Annual Carolina Blues Festival
By Gary Miller
The Piedmont Blues Preservation
Society held its 16th Blues Festival at beautiful Tanglewood Park in
Clemmons, North Carolina last week. The weather cooperated to give a sunny, if
slightly chilly, day. The spring rains had stopped by Saturday and it was time
to get this party on! The huge white tent was packed with Blues lovers and the
crowd spilled out all over the grounds.
We arrived right after local Blues
Challenge winners, Blues Kravin, kicked off the festivities. From
Marion, North Carolina, they earned a trip to the International Blues
Competition in Memphis by winning the 2001 PBPS Amateur Talent Contest. You can
catch them at the Double Door in Charlotte on June 2nd. Also,
be on the lookout for a review of their album, The Blues Ain't Through With
You, here in Blueswax.
Next up was Alligator Records
recording artist, Long John Hunter, who thrilled the crowd with his
Texas-based Blues. He is a real crowd pleaser and rocked the house with great
vocals and a great band. He even got out in the crowd and let one lady hold his
guitar while he played it with one hand. Quite a good performance! This was my
first time seeing Hunter and, believe me, he rocks the Blues!
Next up was the lady I was going
to interview later that day. Rory Block, the inimitable Blues picker and
slide guitarist came on stage and tore it up. What can I say about this
enormous talent? She has the energy of three people when she plays the guitar;
she attacks without mercy and takes no prisoners. Her timing and vocals are
precise and she loves to play the Blues with passion. Although her new album, I'm
Every Woman, is more R&B and Soul-oriented, she didn't play but
a couple of the tunes off of it. She is a solo act and she doesn't seem to need
any help! One vocal from the album, "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body
Down," was sung a cappella. She moved the crowd to its feet with the
performance. What a voice! (Where did this lady learn to play guitar and who
were her influences? Find out in our exclusive interview in an upcoming issue
of Blueswax).
The event's headliner, the great Clarence
"Gatemouth" Brown was up right after Block. Brown's legendary
performances are always a crowd pleaser. He is such a great musician and very
knowledgeable about the music he plays. His fiddle playing and outstanding
guitar work offer lessons to be learned. He's liable to play about any musical
style he feels like and usually does, but it's all in fun and in the spirit of
the Blues. He and his band certainly rocked everybody with great boogie and
even some old time fiddle playin'. He has an excellent band experienced enough
to play any type of music, but they really get down on the Blues. Great Job,
Gatemouth! Thanks!
Chubby Carrier and his Bayou
Swamp Band is known for great showmanship.
Carrier's set is the just the thing to pull a crowd together and make them want
to have fun together. Full of wild antics and showy dancers and costumes, his
show is like a riot in New Orleans. The fabulous brass section pumps the music
to a high that keeps the energy flowing. Zydeco music, by its very definition,
is party music. Chubby Carrier, a truly great showman, is the party Master! He
had a whole crowd onstage, dancing and waving their hands to the music. These
guys partied the whole audience and did a line dance through the crowd, getting
everybody one their feet. You didn't have to go to New Orleans to find Mardi
gras-it was here in person!
Walter Trout and the Radicals were the evening's closing act. I just knew that this
crowd didn't have any idea what was about to happen to them. When Walter Trout
starts to play, everybody's mouth drops open. Rated one of the top guitarists
in the UK, he is a guitar player like no other. From his rousing "Go The
Distance," to his amazing "Serves Me Right To Suffer," his
guitar actually comes "alive." The rocking, raw Blues Rock that he
serves up absolutely amazed everyone. I must say here that Walter's newest
addition to the band, the keyboard man, Sammy Avila, is a welcome addition. He
plays stunning piano and dy-no-mite organ. By the time they finished, no one
was cold anymore. People walked away amazed by these musicians' playing.
This was a fine Blues festival and
it was very well organized and maintained. My friend, Mark, and my kids had a
great time, too. We are putting this one on our perpetual calendar. You should,
too! Thanks to John, Tina, April, and all the folks at PBPS for their efforts.
I will tell everyone to come next year for a festival not to be missed.
© 2002, Gary W. Miller (Published, with pictures, in
Blueswax, 05/22/2002)
BluesSource.com www.blueswax.com