The Mississippi Valley Blues Society presents Chris Beard and his band on Sunday August 5 at The Muddy Waters, 1708 State Street, Bettendorf IA. The show begins at 5:00 p.m. Admission is $8 for MVBS members and $10 for non-members (member applications will be available at the door).
When you grow up in a house filled with the blues, when your father grew up on Beale Street, when music was in your DNA, then blues is who you are and what you do.
Born in Rochester, New York, Chris Beard is the son of well-known bluesman Joe Beard. He took the first step of his musical career at the age of five when he picked out the melody for "Green Onions" on the guitar. It was a prophetic beginning, as the funky mix of blues and instrumental panache of the classic Booker T and the MCG's soul instrumental continues to be a hallmark of his style today.
"I grew up as Joe Beard's son in the house of the blues, around Buddy Guy and Matt Murphy," says Chris. "Matt always told me that the guitar has to become an extension of you, and that will always stick with me."
On Sunday, August 5, Beard will be backed by a band of musicians that Beard has recorded and traveled with for many years. (One of the stops on their 2011 tour was the Bandshell stage at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival.)
The objective of the Blues Society is to educate the general public about the native art form of blues-related music through performance, interpretation and preservation, thus enhancing appreciation and understanding. The Society will make all events sponsored by it accessible to the general public by being non-profit and using volunteers.
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