Entertainment:
 Appearing on the Neuhoff Media Stage
Dave Herrero featuring Felix Reyes (of Felix and the Cats) 4 PM
Austin’s loss is Chicago’s good fortune. After establishing himself as one of Austin’s blues guitarists to be watched and touring the world with Houston’s R&B/soul legend Archie Bell and the Drells, Dave Herrero moved to Chicago. In Chicago Dave does production work with his brother that includes producing musicial “beats” for Oprah Winfrey. Even though his day job keeps him musically focused on the twenty-first century, Dave’s “evening” music draws from Muddy Waters and Albert King. His latest cd release From Austin to Chicago was recorded in Austin at the same studio that churned out Nick Curran’s solo cds.
Joining Dave at the OCBB will be Chicagoan (a Dallas native) Felix Reyes of Felix and the Cats. Known to many as Uncle Fe, Felix has had a long career in the blues scene. He wrote the title track for Susan Tedeschi’s second cd release Wait For Me and was instrumental in getting the late Sean Costello’s career off the ground. You’ll want to get there early for this special “double feature” of the Windy City’s best Texas Blues!
 Tarbox Ramblers 6 PM
It’s the proper thing for a band to pay tribute to the legends and the ghosts of the blues but Boston’s Tarbox Ramblers don’t just give their due. No, the Tarbox Ramblers sneak into the graveyards late at night and resurrect the spirits of the blues long since past. Before the blues filled stadiums and was the soundtrack for beer commercials, the blues was played by itinerant musicians on dime store guitars for anyone who could stand to share the pain. It is this primitive and soulful rhythmic, country blues that is the trademark of the Tarbox Ramblers. Eighteenth century rock and roll!! Don’t miss this perfect blend of country, folk and primitive rhythm and blues.
 Calvin Cooke – 8 PM
The Old Capitol Blues and Barbecues is proud to feature the "B.B. King of gospel steel guitar" as the headline attraction of the 2008 event. Detroit, Michigan’s Calvin Cooke is one of the most influential musicians in the House of God church, an African American Holiness-Pentecostal church in which the electric steel guitar has been an important part of worship services since the late 1930's. The music was almost unknown outside of the church membership until the 1990’s. The sacred steel style of blues gospel has since been popularized by acts like Robert Randolph’s Family Band and the Lee Boys. When introducing Calvin on the set of Austin City Limits, Robert Randolph acknowledged the debt that he and subsequent sacred steel players owe to Cooke. Cooke has served for more than three decades as a principal steel guitarist at the church's annual 10-day national General Assembly in Nashville.
He is one of the few "sacred steel" guitarists who regularly combines singing with their guitar work. An innovator on the 10-string pedal-steel, which he plays in a unique tuning that came to him in a vision, Cooke also features stunning lap-steel work in his presentations. He is accompanied by his wife Grace, an accomplished and powerful lead singer in the gospel tradition. The rhythm section provides a heavy and infectious groove that does not allow the listener to be unmoved. Calvin Cooke’ Sacred Steel Ensemble is the answer to the question; what would Mavis Staples sound like accompanied by Elmore James, Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Byrd?
 Howard and the White Boys 10 PM
If you frequent Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago it is possible that you have seen a Howard and the White Boys performance. It’s even possible that you saw the legend, Buddy Guy, sitting in with the band. It seems that Buddy took the band under his wing and stamped his seal of approval on the band’s sound. After forming in DeKalb in 1988, Howard and the White Boys have traveled the world spreading the blues gospel as headliners and as the opening act for Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison and BB King. This year the band released its 6th CD, Made in Chicago. The cd is a mix of originals and obscure covers, Howard and the White Boys deliver a powerful twin guitar attack of high energy Chicago blues.
Illinois Central Blues Club – Blues Challenge
Stage at 4th & Washington Streets
12 Noon – 5:00 p.m.
Download the Schedule
For more information contact Mark Edmiston at markredmiston@msn.com |
