Tinner Hill Blues Festival Brings The Blues Back to Falls Church

Beverly Guitar Watkins at the 2013 Tinner Hill Blues Festival

The weekend of Friday June 9 through Sunday June 11, the City of Falls Church will host the 24th Annual Tinner Hill Blues Festival. Produced by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation in conjunction with the City, the Fesival will feature such performers as Mud Morganfield, The Nighthawks, Beverly ‘Guitar’ Watkins and more. There are both free and ticketed events throiughout the Little City in Northern Virginia.

Blues on Broad 

The Festival opens Friday with the opening event, Blues on Broad, at the Mad Fox Brewing Company at 440 W Broad Street with their craft beers, a live band and terrific food. This runs from 5 to 8 PM and there will be an admission. After 8PM, blues continues at various locations in Falls Church. The full list of bands and venues will be polsted on the Tinner Hill website and the Festival’s Facebook page.

Concert in the Park

Saturday, the Blues moves to Cherry Hill Park, 223 Little Falls Street. In the morning there will be blues performers at the City’s weekly Farmer’s Market along with the showing of Blues Films, a workshop-presentation, and kids programs including an instrument petting zoo. There is an admission charge for the Saturday concert and tickets can be purchased ahead at time per the Facebook page or website. After the concert there will be a Blues Crawl at various venues. Also, the Festival wristband will allow one to the 50% off admission to JV’s Restaurant.

Linwood Taylor

 

Concert in the Park starts at 1PM (doors open at noon) with the music of Linwood Taylor (shown performing in the video above), a mainstay in the DC blues scene for more than three decades. Living Blues called Linwood “…one of finest contemporary blues guitar on the road today.” His style reflects influences of true guitar icons like Muddy Waters, Albert King, ALbert Collins and Jimi Hendrix. Linwood has played an in-demand guitarist who has played across the U.S. and Europe. His touring credits include legends Lonnie Mack, Albert Collins, and Joe Louis Walker. His two-year stint with Walker included performing with him on the 2010 Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise and is on recordings from this cruise. On the local scene, he’s been awarded several WAMMIES for “Best Blues Band.”

Kareem “Lil’ Maceo” Walkes

Linwood will be followed by saxophonist Kareem “Lil’ Maceo” Walkes (performing above) with special guest, Slam Allen. Walkes, a newcomer to the DC area, is one of its most thrilling and emotive performers of funk, soul, and blues. Pushing boundaries as a composer, performer, and recording artist, his playing, though inspired by Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer, and others, displays his own fresh ideas and distinctive tone. A native New Yorker, Walkes has been breathing powerful, soulful, raw energy into his saxophone since the age of 18.  He has performed and toured with numerous artists including Cyril Neville, Maceo Parker, Papa J & Mo Soul, Grant Green Jr., Frank Viele & The Manhattan Project, blues legend Moe Holmes, Grammy Award winner John Mayer, music icon Cyndi Lauper, and New York Blues Hall of Famer, Slam Allen. Walkes’ 4th album, “His Name Is Kareem” was released in April. He has also written and produced for R&B recording artist, Rhoda.

Kareem Walkes with Slam Allen at the 2016 Pennsylvania Blues Festival

Appearing with Walkes will be Slam Allen who is taking off his own busy schedule to join Walkes. The two have played multiple events together including the 2016 Pennsylvania and D.C. Blues Festivals. Allen is one of the most dynamic and original blues and soul artists on the scene today. More than just a singer, writer, and guitar player, Allen connects with his audience like entertainers from a bygone era. Think Otis Redding, and B.B., Albert, and Freddie King, with a blend of Wilson Picket, James Brown, Sly Stone and a little George Benson and Jimi Hendrix thrown in to make a unique musical experience. He spent nine years as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and band leader for James Cotton and is also credited with writing and singing on Cotton’s 2011 Grammy-nominated album, “Giant. ” As a solo performer, he is the recipient of the prestigious Master Blues Artist award from the New York Blues Hall of Fame. He was also a 2016 Blues Music Award nominee. With seven original albums under his belt, Slam Allen is dedicated to forging his own legacy in the Blues and Soul world.

Beverly "Guitar’ Watkins

Beverly "Guitar’ Watkins (seen performing above) is next and describes her blues,“My style is real Lightnin’ Hopkins lowdown blues. I call it hard classic blues, stompin’ blues, railroad smokin’ blues.” If you’ve never seen a blues lady who can play guitar behind her head, belt out powerful songs and lay down James Brown steps, you’ve never been in the audience when Beverly “Guitar” Watkins was burning down the house. As a teen, she teamed up with the legendary Piano Red and for the next six decades, she has rocked venues with the best of them. Through the years, Watkins has stolen the hearts and blown the minds of audiences across the U.S., Europe, and Australia. And, she is not about to give up her striding, acrobatic style just because she’s marched past 70. Beverly Guitar means business! This Georgia Music Legend Award Winner has worked with James Brown, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Taj Mahal, and played on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. She also had a residency at Underground Atlanta, an Atlanta nightclub. Beverly Watkins is also on the cover of the current Living Blues with her story told there. This is her second appearance at a Tinner Hill Blues Festival and we’re delighted to welcome her back!

Tas Cru & His Band of Tortured Souls

Tas Cru & His Band of Tortured Souls (seen performing above) brings to the stage one of the new original and unique voices in the blues today. Raucous, rowdy, gentle, sweet, eccentric, quirky, and outright irreverent are all words that fittingly describe Tas Cru’s songs and testify to his reputation as a one of the most unique of bluesmen plying his trade today. As Downbeat magazine notes, “His songs are blues poetry - crafted with rare verbal flair and his ability to cast a memorable hook is magical!” Bruce Iglauer, founder and president of Alligator Records calls Cru “a rare, real writer.”  Live, these songs are performed with power and passion as observed by Living Blues magazine: “The vivacity and sheer joy with which Cru plays is intoxicating!” His most recent new album, “Simmered and Stewed,” released in 2016 on VizzTone Records is receiving wide acclaim and extensive worldwide airplay.  It’s a worthy follow-up to Cru’s 2015 album, You Keep the Money, the hottest debuting blues album of that year, which spent a year residing at or near the very top of every major blues chart.  He has also recorded five othger albums of original songs.

Based out of upstate New York, Cru performs in a variety of formats ranging from solo acoustic to a 7-piece backing band. He’s appeared at a number of festivals and major blues venues throughout the US and Canada. Cru explored and developed his talent by taking up with a rougher crowd of older, self-taught musicians where he was introduced to the songs of the Sun Records legends.  His first foray into the blues came after leaving the US Navy when he was asked to join a band formed by a former shipmate and bluesman, Delray Streeter, whose repertoire tended toward the older and much rawer country blues.  This schooling in country blues later served Cru well and is infused into his original songs.

The Nighthawks

The Nighthawks (Seen performing above) then will come up for a full set before they back Mud Morganfield for his closing set. Just four years after its formation, The Nighthawks began a friendship and musical association with the great Muddy Waters. Initially, Mark Wenner contacted Muddy’s manager, Scott Cameron, and persuaded him to provide Wenner with Muddy’s schedule. Wenner contacted numerous venues and offered to open the shows. The first one was a weekend at The Pier in Raleigh, NC and Muddy invited all four ‘Hawks to join in a multi-song jam. After that incredible engagement, there were week long stints at The Cellar Door in Washington, DC as well as shows at Painters Mill, MD, Emerald City in Cherry Hill, NJ and the Bucks County Blues Society in PA. In 1978, Muddy recommended the band to Wise Fools, a club in Chicago, and when The Nighthawks arrived, the place was abuzz with the news that Muddy made reservations for himself and his young wife, Sunshine. In 1979, The Nighthawks album for Adelphi, “Jacks and Kings” featured Pinetop perkins and Bob Margolin from Muddy’s Band. In 1980, the Nighthawks, now represented by Rosebud, Muddy’s booking agency, opened shows for him from Seattle to San Diego on its first west coast tour. The night Muddy died, the band was on stage with John Hammond, Billy Joel, and Toru Oki playing Got my Mojo Workin’ at the Bottom Line in New York City.

When The Nighthawks first heard Mud Morganfield (seen performing above) on his Severn recording, For Pops, they were totally blown away. Given a chance to back Mud in North Carolina, the band found itself in an amazing situation. Mud’s look, voice, gestures - his entire aura - channeled his famous father. After a number of shows, including the January 2017 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise with Mud, The Nighthawks are excited to have a hometown show with him at the Tinner Hill Blues Festival. Baltimore’s Steve Kraemer will join the show on piano to give the band that real Chicago sound.

Mud Morganfield

Closing the Concert Cherry Hill park will be Muddy Waters’ first born son, Larry “Mud” Morganfield (born 1954). Mud was raised by his mother and often heard the nicknames of “Muddy”, “Muddy Jr.” and “Little Muddy,” but prefers Mud Morganfield and it is fitting.  It’s uncanny how much he looks and sounds like his dad. Growing up, Mud rarely saw his famous father, “he was always on the road working” but, as he notes, the old man was always there for him. “I always have played music. Pops used to buy me a set of drums every Christmas. I started off as a drummer and gradually went to playing bass…” Only recently has Mud stepped forward to embrace his musical gifts—a big voice that can only be compared to his daddy’s.

Mud is now ready to honor his Pops and his music. “I started to sing to show the world that Dad left me here. I love and am proud to sing his songs just like I love and will always be proud of him. I’m not Muddy Waters and I’m certainly not trying to be Muddy Waters. I’m Mud Morganfield. But when I’m up on stage I always feel Pops is there with me and it means so much that I can get on stage and keep his music alive around the world.” Mud’s award-winning album, “Son of the Seventh Son”, was launched on Severn Records in 2012 and was nominated in the Best Album and the Traditional Blues Male Artist Album categories of the 2013 Blues Foundation Blues Music Awards. In 2014, Mud’s collaboration with Kim Wilson, the album “For Pops,” attracted more critical acclaim and awards.

Sunday Gospel Blues Picnic

The Festival concludes Sunday, Juen 11, with the free Old Fashion Gospel Blues Picnic. This takes place at the Tinner Hill Historic Site at 116 Tinner Hill St. Performing will be The Carter Singers and The Barbour Travelers. There will be free lemonade and sweet tea available along with food for sale.

For more information visit www.tinnerhill.org or the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Tinner-Hill-Blues-Festival–370763756356394/.

Tinner Hill Blues Salutes Blues Divas June 10 at State Theatre

The Tinner Hill Blues Festival returns to Falls Church on the weekend of June 10 through 12 with a exciting program of Blues and Gospel. Among the artists to be presented is a Friday evening show at The State Theatre with the legendary Mabel John, a full day of blues on Saturday at Cherry Hill Park with former Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker sideman Mac Arnold and keyboard wizard Victor Wainright. On Sunday there will be an Old Fashioned Blues Gospel Concert and Picnic at the Tinner Hill Historic Site.

This entry focuses on Friday night's State Theatre Concert-A Salute To Blues Divas which in addition to Mabel John, also will present Trudy Lynn and Gaye Adegbalola and the Wild Rutz. The show starts at 8:00PM with Doors opening at 7:00 PM.

Mabel John was for many years the lead singer with the Raylettes who supported Ray Charles. She was the brother of Little Willie John and was one of the first act to have a recording on the Motown subsidiary, Tamla label. After several years with the Raylettes, she was signed to Stax where she recorded her hit "Your Good Thing Is About To End," and other songs like "Able Mabel," and "You're Taking Up Another Man's Place."  After another stint with the Raylettes, she retired from secular music although in recent years she has established herself as an actress and still appears at Festivals  (including the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival in 2011 and the 2015 Ponderosa Stomp) where she still wows audiences. It is a real coup for the Tinner Hill Blues Festival to present this musical legend.

Houston's Trudy Lynn is a big-voiced blues and soul vocalist whose career bgan in groups and clubs in Houston. In the 1960's she sang with guitarist Albert Collins and then later, Clarence Green. Her recording career began in 1989 with the Ichiban label. Her album "Trudy Sings the Blues" had riveting renditions of "Ball & Chain" and "Come To Mama." After Ichiban folded she recorded " U Don't Know What Time It Is" for Ruf Records which had Lucky Peterson's keyboards and Bernard Allison's guitar. In more recent years she was associated with the late Calvin Owens orchestra, appearing on his recordings and his Orchestra backed her for the Blues Music Award Soul-Blues Nominee "I'm Still Here." Her most recent recording is the terrific "Royal Oaks Blues Cafe" from 2014. About that recording I wrote, "The closing Whip it To A Jelly further displays how nuanced a singer Lynn is as she brings out humor and wit of Clara Smith’s lyrics, Many blue singers today would come across as emotive or heavy-handed singing this. Her ability to convincingly deliver so many shades of blues makes 'Royal Oaks Blues Café' such a terrific recording."

Many will know Gaye Adegbalola from the trio, Saffire- the Uppity Blues Women, which she was such an integral part of for several decades. With the demise of Saffire, Gaye has formed a unique vocal group, Gaye Adegbalola & the Wild Rūtz whose first recording "Is It Still Good to Ya?," has been nominated for a Blues Music Award for acoustic blues album. Her website describes the music as "In this world of screaming electrified instrumental acrobatics and digital perfectionism, this CD delights in returning to our RUTZ! It celebrates the Creator's primary instruments: THE VOICE and THE BEATS. 4 unique voices combine with percussion and occasional guitar to add a previously unrecorded dimension to the blues. All 14 songs are Gaye's originals." Along the powerful blues and soul of Trudy Lynn and Mabel John, this will make the State Theatre on June 10, a night with the Blues Divas you will not want to miss.

For more information, including ticket information, visit tinnerhill.org.

21st Tinner Hill Blues Festival -June 13-June 15

Teeny Tucker and Robert Hughes at 2009 DC Blues Festival.

Falls Church, Virginia hosts a weekend of Blues, Brew and BBQ with the 21st Tinner Hill Blues Festival which runs Friday June 13th through Sunday June 15. The Festival, which is a tribute to the late Northern Virginia Blues Legend John Jackson, will feature the blues talents of Shemekia Copeland, Teeny Tucker, Mississippi Heat and Ursula Ricks as well as area favorites Tom Principato and Cathy Ponton King. The Tinner Hill Blues Festival is produced by The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation which celebrates the legacy of the first rural Virginia NAACP chapter that was founded in 1915, which they will be celebrating the centennial in January 2015.

Friday, June 13th the Festival opens with Shemekia Copeland at The State Theatre, 222 N. 33 1/3” on Telarc which Howard Reich of The Chicago Tribune called “a gripping, stripped-to-basics release that reaffirms her position as one of the great hopes for the art form.”

Shemekia Copeland at 2009 Pocono Blues Festival

Washington Street in Falls Church. Shemekia Copeland is the daughter of Texas legend Johnny Clyde Copeland and began singing with her father while a teenager. After her father passed away, she started performing on her own and signed with the Alligator label with whom she had several award winning recordings before signing with her current label Telarc. Shemekia is a two-time Grammy nominee, multiple Handy Award-Blues Music Award honoree, winner of several Living Blues Critics and Readers Awards for Outstanding Female Blues Vocalist as well as DownBeat Award Winner for Rising Star Blues Artist. At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, In addition, the city of Chicago, state of Illinois, and Joyce “Cookie” Threatt, daughter of Koko Taylor, surprised Shemekia onstage with her mother’s tiara, and crowned her “The new Queen of the Blues” at the Chicago Blues Festival. Her most recent album is “

Opening for Shemekia will be Sol Roots. Sol Roots is a fine guitarist (actually multi-instrumentalist and singer that creates a blend of energetic rock, raw blues, reggae, and funk, all delivered with deep soul. Sol, who regularly plays at such venues as The Hamilton Live and JVs, has toured with many roots, funk, and blues legends around the world as a part of Music Maker Revue (and accompanied Beverly Watkins and Albert White at the 2013 Tinner Hill Blues Festival).

Saturday, June 13, the Festival moves to Cherry Hill Park on Park Avenue in Falls Church. In the morning, there will be acoustic blues played at the weekly Farmer’s Market held in the Falls Church City Hall Parking lot. There will be other events held including a panel discussion TBA before the main program begins at Cherry Hill Park.

This year’s Saturday line-up is headlined by Teeny Tucker. Teeny is the daughter of Tommy Tucker, best known for one of the great blues standards, High Heel Sneakers. Teeny has developed into a singer of great power and nuance whose performances include her salutes to some of the great blues women of the past and choice originals. Her powerful singing will conjure up memories of such legends as Lavern Baker, Big Mama Thornton and Koko Taylor. In fact, her rendition of Koko’s Voodoo Woman opens her new album Voodoo To Do You. Teeny’s band is led by an outstanding guitarist Robert Hughes, who in addition to being a terrific musician and collaborator with teeny, is an outstanding photographer who was recently named Ohio Professional Photographer of the Year. About her album Keep The Blues Alive, I wrote that the album “will certainly build Teeny’s audience. There is some exceptional material on this and Teeny is fabulous.”

Mississippi Heat is a band that is led by harmonica player Pierre Lacocque who also contributes most of the new material. Mississippi Heat has always been a band that has focused on an ensemble sound and supporting its singers and for over two decades been playing strong Chicago blues. Lacocque himself plays in the Little Walter tradition. The band has a marvelous vocalist, Inetta Visor who has been with the group since 2001. Her powerful, Etta James-like voice on Footprints On The Ceiling, Glad You're Mine, and One Eye Open are always highlights of the performances. Other members of the band include guitarist Michael Dotson, bassist Brian Quinn and crummy Kenny “Beedy Eyes’ Smith. Kenny Smith, like Shemekia Copeland and Teeny Tucker, is a child of a legendary blues artist, in this car the long-time drummer with Muddy Waters, Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith. Of the Mississippi Heat’s last Delmark recording Delta Bound, I wrote “One continues to get impressed by Mississippi Heat. Pierre Lacocque continues to write interesting and varied new blues songs which are rooted in the blues and not blues-rock. Match the material with the tight backing, strong solos and excellent vocals and he continues to bring us after 20 years first-rate and fresh-sounding, new blues.”

Baltimore’s Ursula Ricks has been a presence on the Baltimore and Washington blues scenes for a couple decades, Ursula Ricks certainly sounds poised to break out to the National music scene and her recent recording My Street (Severn Records) displays another singer of considerable maturity. She is a powerful singer, whose smoky and husky vocals are outstanding. Her controlled, unforced delivery stands out in a manner akin to Nina Simone. She never bellows, screams or sounds constipated. Rather she evokes classic sixties soul recordings by the like of Carol Fran or Betty Everett. About My Street, I wrote “The songs and her vocals ring with conviction and the backing is excellent on a superb recording that will hopefully enable Ms. Ricks to receive the recognition and rewards her talent and music deserves.” I am not the only person to notice this as she will be appearing at the Pennsylvania Blues Festival as well.

Tom Principato

Other performers on Saturday include Baatin, Tom Principato and Cathy Ponton King. Tom Principato is one of the most celebrated, blues and roots performers in the Washington DC area. An able singer, he is a fabulous guitarist rooted in blues but who incorporates rockabilly, swing jazz and country boogie into an irresistible sound. One of the few guitarists who could spar with the late Danny Gatton, Principato always puts on some energetic performances. watching him perform, one will understand why he is in demand in Europe. Of a recent recording A Part of Me, I wrote that it “is a typically strong album by Tom Principato with a varied collection of material, superbly and imaginatively performed and sung straight from Tom’s heart.” Cathy Ponton King is another local favorite who brings plenty of warmth with her heartfelt vocals and guitar playing. She always has a terrific band and you never know whether saxophonist Ron Holloway or pianist Daryl Davis might show up to play with her this day.

I will be updating this blog post with more information as it becomes available on the Festival including the Sunday, June 15th, Blues Brunch. For more information on this year’s festival, check out http://tinnerhill.org/blues-festival.

All photos in this blog entry © Ron Weinstock. Here is a video of Ursula Rick.

Sista Monica at the 2013 Tinner Hill Blues Festival-1997

2013-0608 Tinner Hill Blues Festival-1997, a photo by NoVARon on Flickr.

The annual Tinner Hill Blues Festival was at Cherry Hill Park in the City of Falls Church, Virginia for a full afternoon of blues. 

Perhaps the highlight for me was Sista Monica Parker and her band that included the DC area's marvelous Deanna Bogart on saxophone. Sista Monica Parker is aA vocalist with power and nuance, she can caress a lyric before belting out her heartbreak or defiance. Mix in her ability to communicate with the audience in introducing her songs and her excellent band with Danny B on keyboards, and one has one superb blues performance.

Pearl Bailes, Eleanor Ellis and Gina DeSimone of the Acoustic Blues Women

It was a day of marvelous blues which opened with acoustic blues by Sheryl Warner and the Southside Housewreckers (Greg Kimball on guitar and Rick Manson on harmonica) and The Acoustic Blues Woman (Eleanor Ellis and Gina DeSimone on guitars, Pearl Bailes on harmonica and Pat Quinn on bass) both providing lively versions of classic blues from the twenties and thirties. Roy Bookbinder played a mix of classics from Gary Davis and Pink anderson as well as originals in the style of early ragtime influenced blues.

Beverly 'Guitar' Watkins

The mood got electric with Albert White and Beverly 'Guitar' Watkins representing the Music Maker Relief Foundation with Sol Roots on bass. White is a very soulful performer on his own and did a couple songs before Ms. Watkins, whose career extends over 50 years told her she was back in business. Besides her guitar theatrics, one of the highlight's was her rendition of Roy Lee Johnson's "Mr. Moonlight" which some will be familiar from The Beatles cover. Johnson and her were members of Piano Red's Band (I believe it was known as Dr. Feelgood & the Interns at the time), and still play together at times.

Next up was Sista Monica who I already have raved about. After Monica, Daryl Davis came on the pump some boogie woogie, blues and rock and roll. Chris Polk was with him on guitar and Deanna Bogart joined Daryl for his set as Daryl showed why he is a "Boogie Woogie Man," and even channeled Chuck Berry in his set (Daryl is Chuck's East Coast pianist).

Chris Polk on guitar and Daryl Davis

The only mis-booking was Mary Ann Redmond whose set only gave a nod to blues, although she is a fine singer and her band with guitarist Dan Hovey is excellent. Just that it was not blues. The day closed with Big Bill Morganfield channeling his legendary father Muddy Waters with some fabulous blues opening with "Blow Wind Blow Wind," and included "Hootchie Kootchie Man." His band included two harmonica players. It ended a fabulous day of music. I was pleased to volunteer at this festival which has one of the strongest blues line-ups in the Mid-Atlantic region. Congratulations to Nikki and Ed Henderson, the moving forces behind the Tinner Hill Foundation and the Festival.

Phil Wiggins and the Chesapeake Sheiks

2013-0607 Tinner Hill Blues Festival-6070133, a photo by NoVARon on Flickr.

It was a wonderful evening at the State Theatre in Falls Church Virginia last night as the Tinner Hill Blues Festival kicked off with a terrific evening of acoustic blues headlined by John Hammond.

Opening was Phil Wiggins and the Chesapeake Sheiks which surprised and delighted with a performance that included some gypsy jazz inflected swing as well as blues. What a terrific set of material that included Duke Ellington's "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," the standard "Rosetta" that is best associated with Earl 'Fatha' Hines and "Roberta," which was one of the great tunes that Phil did with John Cephas.

The excellent band included Matt Kelley on guitar, Marcus Moore on violin, Eric Shranek on bass and Ian Walters on piano. It was a refreshing set and when I asked about whether this showed a bit of the late Howard Armstrong's influence after the show, Phil mentioned he had done some of this material with the late West Virginia performer, Nat Reese.

Roy Bookbinder was marvelous with his wry humor, wonderful guitar playing (one of Reverend Gary Davis' students) and John Hammond conjured up Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Big Joe Williams in a fabulous set.

I should mention that I am a volunteer with this wonderful festival that continues today at Cherry Hill Park.

More on the Tinner Hill Blues Festival

The Tinner Hill Blues Festival promises to be an amazing weekend of blues music, June 7-9. I previously have detailed the Friday, June 7 State Theater concert headlined by John Hammond along with Phil Wiggins and the Chesapeake Sheiks as well as the Saturday June 8 Cherry Hill Park Festival line-up headlined by Sista Monica and Big Bill Morganfield. These are not the only events taking place at this year’s Festival.

The Festival opens on Friday night, and prior to the start of the State Theatre show, the Festival starts as part of the First Friday of Falls Church, a monthly event held in downtown Falls Church. There will be free music performances from 6 to 8 PM including JackWagon Band at Art and Frame of Falls Church, 111 Park Ave  Falls Church; Blue Pop & the Plucker at Stifel & Capra, 260 W. Broad Street; and Lu & the Blues Crew at Famous Dave's BBQ at 370 W. Broad Street. Also taking place at Art and Frame will be “Call it the Blues,” an art exhibition focusing on the meaning of the "blues" from an artist’s perspective. Meet the Artist reception at Art and Frame of Falls Church.  The show is being organized by artist and collector, Irena Chambers.

Saturday morning there will be Early Morning Blues, local musical blues performances at the weekly Fall Church Farmer’s Market at the Falls Church City Hall Parking Lot. 

Eleanor Ellis's film, Blues House Party is being
shownat this year's Tinner Hill Blues Festival.
She also is participating in a panel Virginia Blues Voices:
Performing, Preserving and Innovating
and performing as part of the Acoustic Blues Women.
Photo © Ron Weinstock

Also that morning at the Mary Riley Styles Library, 121 N Virginia Avenue, will be Sing Books with Emily - Singing story time with Singable Picture Books. Hear and Sing “Ruby Sings the Blues” “I Love a Blue Frog” and more! Emily combines music and illustrated songs in a fun, educational, interactive, and engaging performance for children, caregivers, educators, and anyone with a love of song. Additionally there will be an exhibit Old Dominion Songsters: Traditional Blues in Virginia. This is a panel exhibit on Piedmont blues and Virginia songsters, on loan from the Library of Virginia.

At the Falls Church Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street, there will be screening of three films where one can also meet the film makers: 

John Jackson: a Blues Treasure, Award winning documentary on the life and music of John Jackson. Meet the award winning producer and film maker Beverly Lindsay Johnson.

John ‘Uncle Homer’ Walker, The Banjo Man the last known African American Claw hammer style Banjo Player (1898-1980) presented by Tanya Gaskins-Hardy, Local genealogist & historian.

Blues House Party  Music, Dance and Stories by Masters of the Piedmont Blues, this 57-minute film provides a rare front-row seat to a private house party that is as down home and authentic as they come. Meet producer Eleanor Ellis who is also performing at the Festival.

Taking place at 10:00 am - 11:30 am in front of Cherry Hill Farm House is a panel discussion - Virginia’s Blues Voices: Performing, Preserving and Innovating, a intergenerational panel discussion with blues legends, music lovers and cutting edge next generation blues musicians.  The panel discussion will explore, document and share the history and evolution, present and future of blues music with a focus on Virginia Piedmont Blues styles. Participants in this panel include (but not limited to): Gregg Kimball; Eleanor Ellis; John Hammond; Roy Book Binder; Phil Wiggins; Rick Franklin; and David Cole.

Also, over the weekend there will be additional live musical performances at other businesses including Famous Dave’s BBQ, Clare and Don’s Beach Shack, Dogwood Tavern, Argia’s, Stifel & Capra, Creative Cauldron, Red, White & Blue, JVs, Wine and Gourmet shop plus more!

The Archie Edwards Jambassadors will be at the Mad Fox Brewing Company. Photo © Ron Weinstock

Sunday morning the feestival concludes with the Blues Brunch at the Mad Fox Brewing Company. The Blues Brunch will feature the Jambassadors of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation. Mad Fox Brewing Company is at 444 West Broad Street, Suite I.

Accommodations Information

For those coming from outside the area and wishing to stay in falls Church over night, there are several economical convenient hotels and inns.

Marriott TownPlace Suites is within walking distance of all activities. It is located at 205 Hillwood Ave. 703-237-6172 

Inns of Virginia, within walking distance of all activities is at 421 W Braod Street. (703) 533-1100.

Marriott Fairview Inn, full service Marriott is a 5 minute drive from the activities. It is located at 3111 Fairview Park Drive. 703-849-9400.

The Festival site is several blocks from the East Falls Church Metro Station and there are Metro buses that can take you to the Festival site if one does not wish to walk.  The festival’s official web page is at http://tinnerhill.org/blues-festival. 

Tinner Hill Brings A Festive Saturday On June 8

Sista Monica will be one of the headliners at this year's Tinner Hill Blues Festival

Robert Hughes an excellent guitarist (with Teeny Tucker), song-writer and photographer, posted in Facebook about the demise of the Monterey Blues Festival. Among his observations was one about how hard is was getting to find blues festivals that actually focused on blues performers as opposed to festivals that featured bluesy pop acts and blues rockers. With this is mind, the Tinner Hill Blues Festival certainly falls within those Blues Festivals devoted to presenting blues and not pop and rock music rebadged as blues and arguably is the best straight Blues Festival in the Washington DC area for the 2013 Festival season.

It is five weeks until the Tinner Hill Festival takes place at Cherry Hill Park in the City of Falls Church. Presented in the City by the Tinner Hill Foundation, the Festival includes some free as well as ticked events. I previously posted about the concert at The State Theatre with John Hammond, and Phil Wiggins & the Chesapeake Sheiks on Friday June 7 and here is the link. On Saturday, June 8, the Festival takes place at Cherry Hill Park in Falls Church with a lineup headlined by Sista Monica and Bill Morganfield (in the video clip below performing a somng associated with Muddy Waters, She's 19 Years Old. 

Saturday, the music moves to Cherry Hill park where it will start at noon. First up will be Sheryl Warner and the Southside Housewreckers from Richmond, Virginia. This acoustic trio does their own take on early down home blues from the Piedmont, Delta and Chicago. It has been sometime since they last performed in the Washington area, but they have brought their wonderful acoustic  blues to the Herndon Blues Festival and the DC Blues Festival in the past. Here is a clip of them in performance.

Following them will be The Acoustic Blues Women featuring Eleanor Ellis, Pearl Bailes, Gina DeSimone & Pat Quinn.  This eclectic group of Blues Women playing songs influenced by Memphis Minnie, John Jackson and Chuck Berry. Eleanor Ellis, if she had sought it, would be regarded as among the greatest living female acoustic blues women and Pearl Bailes often plays with her on harmonica. I am not as familiar with Gina DeSimone or Pat Quinn, but Gina does regularly conduct workshops for the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, so her performance should be a real delight.

Roy Bookbinder follows them. A student of the legendary Reverend Gary Davis,and a friend of the late John Jackson, Roy is one of the finest fingerstyle guitars alive with a wide repertoire that he provides his own style too. Match his guitar playing with his natural vocals and his story telling, and you have one of the most entertaining acoustic blues performers around. Above is a video of Roy performing Blind Blake's Police Dog Blues, a Blind Blake tune that Roy's friend, the late John Jackson performed.

After this trio of acoustic acts, Beverly “Guitar’ Watkins will hit the stage. Currently one of the performers associated with the Music Makers Foundation, Beverly was a member of the band of Piano Red/ Dr. Feelgood. One of the rare female blues guitarists, her association with the Music Maker Foundation in 1995 led to the release of an acclaimed recording Back in Business, and she certainly is as she will belt out her vocals as she plays with her guitar behind her back. Below she performs Back in Business.

Daryl Davis and his Band will follow with a set of blues, boogie woogie and rock and roll. Daryl is one of the DC area’s premier pianists who was mentored by the late legends, Johnnie Johnson and Pinetop Perkins. Daryl replaced Pinetop as the pianist in the Legendary Blues Band for a spell, and is Chuck Berry’s pianist on many East Coast performances by that legendary figure. 

Mary Ann Redmond is among the area’s finest blues and roots singers who has won numerous local awards. A versatile singer, she sings with feeling and nuance. Currently she is working on a jazz vocal recording that was funded through Kickstarter. When she is at the Tinner Hill Blues Festival, we can expect her to focus on the blues that is the core of her performances. Here she performs Georgia.

Guitarist Vasti Jackson gave Sista Monica Parker the label of “Lioness of the Blues,” which fairly describes the power and impact of her vocals and performances. Sista Monica Parker, returns to the Washington area after being one of the high points of the 2012 DC Blues Festival. In a review of her last recording, Living in the Danger Zone I wrote, “She is able to caress a lyric with a whisper before belting out her shouts without it ever sounding mannered or forced. Sista Monica will suggest to some the late Etta James, who along with Koko Taylor, Katie Webster and Ruth Brown, among the Sista’s major inspirations. However, she is her her woman and imitates no one. With a tight band that includes her long-time collaborator Danny B. (Daniel Beconcini), plenty of strong original material and select covers, she commands attention with the soul, warmth and passion she exhibits.”

Big Bill Morganfield seen at the 2005 National Capital Barbecue Battle
Photo © Ron Weinstock

Closing out the Festival on Saturday will be Big Bill Morganfield, a son of the legendary Muddy Waters, who performs in the tradition of his dad, Muddy Waters. If Big Bill is not a blues performer of his father's stature (and there are few today who are of his stature), it does not diminish the fact that he has become a superb purveyor of classic Chicago-styled blues, whether reviving some of his father’s classic blues, or presenting his originals in the same style. His classic Chicago blues will end a day of blues that will take us from the down home blues of the Delta and the Piedmont to the Urban Blues of Atlanta, the West Coast and Chicago. 

Here is Sista Monica in performance.

In addition to the performances there will be blues films showing for free at the Falls Church Community Center and a morning panel on the blues with some of the performers participating. For more information on the Festival visit http://tinnerhill.org/blues-festival.

I am part of the Tinner Hill Blues Festival Committee although I joined after the line-up was finalized. 

John Hammond Headlines Tinner Hill Blues Festival Opening Night Concert

The Tinner Hill Blues Festival returns to the City of Falls Church, Virginia the weekend of Friday July 7 through Sunday July 9. Produced by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, this is the 20th year the Foundation has produced a music festival and the seventh year the Festival has been devoted to the blues. The Blues Festival is held in honor of the memory of Piedmont Blues Legend John Jackson who was a friend of the Foundation and performed at a number of events produced by the Foundation. Jackson's last performance was in fact at a New Year's Eve concert produced by the Foundation as part of Falls Church's annual New Year's Eve Celebration.


The 2013 Festival will feature a mix of free and ticketed events. This is the first of several blog entries that I will be posting to promote this year's Tinner Hill Blues Festival which looks like it arguably has the best line-up of 2013 Washington DC area blues festivals devoted to real deal blues as opposed to blues festivals that include a heavy dose of blues-rock and rock headliners.  It opens eight weeks from when this is posted with the major event on Friday night being a concert at the State Theatre in Falls Church. This Friday night concert will feature John Hammond Jr, and also Phil Wiggins and the Chesapeake Sheiks. Roy Bookbinder, who will be performing on Saturday afternoon, is a special guest and will be joining his friend John Hammond this evening.

John Hammond has performing primarily acoustic blues for nearly five decades. When I first saw him perform in the late sixties, I was in college. Hammond has been playing mostly in the Delta tradition  and has recorded numerous acclaimed albums. While the recordings of Robert Johnson have been a definite source of inspiration, he was also directly influenced by such Mississippi blues masters as Big Joe Williams and John Lee Hooker for his driving rhythmic approach to his music. The above video of John Hammond was from the 2006 Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise which I was on.

Phil Wiggins, a Washington native, is one of the true masters of blues harmonica and is known for his long partnership with the late John Cephas with whom he made numerous recordings and toured the world. Since John Cephas' passing, Phil continues to play and teach. He currently works with Corey Harris or Rick Franklin. At the Tinner Hill festival he will be bringing the Chesapeake Sheiks, some of his local friends that he frequently plays with. It will be a treat to have Phil in the spotlight as he is certainly one of our local treasures. Above is a video of Phil with Rick Franklin.

Roy Bookbinder is among a number of disciples of the legendary Reverend Gary Davis and a brilliant guitarist in that tradition as well as storyteller and master of finger-style guitar with a broad repertoire that includes songs of past blues masters like Little Hat Jones, Blind Blake, Pink Anderson as well as Reverend Gary Davis. I first saw Roy in the seventies when he played to a small audience at the University of Buffalo and one of the songs he performed was Delia, which I recall he said was one of the songs he learned from Rev. Davis. The above video is of him performing that song.

It should a fantastic concert of acoustic blues and get folks ready for a terrific weekend.  I will update this post when tickets are available for purchase, but one can get more information by going to www.tinnerhill.org.

I should point out that I am on the Festival Committee, but I joined the Committee after the line-up was announced. I repeat that I would be hard-pressed to name a Washington DC area festival whose line-up was as strong as this one.

Women of the Blues Is Flawed Musical Review

“Women of the Blues” is a blues review that I mentioned last weekend in my overview of upcoming blues events in the Mid-Atlantic Region. As I write this it is in the second week of its three week run at the Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, Virginia.

On the Creative Cauldron’s website it is described as “present an original Blues music review featuring the lives and music of some of the greatest Blues divas of the 20th Century.” If they used Rhythm and Blues one might one have perhaps less objection but we have a self-described blues review yet a good portion of the songs are not blues. Furthermore as great as Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin are, I would not use the word blues diva to describe them. Additionally, a blues review that include songs, blues-tinged as they may be, associated with rock singers Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge but nothing associated with Ma Rainey, Dinah Washington (who was labelled the the Queen of the Blues) or singer-guitarist Memphis Minnie, three of the most important women in the evolution of the blues, is inexcusable. I also note that there is also the omission of such significant contemporary artists like Denise LaSalle and Barbara Carr whose audience is still primarily African-American.

I have no issue with having a review including songs associated with Aretha Franklin or Etta James, but both artists did record blues songs. As much as Aretha’s recording “I Never Loved a Man” is one of the great records of the soul era, it is a soul record. Rather than that, it would have been interesting to have heard a rendition of “Ramblin’” which Aretha recorded which was one of several songs Aretha recorded that covered recordings by the great Big Maybelle. Similarly, three songs associated with Etta James are performed which may be songs identified with her, but are deep soul songs or the ballad “At Last.”

One realizes that within the confines of a cabaret review there are only so many songs that could have been performed, but I suggest Lil Green’s recording “Why Don’t You Do Right,” or “In the Dark,” Dinah Washington’s “Evil Gal Blues,” Dinah’s rendition of the standard “Trouble in Mind” or her “Gambler’s Blues,“ would better fit the description of the review. And Dinah was a blues diva. The last number incorporated in the lyrics one of the few actual blues that Billy Holiday recorded, and was covered by B.B. King and Otis Rush. I should say that the inclusion of the late Washington D.C. street singer’s Flora Molton, ”Sun’s Gonna Shine” is an unexpected, imaginative, and welcome, selection.

The four featured vocalists, Carolyn Cole, Ashleigh King, Shayla Simmons and Tarina Szemzo bring their voices although there is some unevenness. There is a nice rendition of “I Never Loved a Man” with the backing band but also with a cover of the Janis Joplin recording of “Cry Baby” which is as shrill sounding as Joplin’s own recording reproduces the shrillness of Joplin’s cover. The rendition of Alberta Hunter’s “My Castle’s Rockin’,” almost comes across as as a campfire sing-along. I had the pleasure of seeing this grand dame of American music and the blues sing this song and she had a presence and personality totally missing in the performance here.

The songs are tied together by a helpful narrative provided by the performers. The backing band, led by pianist Jonathan Tuzman, was uneven in the accompaniments. They sounded comfortable with contemporary material, but not on older material like as “My Castle’s Rockin’,” or songs associated with Billie Holiday as “Lady Sings the Blues,” and “Mean To Me.” This added to the uneven quality of the evening. The acoustic backing on the rendition of “Sun Is Shining” was nicely done.

This is not to say that the review was not entertaining. My better half enjoyed it very much as did most at the performance I attended. The unevenness of the performances may have been partially the result of it being the second night. There were enjoyable performances but I found only a few to be exceptional.

Here is a list of the songs performed including songs whose inclusion in self-described blues review I question. They are generally torch songs, ballads, deep soul or rock and I am not saying none of these songs should have been included since some illustrate the impact of the blues perhaps, but having more blues songs would have made the description of the review more accurate. I have italicized those songs which I would suggest are not blues: Blues in the Night/ My Castle’s Rockin’/ Down By the Riverside/ I Never Loved a Man/ I’d Rather Go Blind/ Lady Sings The Blues/ Wild Woman Don’t Have the Blues/ It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World/ A Good Man Is Hard To Find/ Mean To Me/ Hoochie Coochie Man/ I Need a Little Sugar In My Bowl/ Sun’s Gonna Shine/ Stormy Monday/ Strange Fruit/ Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out/ Women Be Wise/ Cry Baby/ At Last/ I’m the Only One/ Guilty/ Give Me One Reason/ Something’s Got a Hold On Me/ (One For My Baby (One For the Road)/ Proud Mary.

Chuck Brown Sings the Blues

The idea of Chuck Brown being paired with Bobby Parker was so obvious that it was amazing no one thought of it before. The folks at the Tinner Hill Foundation brought the idea to fruition at Falls Church’s State Theatre on Friday Night, June 12 for a gala fundraiser for the Tinner Hill Blues Festival and it was a night of music film and dance demonstrations.

The Tinner Hill Blues Festival is dedicated to the memory of John Jackson and the evening opened up with the Film, “John Jackson, A Blues Treasure.” Its a film mostly about remembrances about John and while it has a few clips from the films “Blues Houseparty” and “American Songster,” the film, narrated by Chuck Brown, was mostly memories and appreciations of John by friends like John Cephas, students like Mike Roach and Mike Baytop, family, son James, and folklorists Kip Lornell and Chuck Perdue. Enlightening the film may have been, but inclusion of some performances would have made the film better.

After a brief demonstration of hand dancing, a D.C. swing dancing variation, Bobby and his Blues Night band was introduced by WPFW’s Scooter MacGruder. Bobby came on and did a strong set which included his usual inclusion of songs associated with Albert King, “Feel Like Breakin’ Up Somebody’s Home,” and “Angel of Mercy,”, Guitar Slim’s “Nothin’ But the Blues,” as well as several of his originals including “I’m So Glad I Found You,” “Wild Thing,” and “Lick ‘Em and Stick ‘Em.” One welcome surprise was his performance of “Watch Your Step,” which he noted was covered by several and whose riff John Lennon used on a couple tunes. The last number of his set was a funk number on which he did a stroll into the crowd.

After another hand dancing demonstration, Bobby and the band returned to the stage with the King of Go Go, Chuck Brown. Brown on his last recording in an interview segment had mentioned if he could only play on genre of music, it would be the blues. And he has adapted blues tunes in his Go Go music. This evening allowed him to play some blues in a straighter blues vein. Nothing surprising with the tune choices as he opened with “Everyday I have the Blues,” taking the lead on guitar here. Then before going into an uptempo “Stormy Monday,” he mentioned that Bobby was the reason he plays guitar, recalling watching Bobby with Paul ‘Hucklebuck,’ Williams. After a rendition of “Down Home Blues,” Brown then launched into a Go-Go medley backed by Parker’s band with members of the crowd yelling “Wind Me Up Chuck.” His “The Party Roll,” (some will recognize it from his D.C. Lottery commercial), segued into “it Don’t mean a Thing (Unless It Got That Go Go Swing),’ and finally Louis Jordan’s “Run Joe,” which really works well in the Go Go form. It was a terrific high point as the crowd just was rocking the dance floor for him. Then both Chuck and Bobby shared solos as Bobby took the vocal on Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s “A Real Mother Fuyer.” The music was still going on as I headed home having enjoyed the terrific grooves.

I would love Chuck to do a blues thing again, with perhaps some wider exploration of songs, but it was an interesting experiment that worked. Kudos to the Tinner Hill Foundation for the show.

John Jackson Honored By Falls Church Blues Festival

It was not as full a day of blues, Saturday July 14, as I was hoping, but the first John Jackson Blues Foundation presented by the Tinner Hill Foundation was a delightful first event of what will grow as an annual event.The Tinner Hill Foundation celebrates the first rural NAACP Chapter in Virginia (Falls Church to be precise), and had been putting on an annual Festival which had featured a variety of local acts including the late John Jackson and the late Sonny Warner. Unfortunately the festival usually was scheduled opposite the Western Maryland Blues Festival. This year the festival was initially renamed as the Tinner Hill Blues Festival, but later renamed in honor of the late Piedmont blues guitarist and songster whose last performance was part of the annual New Year’s Eve celebration put on in the City of Falls Church.



I arrived at Falls Church’s Cherry Hill Park after the initial performance by Danny Blue and the Blues Crew for the performance by the Acme Blues Company. While a capable bar band, they were not very good. Waverly Milor, who fronts the band, plays harp and vocals has a flair and a sense of showmanship, but a limited raspy vocal range that he is not able to enliven with phrasing or other vocal devices and the rhythm of the band was pretty mechanical this day. They were followed by popular favorite Catfish Hodge, who backed by harp and keyboards, may not have performed a straight blues set but was blues-based and was certainly entertaining.



Next up, after Mike Baytop did a demonstration of the bones, was Deanna Bogart with her quartet. Deanna has certainly evolved and matured as a pianist and vocalist and her boogie woogie-derived music is less of a gimmick. It is particularly as a singer that she excels with a honey-drenched soulful delivery. Why she did not play any saxophone, her piano and her band had a nice tight groove, and her vocals were outstanding. After her set, bobby parker, who less than two months prior had serious stomach issues and had successful surgery. Parker was in excellent form with renditions of Guitar Slim’s ‘Nothing but the Blues,’ and some Albert King classics.

During Bobby’s set, the sky darkened and an announcement was made about possible severe thunderstorms heading our way, so I headed indoors where in a gymnasium, Rick Franklin and Mike Baytop did a wonderful performance of classic country blues in the vein of their excellent album, “Searchin’ For Frank.” They both are quite accomplished. Franklin has been performing for over twenty years, often with fellow guitarist Neil Harpe and percussionist Rick Usilton, while Baytop, originally came to my attention for his harmonica playing with the late Archie Edwards and also Mike Roach. After Archie’s death, he became President of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, and became an impressively talented multi-instrumentalist. Playing on the gymnasium’s bleachers without any amplification, two pair handled tunes associated with Frank Stokes, the great Memphis blues singer and guitarist of the first part of the 20th Century and his contemporaries. One highpoint of their sets is Franklin’s hokum-tinged rendition of a Hawaiian number, “Big Kanocka,” but other songs like “Tain’t Nobody’s Business,” are delivered in a lusty, exuberant manner on material that many acoustic blues artists today are unfamiliar with as these other artists churn out their mediocre renditions of Robert Johnson numbers. There efforts were warmly appreciated by those who heard them.



The rain stopped me from enjoying other acts outside. I understand Bobby Parker’s set was cut short, but performances by Nadine Rae, Robert lighthouse and Memphis Gold went on, although with a much smaller audience. Nadine is one act I wanted to see and hopefully will get that chance in the not too distant future. Robert lighthouse did his Hendrix thing from reports I heard. A promising debut festival with hundreds enjoying the music. Hopefully, the word on this will grow so that more will enjoy it next year, and even more importantly, the weather will cooperate.

Memphis Gold 2007-1231_Falls_Church_Watch_Night-278

2007-1231_Falls_Church_Watch_Night-278
Originally uploaded by NoVARon

Memphis Gold performing New Years Eve in Falls Church (VA) as part of the annual Watch Night. Less than two weeks after this performance, Memphis Gold fell out of a tree while employed in a tree cleaning business and suffered serious injuries.

The DC Blues Society is holding a benefit for him on Saturday February 9 at Chick Hall's Surf Club in Bladensburg Maryland, from 7pm-1am. More information can be found at www.dcblues.org as well as on an earlier post on this blog.

Stacy Brooks, a wonderful DC area vocalist has been able to be with Memphis Gold and family in the hospital and able to post updates on his condition. On January 16 she wrote:

Memphis is on the road to recovery, he finally has a little bit of feeling in his feet. His spirits are high and we (Memphis, his wife Barbara, Nadine Rae, Clarence “The Bluesman” Turner, Memphis’ sister and myself) actually wrote a song the other day in Shock Trauma lol . I guess we made too much noise (just kidding)….because now they moved him to Kernan Hospital to begin rehabilitation. He still has a long way to go, but the doctors are calling him a miracle. I truly believe our prayers along with his strong will and determination go a long way! Well, since he is getting better he has all this idle time (which he is not used to) on his hands. If anyone can donate a laptop while he is in the hospital, it would be greatly appreciated. He will be there for a while and their desktop of course is at home. When he is not in therapy for these next 8 weeks he needs to keep his mind busy. Someone can give it to me, and I can take it to him. How convenient that they move him 5 minutes from my office."

I spoke with Stacy today and she mentioned just how vigorous the rehab is. She is also putting together a benefit series for Memphis and other musicians who suffer similar medical emergencies. Her own website is
http://www.stacysmusic.org.

She has started a separate website for the benefit and benefit series
http://memphisgoldbenefit.com. This webpage also has updates on how Memphis Gold is doing.