Little Bobby & the Storm, 2 p.m.
Bobby Houle makes his home in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. He is a third-generation musician who was born in Red Lake Reservation and eventually followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Robert "Bashful Bob" Houle, a member of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame and National Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and father, Robert Houle Jr. Bobby, who is legally blind, is the lead vocalist and guitar player of the group. The other band members are Rod Bondy on guitar, Mike "The Axe" Axvig on bass, Dan Dahlin on drums, Glen Bowen on harp, and Sweet Paulie T on the keys.
A self-taught musician like his elders, Houle began playing guitar in high school. He wasn't exactly following in his grandfather's and father's footsteps of country music. Houle said: "I don't know how I fell into the blues, but once I did I was hooked on it." Houle said the blues genre is the only musical genre where musicians are "holding the door open for other musicians."
Little Bobby & the Storm just released its third CD. Now, at age 31, Houle has been writing and performing blues and has been touring in the Midwest and other festivals around the country. Bobby says: "I love playing the blues, because each performance will be different from the previous performance." Little Bobby's style varies from traditional to Texas blues with a personal Native American touch. Little Bobby and the Storm is an up-and-coming band that I am sure you will be hearing more of.
- Michael Livermore
Phil Guy, 4 p.m.
Phil Guy was born in Lettsworth, Louisiana, on April 28, 1940, where his parents sharecropped on a plantation. Phil is one of three boys and two girls. As a child he was inspired by records he heard of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and especially the guitar playing of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Although Phil is left-handed, he taught himself to play guitar right-handed like his older brother Buddy Guy. Phil first performed in public when he sat in with "Big Poppa" John Tilley's band, which Buddy Guy played with. At 15, he got his first paying gig with a band led by Raful Neal after being recommended by Buddy, who was moving to Chicago.
Raful talked Phil's parents (still living in Lettsworth) into allowing Phil to move in with his family in Baton Rouge. In addition to being like a father, Raful was a musical mentor to Phil. He performed around the Baton Rouge area for 12 years until he got a call from brother Buddy in 1969 to come to Chicago and get ready for a two-month U.S. State Department tour of Africa. The following year, Phil joined Buddy for "The Festival Express," a tour of Canada with rock stars Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, among many others.
Back in Chicago, Phil worked a lot with bands of Buddy and Junior Wells at Teresa's and the Checkerboard Lounge. For the past several years, when not working with his band in Chicago clubs, Phil performs as a solo act in Canada, Europe, and South America. He has recorded seven albums as a leader, all on overseas labels.
- Jimmie Jones
Teresa James, 6 p.m.
Teresa James, vocals and piano, has made a career of exploring music. From folk to country, salsa, and more, James has chased trends until she decided to "just do the music we love." The result is a sound that she describes as "funky and greasy, where New Orleans meets Texas blues and everyone has a good time."
She is a forceful combination of dusky blues, rock, gospel, and dark folk with a Southern soul. Many label James the female version of Delbert McClinton, citing their similar styles and gutsy vocals. Though she was undoubtedly influenced by participating in some of Delbert's famous cruises, her craft reflects a lifetime of hard work, talent, and love poured into music.
This year has brought James and her band critical acclaim and national exposure. Her husband, Terry Wilson, plays bass and is the main songwriter, producer, and "creative genius." Their new CD The Bottom Line is garnering a lot of attention. Songs such as "Whet My Appetite" and "In the Pink" are quickly gaining air time on XM Satellite Radio. And her recent nomination by the Blues Foundation for this year's Contemporary Female Artist of the Year has added to the buzz. According to Hal Horowitz from the All Music Guide, "the playing is tight, the tunes are tough, and James sounds loose and enthusiastic, resulting in one of her finest albums."
- Laura Ernzen
Jimmy Thackery, 8 p.m.
I've known Jimmy Thackery for a long time - I have pictures of him in the Nighthawks in 1972 - and I've always been a big fan of his guitar playing. He's right up there among my all-time favorite guitar players, with people like Hendrix and Robbie Robertson. No matter if he's playing a club or a festival, he'll always unleash an intense volley of rockin' blues guitar guaranteed to leave crowds emotionally spent. On his Web site, he says, "I put all my senses on hold and find the zone and follow what's inside. There's an electricity from your mind to your heart to your fingers. You just try and remember to breathe."
Of his time with Muddy Waters, he said: "Muddy was one of those guys who was constantly encouraging. He never told you what to do, but he always told you what you were doing wrong. He never minced words about that. The first time on stage with Muddy, I was in such awe of him that I just kept my eyes and ears open and just picked up on everything he did. It was the dynamics they had that became so ingrained in us. We heard it on the records and then stood on stage and saw how it worked."
Thackery left the Nighthawks in 1987 because he wanted the opportunity to write and put newer material into the sets. First he formed the Assassins, an all-star R&B/funk band from the DC area, and recorded three albums with them. Then, in 1992, Thackery put together his three-piece band called the Drivers to highlight his explosive guitar and hit the blues highway. They played the Mississippi Valley "Flood Fest" of 1993, and now Jimmy & the Drivers are back here again. Don't miss this set!
- Karen McFarland
Koko Taylor, 10 p.m.
Koko Taylor is a living legend! She's Chicago's and the world's undisputed queen of the blues!
After having serious health problems in late 2003, she recovered, got back to the studio, and came out with her first album in seven years, the well-received Old School.
Koko's sung with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, and many more during her long, illustrious career.
She's received Grammy nominations for seven of her last eight Alligator Records releases. She also won a Grammy in 1984 for the live multi-artist album Blues Explosionon Atlantic Records. In 2004 she was presented with the coveted National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. She holds 25 Blues Music Awards (more than any other blues artist, male or female). She was also awarded the RiverRoad Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 from the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.
I've seen Koko a few times, and seeing her live is great! She has a raw energy that electrifies the audience. She's singing the blues just as powerfully now as at any time in her almost 50 years of blues performances.
Like I said, this lady is a living legend! This is one show you don't want to miss!
- Steve Heston
