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The Cascade Blues Association Presents
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The Cascade Blues Association Presents
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Two
years ago, the Cascade Blues Association introduced a new event entitled
the Willamette Delta Showcase. After
watching numerous nationally known bands touring throughout the West Coast
without making stops in Portland, it was decided an attempt should be made to do
something about it. That first year a handful of Board Members pieced
together a show, despite the fact that nobody on the committee had really done
anything of this nature before, and sat back hoping that it would amount to
something fruitful. Even though the crowd was not very large that first year,
the impact of strong performances by Hans Olson, Paul Rishell & Annie
Raines and head-liner, Smokey Wilson, drew rave reviews,
including a "Muddy Award" nomination for "NorthWest
Blues Event of the Year".
In year two, the artists selected were receiving higher praise at the time, especially former Muddy Waters' sideman, Paul Oscher and "living legend", Hubert Sumlin, and the crowd grew larger. Sponsorship began to blossom for the event, attracting more illustrious benefactors, and again, the second production had the honor of another "Muddy" nomination.
Now in its third year, the Willamette Delta
Showcase continues to grow into a more-and-more appealing spectacle, with
headline musicians who are guaranteed to grab your ears. Once again, we
have selected the Aladdin Theater as our venue, with its comfortable
atmosphere and excellent acoustics. It seems a natural fit for this event,
allowing attendees the luxury of being able to sit back and listen to the
entertainment offered, or to get up and dance to their heart's content.
The process of putting together the Willamette Delta Showcase into a viable production takes an incredible amount of work. And, it all begins almost immediately following the close of the previous year's event. Over the past three years, more than a hundred bands and musicians were contacted. The guidelines have remained intact since day one for the type of acts we seek to acquire: Priority is given to those musicians who may have never played in the City of Portland before, have not been to town for a number of years or are simply deserving of greater attention for their career output to date. Special emphasis has also been directed at the elder Bluesmen in order for younger audiences to be exposed to those musicians who have led the way in creating the sounds of modern music today, no matter what style you listen to.
Now that you know the background, let's take a took at this years entertainers.
Opening the evening will be a musician that most fans in Portland may not be
familiar with, but when he starts his set, it will most likely have the crowd
jumping in elation! R.J. Mischo spent more than 20 years working
the club scene in the Midwest, based out of his hometown of Minneapolis. A
superb vocalist and an even stronger harmonica player, Mischo has
often shared the stage with many of the best-known Blues artists in Minnesota,
including Sonny Rogers and Mojo Buford. For a
number of years, he was the co-leader of a highly successful band with Teddy
"Kid" Morgan, that also occasionally featured the vocal
talents of Percy Strother. That band's releases helped to pave the
way for R.J. to travel to Europe where he still commands a great
deal of attention, with constant demands for tours. Later, he led another
popular grouping called R.J. Mischo and His Red Hot Blues
Band. R.J's skills did not go unnoticed by the Blues fans
in Minnesota, as he was nominated many times as the "Best Harmonica
Player" in the state, winning the award twice.
More recently, R.J. Mischo relocated to California, first in the
Bay Area and later near Los Angeles. The West Coast is a tough place to make it
as a harp player; there are already multitudes of harp players, among them the
very elite of the crop, including Mark Hummel, James Harman, Rick Estrin,
Paul deLay. Kim Wilson and Rod Piazza. But, right from the
get-go, R.J. has made his mark; quickly accepted as a member of
this prestigious company. He continues to record new material, now
on the German label, Crosscut Records, with each release gaining great
improvement over its predecessors. And, the company he keeps while
performing is also among the top-shelf on the West Coast, as he has worked with Steve
Freund, Rusty Zinn and Junior Watson, to name but a few.
To compliment R.J. Mischo's performance, we set the task of
creating a backing band into the capable hands of multi-"Muddy Award"-winning
guitarist, Robbie Laws. And, what a band he has put
together! Joining R.J and Robbie onstage will
be drummer, Tom Royer (various Lily Wilde bands),
bassist Phil Haxton (Duffy Bishop Band), and one of
Portland's most talented keyboardists, Dover Weinberg (Dover
Weinberg Quartet and Duffy Bishop Band). It will surely be
a band that'll set the mood for the evening.
After R.J.'s set, it's time to sit back and soak in the amazing
guitar magic of Robert Lowery. A second-generation Delta musician,
Lowery maintains the truly authentic feel of an earlier bygone
day. Perhaps nobody alive can bring across the feel of acoustic masters
such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Tommy Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and
especially, Robert Johnson. In fact, San Francisco Blues
Festival producer Tom Mazzolini has stated that when Lowery
plays, "If one should happen to close one's eyes, the feeling could be that
Robert Johnson is performing."
Robert Lowery grew up in the Arkansas Delta and is a
self-taught guitarist, learning the region's sound through recordings of its
greatest artists. After moving to California in the mid-1950s, he first
gained notice working in the Big Mama Thornton Band. He
performed his first solo performance at the San Francisco Blues Festival
in 1974 and has yet to slow his stride. Since that performance, Lowery
has gone on to play many prestigious events, including the New Orleans Jazz
& Heritage Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, Denmark's North
Sea Jazz Festival, the Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, as well
as the Bill Clinton Presidential Inauguration celebration in Washington,
D.C. He has also released a handful of outstanding CDs, including "Rainin'
Down Blues" and his most recent, "Playing Out In The Street."
Joining Robert Lowery on-stage will be his long-time partner, harmonica player, Virgil Thrasher. Inspired by the music of Sonny Boy Williamson and Sonny Terry, Thrasher's casual harp style has complimented Lowery's guitar for the past 17 years. Prepare yourself to sit back and enjoy a set of Blues played in its most original form and judge for yourself why "Guitar Player Magazine" has said Robert Lowery's "Stripped-to-the-essential guitar style and authentic voice bespeak a lifetime in the Blues. A winner!"
Headlining the Third Annual Willamette
Delta Showcase will be the wonderfully-gifted guitarist, Phillip
Walker. Phillip has not appeared in Portland in more than
20 years, which in itself is a shame for this city, as he has consistently been
considered one of the most sought after musicians when it comes to major venues
and festivals around the world. "Guitar Player Magazine" has
named Phillip Walker as one of the "Top 10 Most Important
Blues Guitarists Living Today." That accolade alone should pique
your interest to witness this stellar musician.
Phillip Walker first began playing guitar in
his home state of Texas, working border cities and along the Gulf Coast.
Influenced by the steady showing of top Blues artists making their way through
the region, Walker picked up pointers by watching people like T-Bone
Walker, Gatemouth Brown, Lonnie Brooks and Long John Hunter.
By the mid-1950s, he found himself playing alongside Zydeco legend Clifton
Chenier, touring throughout Texas and Louisiana. Later, he became
the lead guitarist for high-profile popular artists, Little Richard
and Fats Domino. In 1959, he moved to Los Angeles, where he
has been living ever since. One of the first things he did in L.A. was to
record the song, "Hello My Darling," a crowd-pleasing favorite
from his Texas days and a number he still performs today.
Released in 1972, "The Bottom Of' The Top" was Phillip's
first full-length LP. The 1970s was not the kindest period for Blues
musicians, yet the album was quite a success. Over the years, Walker
has released a number of strong, consistent recordings, full of creative
original songwriting which shows he is just as talented with a pen as he is a
guitar. Perhaps the song most associated with Walker is the
original version of "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark," covered
later by Robert Cray, who took the song to the top of the charts. Cray,
a self avowed fan of Phillip Walker-- recorded the song with an
uncanny accuracy to Walker's original guitar work.
Phillip Walker was originally sought by the Willamette
Delta Showcase committee for last year's show, but we were unable to work
out the needs for that to happen. He was back at the top of our list again
this year and not only did we secure his appearance, but he has developed an
entire Northwest tour to surround his participation in Portland. That's
how much he wanted to return to our city after such a long absence! And,
it is with great pleasure that we welcome him back.
As I stated earlier, it takes a lot of work to put together a show of this caliber. It also takes the kindness of businesses and individuals to sponsor the event. The Cascade Blues Association would like to take the opportunity to thank this year's Willamette Delta Showcase benefactors:
The Third Annual Willamette Delta Showcase will take place on Saturday, March 9th, at 8 pm, at the Aladdin Theater (3017 SE Milwaukee Ave.). Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Aladdin Theater Box Office. All current card-carrying members of the Cascade Blues Association and The Blues Foundation will receive a $1.00 discount. This is also an all ages event, children's (15 & under with valid student ID) tickets purchased with a paid adult admission will be half-price at the door, the day of the show only.
It's never too late to get involved with the Willamette Delta Showcase. If you would like to help sponsor future shows, please contact Greg Johnson at (503) 223-1850 or by e-mail at: cbastaff@cascadeblues.org.
Previous Shows:
© 2002 Cascade Blues Association