Blues Is Back - 09 Greenwood Blues Cruise
April 5, 2009
By JOSEPH SITARZ
Index-Journal Accent and Features Editor
Greenwood, SC - The South Carolina Festival of Discovery Blues Cruise boasts 12 performers from as far away as Texas and as close as Columbia and for the July 9-11 celebration of culture, food and music in Greenwood.
- Uptown Greenwood Development Corp's ninth annual Blues Cruise is presented by The Index Journal and opens July 9 with a Live After Five concert by The Nouveaux Honkies before two days of outdoor concerts an pub crawl performances.
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- All Blues Cruise concerts are free, including The Nouveaux Honkies July 9 performance at Countybank Plaza in Uptown Greenwood that's part of the monthly Live After Five concert series.
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- Besides the Live After Five show, the Blues/Roots/Americana band from Port Salerno, Fla., plays July 10 and 11 at Uptown Sushi Bar and Cafe, one of seven pub crawl sites throughout Uptown Greenwood.
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The Nouveaux Honkies kick-off the 09 Greenwood Blues Cruise July 9.
The Index Journal is the presenting sponsor of the 09 Greenwood Blues Cruse
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Other performers for Blues Cruise are Larry Garner Blues Band from Baton Rouge, La.; Randy McAllister from Texas; Johnny Rawls from Mississippi; Elliott and the Untouchables from Columbia; Drink Small from South Carolina; Wanda Johnson from South Carolina; Shrimp City Slim from Charleston; Tad Walters from Raleigh, N.C.; Hitman from Savannah, Ga.; Davis Coen from Charleston; and Lightnin' Wells from Fountain, N.C.
Venues for Blues Cruise are Kicker's, Jon Holloway's Studio and Sundance Gallery courtyard, T.W. Boons, Howard's on Main, Inn on the Square, Polo's Restaurant, Uptown Sushi Bar and Cafe, and EMBARQ Main Stage on Oak Avenue.
Gary Erwin, who is Shrimp City Slim, is the artistic director of the Blues Cruise. He also directs other blues events in the Palmetto State, including in Camden and his hometown of Charleston.
Erwin has amassed a lineup that's much honored and includes Grammy Award nominated talent and multiple W.C Handy Award nominated performers.
The Nouveaux Honkies' self-titled 2007 CD was named best blues release by The Palm Beach Post.
Garner's portfolio includes 1988 BB King Lucille Award, 1995 MO Better Blues Award, BBC Jazz FM Bluesman of the Year, Blues Songwriter of the Year, 2004 Slim Harper Ambassador for the Blues Award, 2005 Muddy's Club Bluebird Award and Real Blues Magazine's Bluesman of the Year.
McAllister's "Givers and Takers" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002.
Rawls, who has performed at clubs in the Greenwood area, was West Coast Blues Hall of Fame's RB Male Vocalist of the Year in 2006.
Small, The Blues Doctor, is a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame and a recipient of the South Carolina Folk Heritage Award.
Brent "Hitman" Barnard was named Savannah's best bluesman in 2006.
Don't expect to hear just one style of blues during the three-day celebration. There will be Lowcountry, Carolina Piedmont, Chicago and contemporary.
The annual South Carolina Festival of Discovery features a barbeque competition whose reputation has grown in the barbeque community and is sanctioned by Kansas City Barbeque Society. The 2008 Festival of Discovery had more than 80 teams compete.
As a teaser to the Blues Cruise, Shrimp City Slim and Wanda Johnson will be at the Inn on the Square in Uptown Greenwood May 14.
For more information, visit www.greenwoodbluescruise.com. There are links to each of the artists.
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