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PORTSMOUTH BLUES FESTVAL 2003
Fleet Bank logo
 Click Here for Education Week Schedule!
DATE:.....Saturday August 16th 2003
TIME:.....11AM to sundown
LOCATION:.Strawbery Banke Museum grounds
..........Map for City Parking
..........TICKETS AVAILABILITY
          (click here)
SPONSORS:.Fleet
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 VOLUNTEERS...We need volunteers! 
 Call Tia at 603-4368596x103 

 EDUCATION WEEK FRIDAY CONCERT
August 15th at 7:30pm
Unitarian Church (State St, Portsmouth)

CURRENT LINEUP

 FEATURE PERFORMER: Marcia Ball

Marcia Ball Singer/pianist Marcia Ball knows how to raise roofs and tear down walls with her infectious, intelligent and deeply emotional brand of southern boogie, rollicking, roadhouse blues and heartfelt ballads. Over the course of her three-decade career, Ball has earned a huge and intensely loyal following all over the world. Her exquisite piano playing and passionate, playful vocals fuse New Orleans and Gulf Coast R&B with Austin's deep songwriting tradition into a sound No Depression described as "a little rock, a lot of roll, a pinch of rhythm and a handful of blues.

"Ball is the bayou queen of the piano, steeped in blues and honky-tonk. When revved... she's a rollicking dynamo spewing heat-seeking triplets from the ivories while her horn-driven band wails. She's also a subtle songwriter and a formidable singer with a wisp of huskiness edging her Cajun-Texan twang."
- Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Raucous, Piano-based Dixie R&BŠclassic Southern songcraft and passion."
- Chicago Tribune

"Rollicking, playful, good time blues and intimate, reflective balladry...her songs ring with emotional depth."
- Rolling Stone

CLICK HERE FOR MARCIA BALL WEBSITE

CHUBBY CARRIER

Chubby Carrier Chubby Carrier is undeniably "The World's Premier Zydeco Showman." He and his Bayou Swamp Band take their highly infectious dance music to clubs, theaters and festivals throughout the United States, Canada and Europe more than 275 nights a year. The Chicago Tribune called them "one of the finer standard bearers of the classic, blues-based zydeco sound among the new generation of Louisiana bands."

Chubby is well known for his show-stealing live performances that leave his fans in a dancing frenzy. He always brings the party with him wherever he goes, and the level of energy and excitement of those live shows has made him one of the most sought-after zydeco acts in the country.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE CHUBBY INFO

JOHN MOONEY

John Mooney John Mooney is on a roll. The new millennium has brought him personal peace and musical inspiration. His recent marriage has given him a new lease on life. Like his momma says, ³If you want to know what´s going on with John, just listen to his music.² That is certainly true on Mooney´s newest release "All I Want". The recording is a brilliant melding of his Delta blues and New Orleans second line roots. Throughout the years he has developed one of the most distinctive and easily identifiable guitar and vocal signatures of anyone alive today.

Part of the original impetus for his interest in music may have filtered down from his grandfather, a musician himself. "He used to play the mandolin and banjo back in the 20's," says Mooney. "He even cut a couple of 78's for the Peerless label that I've heard. It was really hot stuff, a kind of raggy jazz."

"His phrasing, timing and tone are the stuff dreams are made of....His music is thicker than sweet potato pie and spicier than okra gumbo."
Guitar Player
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

LITTLE FREDDIE KING

Freddie King Although the backwoods of Mississippi are only a few hours away, the down-home Delta blues style has, for the most part, evaded the Crescent City. But Little Freddie King, who spent his first 16 years in Mississippi, arrived in New Orleans almost 45 years ago with his own conception of how to approach playing music, and he¹s been developing it ever since. It¹s the same sound that fired the work of Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Freddie¹s cousin, the great Lightnin¹ Hopkins; thus there¹s no trace of the city¹s classic R&B sound in the music of Little Freddie King. This is blues, Mississippi-style.

"One of the last great country blues players, Little Freddie King...lives the blues. He stays in a rundown apartment, in a deteriorating neighborhood, with a domineering wife. He rides a rickety bicycle to and from a downtown, where he rebuilds alternators. He is tormented by ulcers and headaches, but playing his cheap pawn shop guitar makes him feel a little better at the end of the day."
Jeff Hannusch - Offbeat Magazine

THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS

Campbell Brothers Chuck, Phil, and Darick Campbell are an anointed group of accomplished guitarists with instruments tuned to the key of the holy spirit. These musicians were raised in the "sacred steel" style, a rare music tradition rooted in the African-American Holiness-Pentecostal church, commonly known as the House of God.

Tradition: The steel guitar was introduced to church services by Willie Eason in the late 1930's. His single string passages that imitated the African-American singing and shouting voices remain the signature sound of the Keith Dominion steel guitar style. The goal of a good steel player in the church is to use the guitar to mimic voices, to sing lines of the hymns, and to provide praise music that pushes the congregation closer to feeling the Holy Spirit. The Campbells masterfully drive church services, drawing from their diverse background in other musical genres.

"...Chuck steals the show with his pedal steel. The instrument's extra strings, pedals and levers open up a universe of sounds that simply can't be reached on any other kind of guitar, and this man is a master..."
--Jim DeKoster, Living Blues
CLICK HERE FOR THEIR WEBSITE

JAMES COHEN QUARTET

James Cohen James Cohen, originally a rock guitarist for over twenty-five years, has worked with such greats as Mick Ronson and has written and arranged for several bands, winning major Canadian contests as a pop-rock songwriter. His newest CD to be released on Northern Blues records April 2003 was produced by Richard Bell.

In 1999 James's guitar playing‹as part of the group "Del Norte"‹appeared on a compilation CD called "Puro Flamenco" which also featured Ottmar Liebert. This CD is available in all U.S. record stores on the Neurodisc label, as well as the 2002 release on Borealis records 6 Strings North Of the Border' featuring James Cohen's Flamenco piece, The Wind.

Once he was exposed to the outstanding guitar playing of flamenco prodigies Paco De Lucia, Tomatito, and Miguel de la Bastide, there was no turning back for James. He worked day and night learning the complex and subtle rhythms of flamenco, and studied the lightning right-hand techniques of the Spanish gypsies.
CLICK HERE FOR THEIR WEBSITE

RHYTHM METHOD
A lascivous blend of funk, R&B and Blues

Rhythm Method Rhythm Method is much more than your ordinary band. It's exciting blend of soulful blues, driving rock and funky R&B make it one of the most sought after groups on the New England coastline. The secret to the Method's success is it's dedication to the music. Each musician throws all of his heart and soul into every song that the band performs, every night. The goal of the band is a simple one: Play every song with passion and intensity. Whether the song is a soft and beautiful ballad, or a butt shakin', foot stompin' funk tune, the band brings the audience alive with it's unswerving commitment to the tunes. Dedicated fans and first timers alike are guaranteed a fun evening of listening and dancing to great music.
CLICK HERE FOR THEIR WEBSITE

ALSO BOOKED:

Music Maker Relief Foundation presents:
"Sisters of the South":

Beverly Guitar Watkins     BEVERLY "GUITAR" WATKINS
Beverly Watkins started young as the rhythm guitarist in Piano Red's popular early '60s outfit Piano Red & The Interns. The Atlanta native recorded with Piano Red on sessions from 1959-'66, including his popular singles Dr. Feelgood and Right String But the Wrong Yo Yo. Grounded in R&B, gospel, and jazz, as well as blues, Watkins is a regular performer at Underground Atlanta, and is known for her extensive bag of guitar tricks.

Essie Mae Brooks     ESSIE MAE BROOKS
Essie Mae Brooks was born in Houston County, Georgia in 1930. Her father was a great drummer in the nearly forgotten African-American tradition called "Drumbeat." He would play the drum every weekend and people would gather and dance all night long. Her grandfather was a harmonica player and Essie started singing to accompany him. She began singing and writing gospel songs as a girl and has never stopped.

Sweet Betty     SWEET BETTY
Born near Atlanta, Sweet Betty grew up listening to gospel music, and influenced by her mother's church singing, began performing during parties at friends' homes. In the mid '80's, she met saxophonist Grady "Fats" Jackson, and his friend, the former Muddy Waters guitarist, "Steady Rollin" Bob Margolin. She has performed with both these artists, and extensively in Europe, where she sang with Magic Slim, a 2001 Portsmouth Blues Festival performer. In 1993, Betty and Jackson shared a cameo appearance in the movie, "Simple Twist of Fate," starring Steve Martin.

ALSO FEATURING:
Week of Blues Workshops to be announced

TICKET AVAILABILITY:

Online Tickets BUY TICKETS ONLINE
OR STOP IN AT ONE OF
THE LOCATIONS BELOW:

Tickets are $30 in advance;
$35 (cash only) day of event.

Available in New Hampshire at:
Redhook Ale Brewery
The Press Room
Strawbery Banke Museum Ticket Booth (603-433-1100) and the Music Hall Box Office (603-436-2400) all in Portsmouth.

Also at
Baldface Books, Dover
Ted Herbert¹s Music Store, Manchester
Exeter Music, Exeter
and The Vintage Fret Shop, Ashland.

In Maine at:
Fleet Bank
(One City Center), Portland;
and Fleet Bank, Saco

In Massachusetts at:
Dyno Records, Newburyport.

For credit card purchases
call the Music Hall Box Office
603-436-2400.

For more information, call:
603-436-8596 x103 M-F 9-5
Children 12 & under admitted free!
Photo ID required for admission to Beer Tent. No pets, please.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION:
Volunteer Orientation Meeting
Tuesday August 12, 7:00-8:30pm
Edward Seybolt Building
Next to Portsmouth City Hall
All volunteers are required to attend.
Volunteers work for 2-3 hours at the festival, and receive free all-day admittance and a souvenir t-shirt.
The Blues Bank Collective is a W.C.Handy Award
winning blues education organization whose mission is:
  • To further awareness of Blues Music and its African American heritage
  • To show the historic context that gave birth to the Blues
  • To use the music as a means of positive social change
    And, whenever possible, to eliminate all forms of racism, intolerance and prejudice.

    • Partner logos
    Blues Music Assoc Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce Blues Foundation Year of the Blues
    DRAWING: B. J. Johnson (1906-1986) was a great Portsmouth bluesman and teacher, as well as an inspiration to all who knew him. Art by Steven Lee.
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