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All the way from North Hollywood, California, Chris Bell & 100% Blues, bring their West Coast style to B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ. This is the first time Bell has played B.B.’s, so it will be a special treat to have a national blues artist in such an intimate setting. Bell is currently performing as Jimi Hendrix in the ultimate Hendrix tribute, Room Full of Mirrors. Also, Bell is host and producer of 100% Blues, the public access cable TV show in the Los Angeles area.
Bell performs at BB’s Lawnside BBQ Saturday, July 17 – 9pm. $5 cover Listen to Chis Bell & 100% Blues: You couldn’t get a better recommendation than this. BB’s Lawnside Barbecue will present “one of [owner] Lindsay Shannon’s favorites,” Henry Clay on Saturday, June 26, 2010. Not much is known about this artist in the world at large, but Columbia, Missouri natives and fellow blues musicians treat Clay with great respect as a high performance blues harmonica aficionado. Read more from Skaught Patterson, Kansas City Jazz & Blues Music Examiner Listen to songs from Henry Clay’s New Madrid Earthquake  View of the Hopson Plantation and Shackup Inn For the past seven years in April, Clarksdale, Miss. hosts the Juke Joint Festival. This year, I went down there with a few friends to experience some of the great blues and food. Here are my notes: I headed out of Kansas City towards Springfield, Mo., to pick up my best friend and runnin’ partner, Paul Garrison. Next stop Little Rock, Ark., where Jimmy Cleavland was waiting at the airport after flying in from Minneapolis, Minn. The three of us started our trek to where the blues began, the Mississippi Delta. Crossing the Mississippi River bridge at Helena, Ark. (home of the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival) the flat fertile delta cotton land reminded us quickly of what hardships birthed the blues in the early 1900’s. Highway 49 quickly crosses Highway 61 south to Clarksdale, home of the Juke Joint Festival, Hambone Festival, Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival, Sam Cooke, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Morgan Freeman (The water must be special in Clarksdale).  Unique instrument played by Bill Abel The Juke Joint Festival celebrates the arrival of Spring in the Delta by combining the family fun of a small-town fair with  Super Chikan playing at the Juke Joint Festival international tourist appeal of a big-time blues festival. The actual festival is on Saturday starting at 9am, no blues music until 10am with other events: canoe carving, a 5K run, arts & crafts and food. Thursday night, Paul, Jimmy and Biff Kummer from Bowling Green, Kentucky and I hooked up with some old college pals. We headed for Ground Zero, a blues club owned by Morgan Freeman. It’s Clarksdale’s largest juke joint; a tourist mecca compared to places like Red’s Lounge, an authentic Mississippi juke joint. Ground Zero has live blues music every Wednesday through Saturday. Friday and Saturday included visits to Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art, Inc., the Delta Blues Museum, Hambone Art Gallery (owned by artist and blues musician Stan Street). Hambone houses a framed Runnin’ Shoes poster. Hopson Plantation, Shack Up Inn and Sarah’s Kitchen where Honeyboy Edwards was performing, Bluesberry Cafe where we heard Watermelon Slim, and Robin Rogers Band. Just across Yazoo Street from Tricia’s Italian Restaurant & Pie Hole, presenting Big Red & the Soulbenders. [The Mississippi Blues Trail provides a calendar of blues events at place like Tricia's]. Other bluesmen who grabbed our attention included:  Pat Thomas at the Cat Head Store - Robert “Wolfman” Belfour  Lindsay Shannon in front of the WROX Radio sign Whew! Wait…I’m not done. I almost forgot that we placed bets on Robinson’s Racing Pigs and laughed and laughed at Monkey’s Riding Dogs, and the Turkey & Duck call contest. We drank lots of cold beer, sipped whiskey, ate ribs and sampled some fine gumbo. Hey, if you’re gonna drive all the way to Clarksdale, Miss., you have to do it all!  Blues storyteller, Doug Macleod This Friday, May 21 – Kansas City is in for something special. Hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., as part of his 2010 Midwest tour, Doug Macleod is dropping by B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ for a unique performance. Macleod has played with the likes of Big Joe Turner, “Cleanhead” Vinson, and George “Harmonica” Smith. His songs have been recorded by Albert King, Albert Collins and Son Seals. Macleod is a traveling artist who writes and performs original material based on his own life experiences. He is known for his superb songwriting and guitar playing, in the blues tradition, with warm soulful wit and unforgettable live performances. David “Honeyboy” Edwards said, “Doug Macleod, now there’s a man that can really play the blues.” ALERT: There has been a scheduling change at BB’s Lawnside BBQ. Millage Gilbert is now playing Friday, May 14. Gilbert has been on the Kansas City blues scene for nearly 35 years. A review of his performance at Blues Masters in Salina, Kan., said “The Kansas City blues man Millage Gilbert was one of the highlights of an overall night of great performances. Millage’s stinging electric blues guitar virtuosity was well demonstrated, coaxing rich tones and biting licks out of his stratocaster ….with as fine vocals interspersed with guitar phrasing nothing short of incredible” There has always been a correlation between the blues and the animal kingdom, as illustrated by a few songs from my recent Kansas City Blues Show. Many blues artists have claimed to be animals in their songs, as did Omar & the Howlers in their song “Monkey Land.” Also, Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) on his Tigerman CD and title cut “Tigerman.” And of course John Lee Hooker has been a “Crawlin’ King Snake” since the 1950’s. Don’t forget the groups like the Animals, Cobras, Flamingos, Kingsnakes and Alligator Records, all named for animals you might find in the zoo. So, when B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ decided to host a benefit for the Kansas City Zoo, it made perfect sense because of the tie-in with the blues. The band that will entertain you during the fundraiser this Sunday (5/16), Platinum Express, has a history with the Zoo as they performed for nearly 5,000 people at Jazzoo last Summer. All proceeds from the afternoon’s festivities will go towards supporting the nearly 1,000 animals who call Kansas City home. This week Kansas City Blues Show highlights blues songs about animals in preparation for the Kansas City Zoo benefit with Platinum Express. Blues artists featured include Kim Wilson’s “Tigerman,” Omar & the Howlers’ “Monkey Land,” and John Lee Hooker’s “Crawlin’ Kingsnake.” This week on the Kansas City Blues Show (5/2/10), Lindsay Shannon plays tunes from Doyle Bramhall, The Holmes Brothers, Janiva Magness, Solomon Burke, Moreland & Arbuckle, Mannish Boys Buddy Guy and more… Play list from the Kansas City Blues Show (4/25/10). This week, host Lindsay Shannon features Freddie King, B.B. King, Leon Russell, Curtis Selgado, Albert King, Michael Burks, Catfish Keith, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, DC Bellamy, Roscoe Chenier, Rockin Jake, Sonny Boy Williamson, and more… Two excellent and very different blues artists are playing B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ this weekend. Catfish Keith is playing Friday (4/30) and Rockin’ Jake is playing Saturday (5/1). |
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