Héctor Anchondo at the Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill -- March 13.

Sunday, March 13, 3:30 p.m.

The Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 West Locust Street, Davenport IA

With his recent appearances including concert sets for the Chicago Blues Festival, the Big Blues Bender, and the October Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, noted blues guitarist Héctor Anchondo performs a special March 13 concert at Davenport's Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill, with the acclaimed artist the 2020 winner of the solo/duo category in the 2020 International Blues Challenge.

Early in his career, the musician spent time in a popular rock band appropriately named Anchondo, but as he states in his biography at HectorAnchondo.com, the blues was all the while calling him. "I decided to make the change to what my heart really wanted," said the artist. "At one point in my old band, I started playing more guitar and there were some folks that became upset because I wasn’t sticking to just the songs. That broke my heart and I decided that I was going to do what my heart was asking and switch to the blues and really let my guitar loose.” After moving to Chicago and learning from the old- school blues traditions there, said Anchondo, “When I started playing all blues, I wanted to make sure I had an authentic sound. So not only did I move to Chicago to soak up the blues, I also refused to listen to any other style of music for an entire year other than blues. I started on blues then moved to more rock-based. Switching genres later in life, it was important to me to make sure I had a real sound.”

With Anchondo's 2012 album Kicking Up Dust introducing his blues-guitar sound to the Midwest, the musician also released Young Guns in 2014 and Roll the Dice in 2017, the latter a recording that spent 24 weeks on the Roots Music Report. In addition to winning the solo/duo category at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in the solo/duo category, Anchondo also took home the Memphis Cigar Box Guitar Award for best guitarist in the solo/duo competition, where he performed representing the Blues Society of Omaha. It was also Anchondo’s third year performing at the International Blues Challenge as the BSO’s chosen artist. In 2015, the Héctor Anchondo Band made the roster of roughly 50 semifinalists, and the following year, Anchondo's ensemble went all the way to the finals, playing among the top eight bands chosen by judges from the week of performances.

As Anchondo stated, "“I’m proud that I never gave up. There were times of self-doubt and even a couple times where I questioned if I should change my path. My love of music and performing kept me focused on the blues path. My goals are to keep pushing myself to be a better musician, to push to keep growing so I can pay my bandmates more. Most of all, to keep making people happy so they can forget about all the day-in and day-out complexities that make up our daily lives.”

Héctor Anchondo plays his Davenport engagement on March 13, admission to the 3:30 p.m. concert is $5, and more information is available by calling (563)232-8890 and visiting TheGypsyHighway.com.

Support the River Cities' Reader

Get 12 Reader issues mailed monthly for $48/year.

Old School Subscription for Your Support

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Old School Subscribe now.



Help Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93!

 

"We're the River Cities' Reader, and we've kept the Quad Cities' only independently owned newspaper alive and free since 1993.

So please help the Reader keep going with your one-time, monthly, or annual support. With your financial support the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities' area's most comprehensive cultural coverage." - Todd McGreevy, Publisher