Friday June 19, 2009

The Clay Center, Charleston

Doors 7:15pm  Show: 8:00p.m.

All Tickets: $29.00 RESERVED SEATING

For tickets/details, call: 304/561-3570; or visit www.theclaycenter.org.

Tickets are also available at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.

Buddy Guy - *Special One-Hour Performance* None other than Eric Clapton and B.B. King have called him their favorite guitarist. But that kind of high praise is the norm for Buddy Guy, who has championed - and led - the field of blues guitarists for decades. The Louisiana native moved to Chicago in 1957, and quickly realized that showmanship was as important as chops. Since then, Guy’s stage shows have been filled with slashing guitar pyrotechnics that had a profound influence on a generation of guitarists, notably Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. After cutting a number of landmark sides on Chess Records, Guy teamed up with blues harpist Junior Wells for some classic LPs on Vanguard, Blue Thumb and Atlantic Records, including an LP co-produced by Eric Clapton. But it was more recently that Guy began to get his due: in the ‘90s, he released a string of CDs that reestablished his presence on the scene and earned him a pair of Grammys and a closet full of blues awards. His latest, "Skin Deep," was released in 2008 and featured guest spots by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph. Buddy will be performing for one-hour on this program.

Shemekia Copeland - The daughter of Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, Shemekia Copeland has been performing from the time she was eight when she appeared onstage with her father at Harlem’s legendary Cotton Club. Years later, she served as the opening act for his band, eventually inking a deal with Alligator Records and issuing her debut when she was just 19. 2002's Wicked featured a duet with R&B diva Ruth Brown and earned her W.C. Handy Blues Awards for "Song of the Year," "Blues Album of the Year" and "Contemporary Female Artist of the Year." Last year, Copeland was part of a 12-day "Bluzapalooza" tour of Iraq and Kuwait where she and artists including Michael Burks and Deanna Bogart entertained U.S. troops. Her current release, "Never Going Back," features members of the Derek Trucks band and eclectic guitarist Marc Ribot on tunes ranging from Joni Mitchell’s "Black Crow" to her father’s song "Circumstances."

Duke Robillard - Since forming Roomful of Blues in 1967, Duke Robillard has emerged as the premier swing guitarist in North America. His career has taken him from Roomful's horn-powered, jump blues to the blues-rock of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, backing crooner Jay McShann and adding guitar to Dylan’s Time Out Of Mind disc. In addition, Robillard has emerged as a producer of note. He’s had a hand in releases by blues artists including Debbie Davies, Eddy Clearwater and Jerry Portnoy. In 1999, Robillard was given the "International Guitarist of the Year" award by the French Blues Association, and, he’s been named "Best Blues Guitarist" by the Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C. Handy Awards). His new release, "Stomp! The Blues Tonight," revisits songs associated with the great R&B shouters of the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials - Dubbed "The world’s #1 house rocking blues band" by "The Boston Globe," Lil’ Ed and his Blues Imperials celebrated 20 years together with the release of last year's "Full Tilt." Selected by Amazon as the No. 7 Top Blues release of 2008, the disc features raucous grooves and Lil’ Ed Williams’ blistering slide guitar. The nephew of the great Chicago slide guitarist, songwriter and recording artist J.B. Hutto, Lil’ Ed was "discovered" while working in a car wash. According to "The Chicago Tribune," "Williams represents one of the few remaining authentic links to the raucous, pure Chicago blues." A showmen in the old school tradition, Lil’ Ed’s shows are as exciting visually as they are musically. The group recently won "Band of the Year" at the 2009 Blues Music Awards.

This program will be distributed nationally by NPR on July 24.

For more information contact Adam Harris at 304 556 4900