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IN CELEBRATION OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO'S 25TH BLUES FEST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: LYNN ORMAN 847-452-6469
BLUES ON THE NORTH SHORE
A TRIBUTE TO CHICAGO'S BLUES LEGEND & 2008 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER, DAVID 'HONEYBOY' EDWARDS. A CELEBRATION OF HIS LEGACY, HIS LIFE AND HIS MUSIC
Warm up for Chicago’s Blue Fest at Blues on the North Shore, a benefit for The Blue Shoe Project, Wednesday, June 4, at 8 p.m., at S.P.A.C.E, (Society for the Preservation of Art & Culture in Evanston), 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston.
The evening will pay tribute to Chicago's oldest living blues legend, David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, this years Grammy recipient for Best Traditional Blues Album. Blues legend, Honeyboy will return home from his England tour just in time to celebrate his 93rd birthday and the the 25th anniversary of Chicago's Blues Festival. An Earwig Recording artist he continues to tour with 150 dates this year. This Delta Bluesman from Shaw, Mississippi made his way to Chicago by train in 1957 and began performing on Maxwell Street & the pubs in Chicago with all the great bluesmen. He made enough money from playing guitar and gambling to settle down and call Chicago home.
Alligator Recording Artist, Bluesman and Skokie resident
Eddy Clearwater is part of a stellar lineup of Blues artists performing
in this tribute to Blues legends. Southpaw guitarist Clearwater has
been performing for 60 years. At age 13, he was playing guitar with
a variety of gospel groups, including the legendary Five Blind Boys
of Alabama. By the time he came to Chicago’s West Side at age
15, he fell under the spell of the Blues after hearing greats like
Freddie King, Magic Sam, Otis Rush and others.
The evening will be hosted by Blues diva and Sirens recording
artist Katherine Davis and features the rambling blues piano of blues
historian, Barrelhouse Chuck, who just recorded for the upcoming Chess
Records movie produced by Beyonce.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit,
The Blue Shoe Project, www.blueshoeproject.org <http://www.blueshoeproject.org/> , founded
with the mission of educating the coming generations on the importance
of Blues music. The non-profit organization won this year’s Grammy
for Best Traditional Blues album.
“The music is extraordinary and the stories, the culture, the Blues exchange between these four generations of musicians hasn’t occurred before in a setting like this on the North Shore,” said benefit producer Lynn Orman Weiss. “Nine decades of the Blues from four of Chicago's premiere Blues labels—Alligator, Sirens, Earwig and Delmark—will be in the room that night.” "We need to do all we can do to keep the blues alive. It is the pure root of every kind of music from rock n' roll to hip hop and it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. When I started playing the blues on the North Shore with a group in the called the Bel Aires we turned on a whole new generation of young people to the blues in the 1950s. We have to keep on promoting the culture and the music so we don't forget about the history of where this great American music came from. I encourage everyone to come on out to Blues On The North Shore and support the blues," said Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater.
Owner of S.P.A.C.E, Delmark recording artist Dave Specter, is our fourth generation of Chicago Blues guitar stars and will be featured.
The evening will be hosted by Blues Diva and Sirens Recording artist, Katherine Davis. Davis is well known for her blues in the schools programs.
Tickets are available at www.sitclose.com <http://www.sitclose.com/> ($20
in advance, $25 at the show, and $15 for students with a valid ID or
Northwestern Wildcat card), 773-435-2020. More information
at is available at www.bluesonthenorthshore.com <http://www.bluesonthenorthshore.com/> .
For more information call, Lynn Orman Weiss at 847-452-6469
