In the mid-1960s, Eric Clapton said he was trying to figure out the structure of his next band when he went to see his idol Buddy Guy in London. Guy had a trio.
Soon afterwards, Clapton’s Cream began making its mark on Rock & Roll history as did another trio fronted by an ex-patriot American guitar master, Jimi Hendrix. Invariably, when Guy plays these days, he typically throws signature Clapton and Hendrix licks—if not whole songs into his playlist.
“I worry about the legacy of Muddy, (Howlin’) Wolf, and all the guys who created this stuff…so as long as I’m here, I’m going to do whatever I can to keep it alive,” he said.
Guy, who has epitomized Chicago electric guitar blues since moving there from Louisiana in 1957, will continue keeping it alive with his trademark polka-dot Stratocaster when he headlines the second day of this year’s Pittsburgh Blues Festival on July 25 at Hartwood Acres.
But this year’s festival also includes two other headliners of legendary repute—Duke Robillard and festival closer Bobby Rush.
Not long after Robillard formed the seminal jump blues band Roomful of Blues in 1967, they were backing up Big Joe Turner and Eddie “Clean Head” Vinson. He has also loaned his considerable composing, arranging and guitar playing talents to artists ranging from Dr. John and Bob Dylan to Jimmy Witherspoon and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. No wonder B.B. King called him “one of the great players.”
And when he takes the stage at 9 p.m. to wind up the “Free Friday” show, it may turn into one of the classic blues jam sessions of all time, as he will be joined by local icons Billy Price and Norm Nardini.
And to cap off the three-day festival, who better than Rush, whose stage show is a high-energy experience, featuring hip-shaking dancers and blue humor, and his impeccable showmanship.
At 80, two years older than Guy, Rush still plays more than 200 shows a year, and still amazes audiences with his agility—including performing splits that would make young men cringe, all while playing the harmonica and guitar and singing. He describes his sound as funk with a delta blues feel.
“James Brown was just two years older than me, and we both focused on that funk thing—driving that one chord beat,” he said on his website.
“But James put modern words to it. I was walking the funk walk and talking the countrified blues talk—with the kinds of stories and lyrics that people who grew up listening to John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and bluesmen like that could relate to. And that’s been my trademark.”
But this year’s festival isn’t just for the older generations, taking the stage July 25 is Mississippi’s Jarekus Singleton. At 29, Singleton infuses his blazing guitar blues with elements of the blues masters and of hip-hop culture in what he calls “blues for the 21st century.”
Floridian and slide virtuoso Selwyn Birchwood, also 29, takes a more traditional approach to his high-energy blues funk, playing scorching licks on his lap steel guitar.
Other acts include singers Dana Fuchs and Marcia Ball, as well as Dwayne Dopsie and The Zydeco Hellraisers. A full list of artists and performance times is available at www.pghblules.com.
As always, proceeds from the three-day festival benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Free Friday, July 24, sponsored by Giant Eagle and FOX53, allows free admission to anyone who brings a non-perishable food item.
(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Download our mobile app at https://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier
