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| 5th Annual Ponderosa Stomp Now in its fifth year, the Ponderosa Stomp has scored a musical trifecta: The New Orleans-based festival, an offshoot of the Mystic Knights of the Mau Mau, has found a temporary home at the Gibson Guitar Factory in downtown Memphis, reorganized itself as a fundraiser benefiting the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and MusiCares, and recruited more than 60 legendary artists – an all-time record – to perform on three stages over a three-night period on May 8, 9 & 10. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans last September, followed by Hurricane Rita, which decimated portions of the Gulf Coast, it was perennial Ponderosa Stomp performer Scotty Moore who declared that the show must go on – albeit in his hometown of Memphis, a city that rivals NOLA with its rich musical history. Gibson Guitars, Sun Studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Flyer, the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the Center for Southern Folklore, the Blues Foundation, the Folk Alliance, Shangri-La Records, Goner Records, the Buccaneer Lounge, and Memphis community radio station WEVL-FM have welcomed the Ponderosa Stomp with open arms, signing on as sponsors alongside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, Jazz Aspen, and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, while SXSW has offered the Ponderosa Stomp a showcase slot at its music festival in Austin, Texas this March. A calvacade of phenomenal performers have signed on to appear, including garage rockers ? and the Mysterians, the Fabulous Wailers, Kenny & the Kasual and the Nightcaps, rockabilly heroes Sonny Burgess, Hayden Thompson, DJ Fontana, Sleepy LaBeef, Dale Hawkins, Roy Head, Alvis Wayne, Matt Lucas, and the Tennessee Three, featuring W.S. Holland and Bob Wootten, guitar slingers Scotty Moore, Jody Williams, James Blood Ulmer, Travis Wammack, Johnny Jones, Teenie Hodges, and Dennis Coffey, pedal steel genius Herb Remington, blues greats Billy Boy Arnold, Willie Cobbs, Fillmore Slim, Big George Brock, Chick Willis, and Kenny Brown, R&B champs Lady Bo, Wiley & the Checkmates, and Betty Harris, and soul stars Syl Johnson, Bobby Patterson and Archie Bell, and the indescribable Arch Hall, Jr. Also scheduled: spectacular Memphis acts Ace Cannon, William Bell, the Climates, the Hi Rhythm Section, and Jumpin’ Gene Simmons, a stellar New Orleans line-up including Joe Clay, Jay Chevalier, Mem Shannon, Tammy Lynn, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Rebirth Brass Band, Willie Tee, Eddie Bo, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Rockie Charles and Little Freddie King, and Louisiana/Gulf Coast greats Lazy Lester, Barbara Lynn, Warren Storm, Henry Gray, the Bad Roads, and Lil Buck Sinegal. Instrumental groups the Bo-Keys and Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics will back many of these legendary performers. The roster reads like a litany of America’s musical history, drawing talent from renowned recording studios and record labels including Ace Records, the Ron and Ric labels, Hi Records, Stax Records, Chess Records, Motown, Sea-Saint, Sun Records, Cosimo Matassa’s J&M and Cosimo Recording Studio, Excello, and Royal Recording Studio. No wonder Los Lobos frontman Cesar Rojas, Trent Reznor, Ray Davies, Joss Stone, Ben Vaughn, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart, and members of Yo La Tengo have made it a prerogative to attend the Stomp in recent years. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |