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| Mississippi Valley Blues Festival The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival celebrates its 22nd anniversary with an all-star line-up of blues legends and up-and-coming stars. All blesfans will come on the banks of the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 30, July 1-2, 2006. The festival is considered one of the top five blues festivals in this country and one of the top twenty in the world. This blues festival has developed a national reputation among performers, said Larry Tierney, Mississippi Valley Blues Society education chairman. National, international, and regional blues performers provide blues music from two stages continuously throughout the Festival; it features acoustic and electric blues from traditional to contemporary. With educational blues workshops, a kid's BlueSchool where they can jam with different artists, and photo exhibit, there's something for every type of blues fan, young or old, seasoned or new! The blues is truly a unique art form that laid the foundation for jazz and rock-n-roll, said Rick Palmer, board member of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. In addition to hearing some great blues, attendees have the opportunity to ask questions and to learn about the lives and musical experiences of the performers and get free lessons to play the blues.? Each year the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival brings in the cream of the crop of blues performers for its annual festival on the banks of the Mississippi River. There are also always two slots reserved for the state and local winners of the Iowa Blues Challenge. This year, Saturday night is dedicated to the Gulf Coast and each musician comes from that region. The full schedule of this year's performers can be found on the Mississippi Valley Blues Society?s website at www.mvbs.org Details on Some of the Performers for 2006 The Mannish Boys won the 2006 Album of the Year at the Blues Music Awards. They are one of the most universally praised new blues bands, both live and on record, since the heyday of the blues genre a half century ago, receiving virtually unanimous rave reviews from both the blues specialty press and general entertainment reviewers. New Orleans blues artist Chris Thomas King has performed in films such as O Brother, Where Art Thou and Ray. Billboard Magazine called King's ninth album, Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues, an audacious, exciting blend of contemporary hip-hop and traditional blues. Now, as one of the most recognized blues musician in the world, multi Grammy Award winner King is defining today's blues for the modern urban audience. King is a true innovator his music is authentic blues; it is contemporary blues. His performances and recordings bridge the past with the present and future, bringing blues into the digital age. With a feeling and natural ability that just can't be explained for someone so young, Eric Steckel delivers a Freddie-BB-Albert King influenced performance with an intensity and skill that belies the fact that he is only 15 years old. While remaining deeply rooted in the Blues, a live Eric Steckel Band set often recalls the sound of the 60s and 70s Blues Rock era. Rev. Robert Jones has been recognized at the national level by Living Blues Magazine, and has twice been named Detroit's Best Blues Instrumentalist. Rich DelGrosso is a specialist in the blues mandolin. Yes, mandolin. Most fiddle players can also play the mandolin like the string and jug band musicians of the '20s and '30s. He has been a writer for Blues Revue magazine since 1991 and associate editor since 1996. After forming in 1977, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is now a world famous music machine. They have revitalized the brass band in New Orleans and around the world, to touring nearly constantly in the U.S. and in over 30 other countries on five continents. The Dirty Dozen have been featured guests on albums by artists including David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Dr. John and the Black Crowes. In the past year alone, the Dozen have joined the likes of Dave Matthews and Widespread Panic for recording dates. And this doesn't even dip into the band's own recorded output, stretching back 27 years and 10 albums. C.J. Chenier was the son of the great King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier. C.J.'s father was the first Creole musician to win a Grammy Award. Chenier first performed with his famous father and the legendary Red Hot Louisiana band after college. After his father died in 1987, C.J. adopted the Red Hot Louisiana Band. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |