CONCERT: Thirteenth Annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival

Gary Erwin sent me an e-mail about this great Blues festival. I highly recommend you attend this festival - all three days, if possible. It is one of the highlights of my Blues year, and it is only a little more than a month away, so I hope you will get your plans set to attend!

clair delune

Here's what he's got going on:


Thirteenth Annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival
in Camden, S.C. from Thursday - Saturday, October 1-3, 2009


Historic Camden, SC (25 miles outside of Columbia, 1 hour from Charlotte)
Performances day & night at 16 different venues
www.bluesbash.com/camden (being updated soon)
Tix & info: (803) 425 7676
Daily tix and weekend passes avail (prices $10-$40)

A great little pub crawl with many venues clustered on several
downtown streets - walk from gig to gig!

Featured artists include:

HILTON VALENTINE (of The Animals) & SKIFFLEDOG
http://www.hiltonvalentine.com/
The legendary guitarist of The Animals returns to his acoustic skiffle roots with his new group. Hilton is the man who inspired many of us to go back and discover the blues. That was him on "House of the Rising Sun", "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", "It's My Life", "Don't Bring Me Down", and so many other groundbreaking platters. A member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and one of THE influential guitarists of the last forty years, HILTON VALENTINE cannot be missed.

"SOUTHERN SOUL EXTRAVAGANZA" featuring
BARBARA CARR, ROY ROBERTS, and the AJ DIGGS BAND
http://www.royrobertsblues.com/
www.cdsrecords.com/barbaracarr.htm
For you soul/blues lovers! Barbara Carr recorded for Chess in the 1960s, Roy Roberts worked with Otis Redding and others, AJ Diggs played with (Harold Melvin's) Blue Notes in Philly...an avalanche of Southern Soul!

ANDREW JR. BOY JONES
www.myspace.com/andrewjrboyjones
This monster Texas blues guitarist played in Freddy King's band in his early years. Charlie Musselwhite employed him as guitarist in the 1980s ("the best band I've ever had," said Charlie). John Street (ex-Anson Funderburgh) on keyboards and a massive rhythm section make this a Lone Star act you have to hear.

JOHN DEE HOLEMAN & ANDY COATS
www.myspace.com/johndeeholemanblues
80 year-old John Dee Holeman is one of the last great North Carolina bluesmen. His acclaimed work with Fris Holloway and Algia Mae Hinton took him on State Department tours around the world. A bit of Lightnin' Hopkins, a touch of Blind Boy Fuller and a whole lotta John Dee Holeman...talk about "downhome"!

LIL DAVE THOMPSON
http://www.lildavethompson.com/
Representing the hottest blues out of Mississippi these days...torrid guitar workouts and anguished vocals...one of the best bands on the scene today.

VERONIKA JACKSON
http://www.veronikajackson.com/
An artist to watch..."some folk, some blues, sometime" describes this charismatic singer/guitarist whose influences include Odetta, Joan Baez, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Sam Cooke. Sweet!

OTHER ARTISTS on the CAROLINA DOWNHOME BLUES FESTIVAL:
LIGHTNIN' WELLS http://www.lightninwells.com/ (acoustic blues master)
POP FERGUSON DUO http://www.popferguson.com/ (octagenarian downhome blues)
DRINK SMALL http://www.drinksmallblues.com/ (SC legend)
REV. MARV WARD http://www.marvward.com/ (great new CD just out!)
DR. PICKUP http://www.drpickup.com/ (French blues guitarist/singer returns)
WSNB http://www.wsnbmusic.com/ (Southern fried blues)
WANDA JOHNSON http://www.wandaj.com/ (original blues & soul chanteuse)
JEFF BEASLEY DUO http://www.jeffbeasleyband.com/ (Savannah's blues/roots bard)
SHRIMP CITY SLIM http://www.shrimpcityslim.com/ (blues on the beach)
SKYE PAIGE & THE ORIGINAL RECIPE www.myspace.com/skyepaigeandtheoriginalrecipe (rockabilly vixen)
JEFF NORWOOD http://www.jeffnorwoodblues.com/ (Midlands blues expert)
MY BUDDY TODD http://www.mybuddtodd.com/ (hot duo from the coast)
MOTHERLESS CHILLIN' http://www.nazharp.com/ (guitar/harmonica musclemen)
LIL JIMMY FROST DUO (spunky harp & guitar combo)
RUSTY DAVIS & FLOYD CALLEN (two guitarists entangled in the blues)
ROBERT LIGHTHOUSE http://www.robertlighthouse.com/ (Delta blues specialist)
COTTON BLUE http://www.cottonblueband.com/ (coastal swamp blues & rock)