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The Cascade Blues Association Presents
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The Cascade Blues Association Presents
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Sneak
Preview # 1 (Phillip Walker)
Make it a point to mark Saturday, March 9th, on your calendar as the Cascade
Blues Association will be presenting the Third Annual Willamette Delta
Showcase at the Aladdin Theater. The first two Showcases
garnered "Muddy
Award" nominations as "Northwest Blues Event of the Year"
and with the line-up we're bringing in this time around, we wouldn't be
surprised to see that happen again.
For the next couple of months leading up to the Willamette Delta Showcase,
we intend to introduce the artists who will be appearing. Last month, we
featured our headliner Phillip Walker. For this issue, let's take a look at the
phenomenal Delta style guitarist, Robert Lowery.
Born in Shula, Arkansas, in 1932, Robert Lowery taught himself to
play the guitar. Heavily influenced by several local Bluesmen who never
had the opportunity to record, as well as recordings by Tommy McClennan,
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Blind Boy Fuller and especially, Lightnin'
Hopkins and Robert Johnson, he has maintained the ideal
sound of an original Country Blues musician despite moving to California nearly
45 years ago.
Lowery is extremely adept at the
steel-bodied resonator guitar, but it is his uncanny ability to perform the
difficult material of Robert Johnson to such perfection that he is
perhaps best known. In fact, Tom Mazzolini, the producer of
the San Francisco Blues Festival and renowned Bay Area Blues DJ, once
said, "His vocal and guitar intonations are remarkably close to Robert
Johnson's and if one should happen to close one's eyes, the feeling
could be that Robert .Johnson is performing."
But
all the comparisons aside, Robert Lowery is an outstanding player
and songwriter in his own right and certainly will be an artist that you'll
remember once you've seen him perform. Robert will be accompanied
by his tong-time partner, Virgil Thrasher on harmonica.
The Willamette Delta Showcase is one of the Cascade
Blues Association's premier events and it couldn't take place without the
help of sponsors and gratuitous members like yourselves.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank those who have already committed to help with this year's event:
Fidelity
National Title Insurance Company
CBA
President, Jackson Lee
CBA Supporting Member,
Carrie EatonSponsorships are still available. For more information, contact Greg .Johnson at cbastaff@cascadeblues.org or by phone at (503) 223-1850.
© 2002 Cascade Blues Association