April 2011
April 2011
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Photo courtesy of Rich Cibelli
Killer Combo By Sandy Hannum On Sunday March 20 the delighted
audience at The show ran the complete gamut of the
Blues, from house-rockin’ to heart-breakin’. The
audience was riveted to the stage from the opening notes of Andy Duncanson’s rich smooth voice throughout. Eric McSpadden really rocked on I Got Dues to Pay and the
old classic Crosscut Saw. The band
was joined by local musician and singer
Susana Pacheco Hollinger for vocals on a
particularly soulful rendition of Better Off Now. Andy commented that the song hadn’t sounded
that good in quite a while. (continued on
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On the last set, the human dynamo
Abraham Johnson got everyone going with his out-there vocals. What a blast! Kilborn Alley was in top form throughout the evening,
clearly showing why they have been nominated for a Blues Foundation award in
the “Best Band” category. It is always fun to hear live music from
Kilborn Alley, and we are thankful that they have
friends like the great Eric McSpadden. Hey, Eric –
don’t wait so long before coming back home to central Through
These Eyes By Rich Cibelli Some time ago one of the members of the
Prairie Crossroads Blues Society asked me if I’d be interested in writing a
monthly column for our newsletter “Inclusive.” A suggestion was made that I
might name it something like “From the President.” Not a bad idea, I replied. I said I would
think about it. Nevertheless, several
months have passed since that day. And, so after carefully considering several
options, I’ve decided to call my monthly contribution “Through These Eyes.”
With that introduction I invite you to join me as I revisit a few blues-related
events. Let’s begin back a few weeks ago when
David “Chainsaw” Dupont visited His solid band including drummer and
bass player are what I call perfect examples of seasoned musicians who can play
with anyone on any night. You can learn more by checking out his webpage at
www.chainsawdupont.com/chainsaw. Sherry and I were stationed at our makeshift
PCBS merchandise, membership and information table at the back of the bar and
commented to each other several times about how we really liked Chainsaw Dupont, and were glad we got the opportunity to see another good blues player. So were several
Prairie Crossroads Blues Society members just like us who were out to support
blues music in our community. (continued on
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Somewhat earlier I’d made my way outside
with my camera in hand to see if I could get a nice shot of the performer who
I’d only heard of, but others had raved about. Luck would have it that the
camera his manager Steve had was not working properly. Seeing a great
opportunity I strolled up and politely introduced myself as President of The
Prairie Crossroads Blues Society and offered my services. Five minutes and
three tries later my new friend smiled and said “That’s it.” We exchanged
business cards and I promised to e-mail the photos away the next day. Long story short, I recommend you see
Chainsaw Dupont the next time he’s in our area. You
won’t be disappointed. By the way make sure you pick up a copy of “Chainsaw Dupoint Live, The Real Guitar Hero.” It will make a good
edition to your CD library. Sangamon Auditorium at The University of
Illinois, Moreover, while I am seldom at a loss
for words, the only one that comes to mind right now is incredible. Not only
did I get to see two original members of Jefferson Airplane, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, play
some amazing acoustic as well as electric blues, but they also brought with
them G. E. Smith. This guitar master and former Saturday Night Live Band alum
can do it all. Rounding out the band was the very talented master mandolin
player Barry Mitterhoff and drummer Skoota Warner, whose resume reads like the best of the best. Charlie Musselwhite
you say? Here’s what I say. If you
missed this show you lost out on a chance to see a remarkable musician, who
over his more than 43 year career and 30 albums later can still play the blues
with ease and comfort. I’ll say it again, incredible! My last stop brought me a little closer
to home and the comforts of Krannert Center & the
Tryon Festival Theater, as “Blues at the Crossroads: The Robert Johnson
Centennial Concerts” rolled into town on Tuesday, March 8th. I’m
proud to inform you that PCBS was well-represented at this blues event with our
information table before, during, and after the show. While the show itself was well worth the
admission charge, I was somewhat disappointed to see several seats left empty.
This show was announced as being sold out. I guess some ticket holders decided
they’d rather do something else than get the chance to see some of the greats
of blues music. That being said, the rest of the
audience was treated to an outstanding array of the music written by the man
named Robert Johnson and performed by the likes of Big Head Todd and the
Monsters, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm,
David “Honeyboy” Edwards and Hubert Sumlin. This was the first I’d seen Big Head
Todd and I was amazed at (continued on the
right) |
frontman Todd Park Mohr, both as a guitar player and vocalist.
His opening song left me no doubt of his
love for this time-honored music. What made this night one that I will
soon not forget came at the intermission when Sherry and I were allowed
backstage. You see we were there to present Hubert Sumlin
and David “Honeyboy” Edwards with certificates of
Honorary Membership to The Prairie Crossroads Blues Society. Although some last minute scheduling
prevented us from meeting with Sumlin, we did get the
opportunity to share a few minutes with the always entertaining Honeyboy Edwards. He
gracefully accepted our gift and allowed us to pose for a few photos. I want to
thank Honeyboy and his manager, Michael Frank, and
the shows promoter for allowing us this opportunity.
Rich and Sherry with Honeyboy Edwards
Photo courtesy of Rich Cibelli The second half of the show was just as
inspiring to me as the opening segment. One by one these seasoned blues
veterans made their way onto the stage to take part in many of Robert Johnson’s
more familiar arrangements. Not to be outdone, Hubert Sumlin made his presence known with several tunes from his
glory days in Howlin’ Wolf’s band. After an energetic
encore the show was over and so ended “Blues at the Crossroads: The Robert John
Centennial Concerts” tour. It’s too bad the man whose legacy
surrounds Highways 61 and 49 in I look forward to the next opportunity
to see great blues performers either in our community or elsewhere, and when I
do you can be sure you’ll read about it “Through These Eyes.” |
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Pinetop
Perkins -- the Piano Legend by Sandy Hannum Legendary Blues piano man Pinetop
Perkins died on March 21 at the age of 97. He was born Joseph William Perkins
on As a young man, Perkins played Blues at
honky-tonks throughout the Mississippi Delta. He worked on the King Biscuit
Time radio show in Perkins later toured extensively with
slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk and worked briefly with B.B. King in for Sun Records, which brought him much wider fame. In 1969 he began playing with Muddy
Waters, thus creating a winning combination that continued for 11 years. Then
Pinetop created the Legendary Blues Band, which thrived for 12 years. In 1992
when he began his highly successful solo career he was almost 80, but he still
had plenty of energy.
Photo courtesy of Rich Cibelli He won the Blues Music Award for best
blues piano player for several years in a row, until he took himself out of the
running in 2003, and the award was re-named the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of
the Year. He received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2005, but was still
going strong. He won another Grammy in February 2010 for best traditional blues
album for Joined at the Hip: Pinetop
Perkins & Willie “Big Eyes”
Smith, making him the oldest Grammy winner ever. As B.B. King said, “He was one of the
last great Mississippi Bluesmen. He had such a distinctive voice, and he sure
could play the piano. He will be missed not only by me, but by lovers of music
all over the world.” |
Photo courtesy of Nubiatech Big Jack Johnson – Delta Blues
Guitarist By Dennis Wismer Big Jack Johnson passed away on Johnson got a shot at the big time
circuit following a sit in with the late greats Frank Frost and Sam Carr at The
Savoy Theatre in Big Jack released his solo debut in 1987
on Earwig, The Oilman. Johnson was affectionately known as the oil
man for his years delivering oil barrels in Big Jack Johnson appeared in the
documentary Deep Blues in 1992. He
also wrote and performed Big Jack’s Blues and performed Catfish Medley with Samuel L. Jackson on
the movie soundtrack Black Snake Moan.
He was a favorite at blues festivals, clubs and juke joints the world round
bringing a gritty delta style from his hometown of He will be especially missed by Red
Paden of Red’s Juke Joint in |
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The Kilborn
Alley Blues Band is Headed for By Kat Brown The Kilborn Alley’s Europe Tour is falling
into place. So far we know that they will play an event for the Sydenham Blues
Club in the
Photo courtesy of Bob Paleczny Corporate Memberships Memphis on Main is a corporate member of the Prairie Crossroads
Blues Society. SuperValu
a major grocery supplier that supplies groceries locally to Band Memberships The Kilborn Alley Blues Band has been nominated for Band of the Year by the Blues Music Foundation. Good Luck Guys! They will be leaving for a European tour on May 5. The Sugar Prophets have produced a CD called “The Sugar
Prophets.” The Prophets made it to the finals in the International Blues
Challenge in The Painkillers will be playing a fundraiser for the |
Check out the March 17 issue of Blues Blast magazine
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It was great to see Eric McSpadden again. Yeah, Wolf. He should move back here
where the real hot blues scene is happening! Heh heh. I’m glad our guys are out making friends everywhere. PCBS Business The next Prairie Crossroads Blues Society Meeting is scheduled for April 20 in Room 222 of the Champaign Public Library. Deadline for submission of articles for consideration and ideas for articles to appear in the Inclusive newsletter is April 20. Time-sensitive exceptions will be taken on an individual basis. Inclusive, a newsletter of the PCBS, is always looking for new contributors and submissions of finished or unfinished content. Inclusive Staff Editors: Dennis Wismer Sandy Hannum Kat Brown Contributing Writers: Rich Cibelli James Walker Tech Consultant: Bob Paleczny and BP Computers Mojo Tech: Sherry Cibelli |
Prairie Crossroads Board of Directors President Rich Cibelli Vice President Steve Stoerger Treasurer Teri Stoerger Secretary Greg Altstetter At-large Members Sandy Hannum Tony Odendahl Josh Spence EVENTS Apr
1 – Kilborn
Alley Blues Band – Paco’s Sol Bistro – Apr
2 – Kilborn
Alley Blues Band with special guest Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones – The Phoenix – Apr
2 – The Sugar Prophets – Apr
5, 12, 19, and 26 – Billy Galt & Jeff Kerr – El Taco Bravo – Champaign – 6:30
pm Apr
6 – Kilborn
Alley Blues Band – D.R. Digger’s – Champaign – Apr
7, 14, 21, and 28 – Billy Galt & Jeff Kerr – Ansun
– Apr
16 – The Painkillers – Fundraiser for
the Apr
16 – The Sugar Prophets – Dilligaf Pub – Apr
28 – The Sugar Prophets – Ko-Fusion – May
4 – Kilborn
Alley Blues Band – D.R. Digger’s – Champaign – May
9 – The Blues Deacons – The May
13 – The Sugar Prophets – May
14 – The Painkillers – Iron Post – May
14 – The Blues Deacons – Alto
Vineyards – May
19 – The Sugar Prophets – Bradley
Bourbonnais Sportsman’s Club May
20 – The Sugar Prophets – Alto
Vineyards – May
26 – The Sugar Prophets – Ko-Fusion – C-U BBQ, Open Blues Jam May
28 – The Impalas – Alto Vineyards – June
10 – Candy Foster & the Shades of
Blue – Alto Vineyards - Benefit for the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen – 6 pm – Jeff Helgesen at 7:30 pm June
18 – Candy Foster & the Shades of
Blue – Alto Vineyards – June
24 – Keith and Kathy Harden – Alto
Vineyards – June 24-25 – |
