both an introduction to the blues and an historical documentation of the last of the authentic blues greats.

It follows the voyage of blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd as he travels the country to jam with, interview and generally pay homage to a disappearing list (six of the artists appearing in the film have since passed away) of musical pioneers. He hit the road with Double Trouble's Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon as his band, and along the way played with the famous and the obscure: Gatemouth Brown, Etta Baker, Cootie Stark, B.B. King, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin and many more. Beginning in New Orleans and ending with a grand finale concert at Acoustic Sounds' Blue Heaven Studios in Salina, Kansas, Shepherd's pilgrimage is a perfect lens into blues history.

The film has gathered momentum and garnered much critical acclaim since its release, and has been called "likely the most important blues release of the year." You won't want to miss it!




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Blue Movie: Eric Clapton, Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007

http://crossroadsguitarfestival2007.com/

Once again, the Capital Area Blues Society presents "Blue Movies" during the BluesFest.

Three years ago, Eric Clapton assembled a who's who of guitar masters for the first Crossroads Guitar Festival, raising funds for the Crossroads Centre, Antigua, a chemical dependency treatment and education facility Clapton founded. The sold-out show yielded a double-DVD that has been certified platinum eight times on the way to becoming one of the world's top-selling music DVDs.

In a second stunning effort in 2007, Clapton invited old friends and new for the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. Clapton says he created the event so his friends and contemporaries could have fun and play together for a good cause. "The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me, to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform onstage," he explains. "The Crossroads performers are all musicians I admire and respect."

The DVD showcases a wide range of artists from rock, country, jazz, and blues, roots rocker Albert Lee, Chicago blues legend Hubert Sumlin, hit-making singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, Texas bluesman Jimmie Vaughan, slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, Latin rockers Los Lobos, and country star Vince Gill.

The concert provides plenty of impressive guitar heroics with some of the world's best guitarists jamming together. Young phenom and member of The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks, battled legendary bluesman Johnny Winters on slide guitar during a rollicking version of Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Robbie Robertson made a rare stage appearance playing with Clapton on Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love. Performing together live for the first time in 25 years, Blind Faith band mates Steve Winwood and Clapton soared through a set that included "Presence of the Lord," "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Had to Cry Today" and "Crossroads." The Chicago show ended on a fitting note with Chicago-blues icon Buddy Guy playing a set featuring him solo and leading an all-star jam on "Sweet Home Chicago" that included Clapton, Cray, Mayer, Sumlin, Vaughan, and Winter. Come and share this unique blues experience!




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Blue Movie: Willie King, Down in the Woods

http://www.alabamablues.org

Once again, the Capital Area Blues Society presents "Blue Movies" during the BluesFest.

When Dutch filmmakers Saskia Rietmeijer and Bart Drolenga of Visible World Films came to America, they arrived with the intention of producing a documentary about African American arts and culture in the deep South. When they met Willie King, they decided instead to devote their efforts to creating a DVD about Willie's life and times. It enables the viewer to experience something of what it is like to be a modern bluesman living in the Alabama black belt, "down in the woods."

Born on a cotton plantation in 1943 as the son of poor sharecroppers, Willie was drawn to the blues at an early age. He made his first guitar out of bailing wire when he was seven. Cotton picker, moon shiner, juke joint owner, civil rights activist and social worker - Willie has done them all and now is one of the most popular blues musicians around.

He plays big stages and festivals but always returns to his beloved Old Memphis, a small and mostly African-American community in rural Alabama where he lives in an old trailer and preaches the blues at house parties and in ramshackle juke joints. Willie spends much of his time supporting his local community and teaching young people the traditional culture and survival skills passed on to him from his people's share cropping and slave ancestors.

Willie King is one of the true innovators of the blues in the tradition of Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker. His music is powerful - an exciting, danceable mix of rural blues, soul and boogie, all in his own distinctive style. King’s lyrics are often political, fighting racism and a voice for poor blacks in the South. He preaches a message of peace, togetherness and social justice for all people around the world.




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Blues Skory-oke

http://www.skoryoke.com/

Do you sing in the shower? In the car along with the radio? Can you carry a tune? Got a good set of pipes? Ever dreamed of singing on stage with a cool live band? Now's your chance!

Mike Skory brings his "Skory-oke" experience to the BluesFest on Saturday night, giving amateurs the chance to sing along with a live band in front of a real crowd.

Pianoman Mike Skory has led countless bands and played to thousands of happy party people all across Michigan for years. Mike has been a founding member of many of Lansing's great bands like Woodrose, Blue Money, the Down Town Blues Band/Root Doctor, Lisa Smith & the Mike Skory Trio, dueling boogie woogie with Jeff Baldori, and Mike Skory & Friends featuring Tyrone Johnson. Mike also spends a lot of time promoting live music at the Old Town music festivals and the successful Stage 1210 (located at 1210 Turner St.). You can hear Mike Friday mornings at around 8:30 on WILS-AM with Walt Sorg, promoting live music throughout the area.

Some of Mike's favorite musicians for listening include the great blues piano men like Champion Jack Dupree and Memphis Slim, swing giants like Charlie Parker and Nat King Cole and of course ANYTHING from Motown. Playing live, however, Mike will fit the bill for you.

Come on out and sing one with the band!




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Capital Area Blues Society Presents Lansing Guitar Showcase

The Capital Area Blues Society proudly presents a special River Stage production of appearances by an exceptional mix of talent from our member blues bands and musicians. Three forty-five minute sets will take you through an evening with live and local blues!

Start off with acoustic and slide guitar blues with Lansing's slidemaster Stan Budzynski, paired up with Angelo Santelli from Marble Garden. The blues travels to Chicago with a hot electric set featuring Bill Malone (the Old Town Blues Band and Baked Monkey) and Steve "Frog" Forgey (Frog & the Beeftones); then jam out the night with 6 Hands Down's Kev Nichols and John Davidson from Those Delta Rhythm Kings, and look for a few surprises from this exciting cross section of the blues society's record twelve member bands!




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Carl Weathersby

http://carlweathersby.org/

Born in 1953 in Jackson, Mississippi, Carl Weathersby certainly has the southern soul engrained in his blues sounds. In his live performance, Carl mixes his Southern charm, soulful vocals, and fierce guitar playing to provide his audience with an incredible experience. He and his bandmates have been known to playfully interact with the crowd when they roam off stage and into the crowd with their cordless guitars.

Carl began playing the guitar when he was just a teen, initially inspired by his father’s musician friends. There was one musician friend in particular, known to Carl only as Albert, who used to always come by Carl's house. One day, Albert happened to be watching Carl practice a song called, "Cross Cut Saw." Carl played it over and over again, until Albert said, "Man, that ain’t the way that song goes. That ain’t the way I played it." It turned out that "Albert" was actually the great blues musician, Albert King.

Unfortunately, Carl was not able to fully pursue his guitar career until later on in his life. After his tour of duty in Vietnam, Carl found employment as a steel mill worker, a prison guard, and even a police officer. After this, Carl was able to be the rhythm guitarist between 1979 and 1982 for Albert King, and then spent about 15 years with Billy Branch's Sons of Blues as their lead guitarist. With this experience, Carl was then able to venture out on his own as a solo artist. His debut solo album, "Don't Lay Your Blues on Me," was nominated for the WC Handy Blues Album of the Year award.

Carl's life’s journey and collected experiences have certainly been many and diverse, and this is clearly reflected and paralleled in the amalgamation of musical styles he incorporates into his playing and singing. When he takes the stage, you never know what you’re going to get. The only certain thing is that you will witness one of the most intense, hardworking, emotional, and soulful performances possible. Make sure to see Carl and his talented group perform!




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Frog & the Beeftones

http://myspace.com/beeftones

One of Michigan's favorite bands, Frog & the Beeftones, can be seen rocking mid-Michigan's nightclub and concert stages every week. Their commitment to their music is evident in the over 180 shows they gave last year!

Since 1985, the ‘Tones have done shows with Molly Hatchet, Blue Oyster Cult, Autograph, Stonewall Jackson, The Texas Tornadoes, Joe Diffie, Sleepy LaBeef, Rare Earth, Larry McCrae, James Harmon, Bill Kirchen, Jack Green, Edger Winter, Mitch Ryder, Mountain and many other national acts. Their high energy, high musical proficiency, and an off-the-gauge fun factor add up to a great time for both the band and their audience. It’s a 100% beef musical menu and the audience never leaves hungry!




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George Bedard & the Kingpins

George Bedard & the Kingpins have been rockin' and jammin' in local clubs for so long it's easy to take them for granted. However, their music is anything but old. With George’s classic American music roots, this group's talent is more than just the rockabilly, swing, country, R&B, and blues. Their music covers a wide range of styles from country to jazz, especially since George continues to pursue those less-taken paths by combining many genres of music.

The energy and excitement that this group brings to the stage is not only entertaining, but also is a musical experience that will leave a lasting effect.




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Harmonica for Kids with Peter "Madcat" Ruth

http://www.madcatmusic.net/about.html

Peter "Madcat" Ruth will kick off the River Stage workshops and performances Saturday at 2pm with his "Harmonica For Kids" workshop. The Capital Area Blues Society sponsors the event each year, providing harmonicas from Elderly Instruments and a local harp whiz to lead the session.

This year we are very pleased and lucky to have Madcat at the helm - his "kids concerts" are renowned and highly sought after, and he is a premier harmonica virtuoso. He has presented blues, jazz, folk, and world music learning experiences throughout the U.S. for twenty-five years, using harmonicas, guitars, penny-whistles, jaw-harps, ukulele, kalimba, and other folk instruments from around the world.

The session will get participants started on the harmonica, learning to play notes (and a full song!), hold the harp for good tone, and make the vibrato and "wah wah" sounds that are typical of good harmonica playing.

Madcat's experience is extensive. He has been playing harmonica and guitar for over 40 years. He started in the Chicago area in the early 1960's playing folk/blues on guitar and harmonica; by the late 60's he had immersed himself in Chicago blues and was studying harmonica with Big Walter Horton. In the early 70's, Madcat moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he was a key presence in two of Ann Arbor's finest progressive rock bands: New Heavenly Blue and Sky King. He's played in rock bands, blues bands, and folk groups, and for three years in the 70's he toured worldwide with renowned jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. Madcat has performed in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Cayman Islands, England, Germany, Holland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, and Spain, and in just about every state in the Union. His harmonica can be heard on over 50 CDs and LPs. In 2006 he won a Grammy award for his soloist part on the Best Classical Album, "Songs of Innocence and Experience," recorded live in Ann Arbor.

In 1997, Madcat was named Harmonica Player of the Year by the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (SPAH). National television and radio appearances, movie soundtrack recordings, symphony orchestra performances, and blues harmonica workshops all attest to Madcat's reputation as one of the best and most versatile harmonica players in the world.




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Jimmy G. and the Capitols

http://www.myspace.com/jimmygandthecapitols

Jimmy G. and the Capitols is a progressive-blues band, influenced by Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, etc. This band has the energy, effort and fun that truly translates when it comes to the blues as they try to spread the gospel of the blues to the masses and have a great time doing it.

Band members currently include Roger Gentry on vocals and harmonica, Marc Dietle on bass, Kevin Lairson on drums, and Jim Gleason on guitar and vocals. Roger is from Cincinnati and has a smooth voice that contrasts nicely with his warm, edgy, blues harmonica tones. Marc's bass attitude is eclectic and expressive with a flare for spontaneity. Kevin can play anything from a standard shuffle to a progressive jazz off beat with an uncanny sense of when to keep it straight and when to spice things up a bit. Jim plays guitar with the raw bark of a junkyard dog in one breath, to the sweet purr of a sleeping kitten in the next. Relying heavily on an improvisational style that has been polished over the years, he has tried to put together a band that can express this energy and have fun doing it.

We are proud to include them as a Capital Area Blues Society member band on the River Stage at 5 pm Saturday.




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Josh Boyd and the V.I.P. Band

http://www.superboyd.com

Powerful, bluesy, funky, rock and roll, and incredible are all words that describe the experience that is Josh Boyd and the V.I.P. Band! You can't categorize this eclectic band, featuring Josh Boyd on guitar and vocals, Junior Springs on bass, and Charles Gaston on drums. These boys play it all and put their mesmerizing stamp on every tune they perform.

Josh Boyd, the front man of the V.I.P. Band, has been thrilling crowds regularly in and around the Toledo, Ohio, area and has been featured at Buddy Guy's Legends and Kingston Mines in Chicago, as well as at music festivals in Ohio, Michigan and Canada. Besides his regular appearances at clubs, festivals and fairs, Josh has opened up for renowned artists Edgar and Johnny Winter, Rick Derringer, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Kansas, Dave Mason, Canned Heat and Charlie Daniels.

Josh was only a mere 3 years old when he picked up the guitar for the first time, and over the years his artistry has matured through the influences of performers including Johnny "Guitar" Watson, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Albert Collins. But don’t be confused - this is no copycat gunslinger. His playing is pure Boyd, a style all his own. Once you see him, you'll ask yourself, "Where has this guy been hiding?" This is one band you don’t want to miss.

Josh Boyd and his talented group of musicians have a formidable stage presence and they deliver electric excitement and leave the crowd wanting more at every stop. From down-home blues to superfunky dance tunes, they play the music their way 100% of the time. The band features the driving, blood-pumping drum work of Charles Gaston, and Junior Springs holds the sound together with his peerless machine-gun bass work. The V.I.P. Band has a formidable stage presence. They deliver excitement and always leave the crowd breathless for more. This little package is as powerful as dynamite! Don’t miss seeing this band!




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JR Clark Band

http://www.jrcblues.com/

The JR Clark Band, based out of Kalamazoo, brings its high-energy, house-rockin' brand of blues and leaves people talking and smiling. Their live shows are full of sweat and fiery blues, which includes a guitar, drums, piano, saxophone, and even an organ. JR calls on all his influences to bring a variety to their show. Their music ranges from house rockin', a little soul blues, to even a taste of Southern rock. These guys can do it all! If you love the blues, or just plain like to party, make sure to check out the JR Clark Band!




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Kathleen & the Blues Junkies

http://www.myspace.com/bluesjunkiemusic

Often referred to as "Lansing’s Blues Diva," Kathleen Mendoza has been singing the blues in and around Lansing since the formation of her first band, Blues Xpress, in the mid 90's. Over the last two years, Kathleen has shared the stage with national blues artists such as Chicago-based Urban Blues Union, Texas legend Mike Morgan and the Crawl, the Larry McCray Band and San Francisco's Tommy Castro Band.

As Queen Kathleen and the Blues Anglers in 2002, she hosted a blues jam and performed at several Lansing-area festivals. For the past 5 years, Kathleen has been featured vocalist for the infamous Frog & the Beeftones. Kathleen has opened for bands such as Mike Morgan and the Crawl, Mark Hummel, and Rod Piazza. She has shared the stage with awesome local bands - Steppin' In It, Those Delta Rhythm Kings, Third Degree and Frog & the Beeftones. In 2004 Kathleen recorded her first demo CD of original tunes with Rollover guitarist and songwriter Louie Zagoras.

In 2006, after years of watching her own songs gather dust and feeling a growing desire to express her true love of the blues, Kathleen formed the Blues Junkies. The Junkies are as driven as they are skilled. Just a few months after the band's formation, they took second place in the 2007 CABS Blues Brawl, as well as the People’s Choice award. Band Junkies include Steve Dely on guitar and vocals, Jon Herrmann on bass, and Ted Bishop on drums.

Steve Dely grew up in Metro Detroit where, at an early age, he was compelled to pick up the guitar and emulate the sounds he heard on the radio. Steve has played in several bands including The Hips - an eclectic band drawing from jazz, funk, rock and soul to produce its own brand of the blues - and Smokestack Lightning, a straight up power trio in which Steve stepped up as lead singer to play everything from Robert Johnson and B.B. King to Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers. Jon Herrmann can play it all - his vast musical projects include jazz, soul, rock, Celtic and folk. And, when this man lays down a blues bass solo, look out! Ted Bishop began his drumming career in the Detroit area, where he was a member of several rock bands that wrote and recorded all original material.

This project has been a long time coming for Kathleen and she is as thrilled to be on the stage with the Blues Junkies as you will be to see them perform. Like a sweet and spicy barbecue, their unique mix of traditional and contemporary blues, sultry ballads, soul and rock will keep you coming back for more.




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Madcat & Kane

http://www.madcatmusic.net/

Performance Magazine refers to the Grammy award-winning Peter "Madcat" Ruth as "a harmonica virtuoso who is rapidly approaching legend status." Considered one of the country’s most versatile blues guitarists, Shari Kane can take an audience from her raw interpretations of Delta blues to an up-town Chicago groove with style and ease.

Peter "Madcat" Ruth and Shari Kane joined forces in 1990 to form the duo Madcat & Kane. Having traded records and tapes since 1978, they knew they shared a love for blues that crossed the lines between electric and acoustic, delta and Chicago, jump blues, folk blues, and jazz. Together, the two talents certainly make for a unique duo.




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Marble Garden

http://www.myspace.com/marblegarden

Marble Garden is a Kalamazoo-based jam band combining progressive blues with Southern-style soul and jazz-fusion. Leroy Horn's soulful vocals are complemented by the smooth skills of Angelo Santelli's slide guitar (and Leroy's own guitar), Tom Eldred's B3 organ and at times his alto sax, Matt Houtkooper's Triple Forte bass, and the beats of drummer Scott Kreiger. Such forces propel the band with a funki-fried percussive energy. From straight up blues, to jazz-fusion jamming, to intense, feedback-laced grooves, Marble Garden is a unique jam-band playing music you can’t hear anywhere else.




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Sharrie Williams

http://www.sharriewilliams.com/

Sharrie Williams knows how to sing the blues ... because she's lived the blues.

Born and raised in the projects of Saginaw, Michigan, Sharrie grew up surrounded by music and singing. Her aunt and grandma were jazz singers, her father was a jazz/gospel singer, her mother and brother were also gospel singers - and their house was like a juke joint, with dancing and blues music constantly. With such musical talent and hardship all around her, Sharrie couldn't help but fall into the spell of the blues. By 1998 Sharrie Williams and The Wiseguys were on their way to tour Europe.

Inspired by singers like Koko Taylor, Etta James, Patti LaBelle, and Aretha Franklin, Sharrie has been able to create her own unique "rockin' gospel blues" style, seeking to inspire people "not to let the blues get the best of you." To hear some strong and powerful vocals and arrangements with songs that grab your soul, be sure to look for Sharrie Williams!




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Slide & Dobro Guitar Workshop

http://home.new.rr.com/idobro/bio.html

Come learn more about slide and dobro guitar with Dale Anderson of The Delta Jets!

"Dale Anderson plays an assortment of guitars and evokes that Muddy Waters thang with a mix of originals and old time blues standards." -Mother Fool's Coffee House, Madison, Wisconsin.

Anderson has over 40 years of experience in genres such as slide guitar (from Robert Johnson to Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny), country-rock (Poco, Byrds), surf guitar (Nokie Edwards, Dick Dale), and country blues (Mississippi John Hurt to Bob Dylan's early work). Dale is on the staff at University of Wisconsin Green Bay Summer Camps and has taught guitar lessons dating back to 1972. He has played at many festivals around the Midwest for over fifteen years loves to spread the history and riffs of the slide guitar masters. He has performed from Carolina to Missouri, and from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Beale Street in Memphis. On Saturday, he shares his knowledge and talent on the River Stage at 3:30 pm.




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Stan Budzynski & 3rd Degree

http://www.myspace.com/3ddegree

3rd Degree has been rocking clubs in downtown Lansing for ten years, drawing crowds a wide mix of fans with their trademark take-no-prisoners groove and smoking solos.

Stan Budzynski picked up his guitar in the ninth grade and has been playing ever since. Influenced by the rock, blues, Motown, R&B, jazz, garage band, folk, and pop music that played on the radio, Stan includes all sorts of styles in the music he creates and plays. Although his main focus is in blues music, he enjoys many other styles and hopes to cover some of those eclectic influences in his future recordings.

Stan Budzynski and 3rd Degree is just one of three bands that Stan currently participates in. 3rd Degree plays a variety of songs, but blues is their main thing. In 2005, they won the Capitol Area Blues Brawl and went to Memphis in January of 2006 to compete among 130 bands for Best Unsigned Blues Band. With their distinct sound, Stan Budzynski and 3rd Degree certainly will have you rockin' to their music.




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The Alligators

http://thealligators.com/

"It's the kind of music that Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf would have loved, and trust me, that's got nothing to do with by-the-number rehash. It's got everything to do with attitude, and this band's got some to spare." - Mark Gallo, Blues Review

The Alligators have been playing this kind of music, in their own unmistakable way, for nearly twenty-five years. This "attitude" they bring to the stage each night has everything to do with their respect for the blues and their love playing it together as a band. And the Alligators have been playing it together for a long time. Lead vocalist Dave Krammer and harmonica player Wailin' Dale started the band in 1984. Drummer Mark Seyler joined in 1992 followed by guitarist Steve Schwartz in 1993. The Alligators have also added new blood with the addition of highly respected bassist Franklie Lee in 2007. This longevity is a testament to the success they have achieved and has helped develop them into one of the tightest and most sought after bands in the Midwest.

Whether it's local clubs in the metro Detroit area or premier clubs and festivals throughout the Midwest, the Alligators are longstanding favorites of music lovers who like to have a good time!




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The Delta Jets

http://www.myspace.com/thedeltajets

The roots of modern rock n' roll are deep roots, deep from the Delta region of Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. Dale Anderson knows this music and takes you through the years of the rambling musicians of the Delta Blues with his group The Delta Jets. Music by Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Son House, and on to Muddy Waters as he left the Delta for The Windy City, adding bass, drums, piano and harmonica to create Chicago blues. This music is where Dale resides, honkin' loud and raucous, alongside Joe Vanesky on blues harp. Also a fan of surf-guitar and Link Wray, you never know what you might hear from this talented combo!

Starting with the folk music boom of the early 1960's, Dale has developed his knowledge and playing over the years to become one of the area's finest purveyors of early blues. Listen to the slide guitar resonating, bringing you back to Bukka White, Tommy Johnson, and Willie Brown. Dale's resonator guitars will take you back to the golden age of the blues - the beginning of rock n' roll. The character of this Delta blues has gone through the roof! Come and tear the barrelhouse down!




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Those Delta Rhythm Kings

http://www.rhythmkings.net/

Those Delta Rhythm Kings have their roots firmly planted in the party-time culture of mid-twentieth-century America. Rockin' jump blues, horn-driven New Orleans R&B, and other regional styles of the era fill much of their show.

For over 20 years, they have pleased crowds coast to coast in Michigan, forging a welcome presence at festivals and community events. They are two-time winners of the Capital Area Blues Brawl (thus competing in the 1996 and 2004 Memphis International Blues Challenge). The Kings also won the 2005 Lansing State Journal Readers’ Choice Award as Best Blues Act and a Grand Rapids’ WYCE “Jammie” award for “Best Local Blues Release” for their third recording, “Just the Way We Like It.”

If you’re looking for a good time, look no further than the cool sounds of Those Delta Rhythm Kings.




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Worksongs: Leading to the Blues

Have you ever wondered where the blues came from? Janell Christie has. Come share the fruits of her research on the "work songs" of the slave period, the underlying social meaning and how they developed into the undeniably powerful music now known as the blues. This workshop will provide a detailed study of the text of the work songs, the social implications and physical need of music during this time period.

Janell Christie has dedicated much of her life to music, learning piano at age 6 and saxophone at age 9, thanks to her parents, both degreed musicians. Janell received a bachelor of music degree from Central Michigan University, a master of music degree from Northwestern University, and is currently finishing a doctorate of musical arts in saxophone performance at Michigan State University. She is completing a dissertation on a jazz and improvisation-influenced classical composer from the Bordeaux Conservatoire in France - and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to France to study with the composer. Janell is currently a member of Those Delta Rhythm Kings, a local favorite. Their latest CD, Just the Way We Like It, is a combination of the blues and a driving "little big band" sound.




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