QUICK FACTS
Wednesday, March 17th through
Sunday,
March 21st, 2010
The Main Concert:
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Coral Bay Ball Field
St. John Blues Festival
Wednesday, March 17th
through Sunday,
March 21st, 2010
The main concert:
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Coral Bay Ball Field
Click here to view the sponsors
Tickets go on sale February 17th Tickets purchased in advance - $25 |
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THE SCHEDULE |
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WEDNESDAY - MARCH 17th THURSDAY - MARCH 18th
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FRIDAY - MARCH 19th SUNDAY - MARCH 21st |
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Tickets are sold on St. John at: |
Tickets are sold on St. Thomas at: |
Bring a blanket, bring a chair... but please be cool, no coolers.
Food & Beverage available all evening
$5 Safari taxi rides all night long from
Cruz Bay to Coral Bay and from Coral Bay to Cruz Bay
An additional 1:00am ferry trip from Cruz Bay
to Red Hook will be available.
Deanna Bogart | Jan Tore Lauritsen | The Ford Blues Band | E.G. Kight | Shakura S'Aida
The Ty Curtis Band | JP Soars & The Red Hots
Washboard Jo | BILLY GIBSON "The Prince of Beale Street"
DEANNA BOGART
Down Beat magazine describes Deanna Bogart as "an extravagant entertainer"-- and entertain is what Bogart does best. The Maryland-based blues and boogie pianist / saxophonist combines the energy of 1930's style boogie piano blues with contemporary blues sounds emanating from places like New Orleans, Chicago and Memphis. "The goal when we play live," says Bogart, "is to create a fusion of all these different musical styles with the blues and boogie genuinely at the core."
Bogart began to develop her unique style as a sideplayer in Cowboy Jazz, a Maryland-based group that dedicated itself to the sound of 1940’s western swing music. She joined the group at age 21 as vocalist and spent several years learning and playing the cowboy rhythms that are central to western swing. As her musical appetite grew she spent nearly two years playing R&B with the Washington D.C.-based Root Boy Slim. Bogart combined these disparate influences in her own original compositions that blend elements of boogie music with modern jazz and rock. After getting her own band off the ground in 1988, she began playing throughout the mid-Atlantic region and the West Coast, slowly building a following and a reputation. After hundreds of live shows, Bogart made her recording debut in 1989.
Whereas for years her fans accepted as an article of faith that none of Bogart's recording ventures could match up to the experience of live performances, that assumption has been transformed since the release of her last two CDs, The Great Unknown and 2002’s Timing is Everything. While home listeners will be deprived the pleasures of Bogart's peripatetic piano style–these new recordings reflect a decided turning point in Bogart’s writing and playing talents. While continuing to utilize her musical roots in the blues, her musical sensibilities have ventured into other textures, her voice has developed an increasingly emotional force, and her songwriting has expanded into a growing breadth of complexity and lyrical subtlety. A woman who has managed to balance middle-aged single motherhood with the vicissitudes of life leading a successful band for 15 years on the road has now begun to create music that reflects a similar synthesis of the traditional and the non-traditional. Bogart is philosophical about striking out in new directions. “Nothing hurts creativity like safety” is her credo, “in art as in life, you can't have magic if you're not willing to risk the train wrecks.” Addressing an increasingly broad range of personal subjects and life experiences, Bogart has become much more than a splashy unforgettable performer–she has established herself as a unique artistic spirit.
Despite the power of her recordings, Bogart still loves performing live with her band. “Musicians play for 'one of those nights.” For me, that means the moment I’m at the place where all past and present, pain and joy, meet as one. For lack of a better term, I call it “Deannaland.” And it’s a place that both audiences and other artists never tire of visiting along with her. Bogart has appeared on stage with the likes of BB King, Brian Setzer, Buddy Guy, James Brown, Doctor John, They Might Be Giants, Spyro Gyra, Ray Charles, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and the Neville Brothers. The recipient of no less than 20 Washington Area Music Awards–the “Wammies”–her most recent album, Timing is Everything, helped garner her five awards in one year, including Best Blues Vocalist, Best Group, Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year, and Musician of the Year.
The press is equally effusive. Cashbox called Bogart a “butt-kickin’ barrelhouse player that could give a good chase to old Jerry Lee.” Blues Revue gushed that “A big part of what makes Deanna Bogart such a delight is her vivacious, charismatic live show. Whether displaying dazzling technical skills at the keyboard or playing soulful tenor sax, the ensemble sound Bogart and her band is skintight.” The Washington Post raved about “her two-fisted turns on piano that radiate plenty of energy and momentum!“ Music Monthly delights in Bogart's ability “to blend savvy street smarts with an earthy sensuality that is spontaneous from the very minute her music jumps from the speakers.” The Baltimore Sun celebrates how Bogart “plays the keyboard and sings like nothing you've ever heard–but should! Her vocal style is as full of vitality as her piano playing–both are sexy and deep, with unstoppable strength and unflagging energy!”
Bogart herself explains that, “It became clear to me a long time ago that my goal was to be the best player I could be, and that on my death bed at 107, with people I love gathered around me, my last words would be ‘Man, what a good gig last night!”
Beyond all the superlatives, The Washington Post may have best described Deanna Bogart with three words: Luster, Sophistication, and Soul. This is a one-of-a-kind artist, whose music veers from the depths of the blues to the playful heights of swing, from the subtleties of jazz to the hard-won grit of soul. She brings to her music everything it means to be a woman–everything it means to be human–and delivers it to every line of music played, every phrase of lyrics written and sung, until the pure truth of her sound and message pierces the heart of her audience. Once you hear her–once you feel her–you will never be quite the same.
The Deanna Bogart Band since 1995 includes Mike Aubin on drums, and Eric Scott on bass
JAN TORE LAURITSEN
JT is 40 years old lives in Lillestrom, Norway. He began playing at the early age of 6 and immediately got interested in the Blues after first hearing BB King, blues pianist Charles Brown and the legendary Ray Charles.
JT had his first paying gig at the age of 14, which resulted in a steady flow of jobs for him on the organ, an instrument he stayed with for many years.
JT was searching for his own style on the instrument when he realized that a Hammond B3 organ was too heavy to drag around from gig to gig, so he compromised by taking up the accordion. Eventually, his blues harp began accompanying him wherever he went and became a new sound in JT's music. Since 1989, both accordion and blues harp have been his trademark instruments.
In 1991, he started Buckshot Blues Band. In 1995, The Buckshot Hunters released their first CD ("Buckshot Hunters"), an album that received rave reviews all over the world and the band toured constantly.
"My Kind of Blues" was released in the fall of 1999 on their own label, Hunter Records and is distributed through BMG Norway. "My Kind of Blues" includes mostly original material as well cover songs by songwriters that have influenced JT. 
Album number three, "Make a Better World", was released in 2001, JT gave it a sound with a raw, hard edge that swings from the rafters.
With the release of his 2004 album, "Perfect Moves", JT describes his music as Blues, Soul & Rock`n Roll with a small taste of Tex Mex music.
JT’s newest album Squeezeboxing has become JT biggest hit to date.
JT is a regular celebrity on the world famous Blues Cruise and has become the official Blues Ambassador from Norway.
THE FORD BLUES BAND
Patrick Ford – Producer,
Drums & Vocals
Patrick Ford established himself on the Blues scene in the early seventies. Ford had just left a band where he played with his brother Robben to join Charlie Musselwhite. Only a year later the Charles Ford Band was established by all three Ford brothers, Patrick, Robben and Mark.
Naming the band after their father Charles was the brothers’ way of honoring him. The Charles Ford Band were ground breakers in Blues and simply one of the most influential West Coast Blues bands of that era.
Following the breakup of the Charles Ford Band, Patrick spent years on the road as a sideman to many Blues greats and then in 1988 Patrick formed what is now the world renowned Ford Blues Band.
As a drummer, song writer and arranger, Patrick ignites a brilliant foundation for the band to build on.
Andy Just – Harmonica & Vocals Andy Just is one of the hardest working Blues musicians in the business today. He is recognized as one of the top harp players who also is a lead vocalist.
Without a doubt, Andy is the most powerful harp player to come along since James Cotton and while he can emulate some of the genre’s greats, Andy is an original, an innovator and absolutely enthralling to watch perform.
Volker Strifler Volker is an electrifying and dynamic Blues guitar player who moved to the US from Germany in the mid eighties to get closer to the Blues roots and to further develop his own Blues style.
Having joined the Ford Blues Band in 1997, his soulful singing and his one-of-a-kind stylistic approach to the Blues makes him one of the most exciting artists on stage.
Dewayne Pate – Bass & Vocals After graduating from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, Dewayne moved to the Bay Area and after a brief stint with some monster jazz bands he followed his true love for the Blues and began working with Patrick and Robben Ford on recording projects and then joined their band.
Along with his skills as a much in demand studio musician, Dewayne is also the creator of the critically acclaimed instructional video “The Art of Tapping” which teaches a particular style of single note playing.
EG KIGHT
EG Kight was encompassed by music from the day she entered this world, in rural Georgia. Her mother was a gospel singer and her grandmother a guitar player. The music was intensified by her church, founded by her grandfather, a southern preacher. By age three, EG was singing solo in church, at 15 she was performing at civic events and festivals, and at 16 she penned her first song.
Kight was soon performing on stage with country music legends like George Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis. Discovered in a Macon club by actor, Patrick O'Neal, EG was offered a small part in a movie with Burgess Meredith, and was Mr. Meredith’s vocal coach.
At the height of her country career, she opened shows for several major country artists, did radio tours, and appeared several times on The Nashville Network’s “Nashville Now.” During that time, EG's exposure to the blues consisted mainly of B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Sonny James, and Elvis.
In 1995, however, she heard an astonishing voice that would leave a lasting impression – Koko Taylor’s. As a result, EG’s music took a dramatic turn towards the blues.
Kight’s music now crosses many borders that tastefully incorporate blues, jazz, country, southern rock, gospel and funk. Early in her blues career, she was the only independent artist to have songs selected by a panel of retailers for inclusion on two GET THE BLUES! albums, both maintaining Billboard chart positions for more than a year. Kight joins legendary artists such as Delbert McClinton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Keb’ Mo’, Robert Cray, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor and others on these albums.
EG has been nominated for six Blues Music Awards. Two of her songs landed on Koko Taylor’s Grammy®-nominated albums, and three can be found on Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women’s recent release. Kight continues to tour in the states and overseas, and has taught songwriter workshops in Italy and Germany.
Having released six blues albums to date, co-producing all of them, EG has worked with an array of musicians. Notables performing on Kight’s albums include the legendary Koko Taylor, country hit-maker Lee Roy Parnell; and fellow Georgia natives Chris Hicks of the Marshall Tucker Band, Kim Forester of the Forester Sisters, and legendary Rolling Stones' pianist Chuck Leavell.
Kight’s latest release, IT’S HOT IN HERE, climbed to #1 on the Blues Roots Chart, and to #1 on XM Satellite Radio’s Bluesville station.
A true entertainer, Kight considers herself a singer first. Her command of the guitar comes from the fact that she has been playing since she was a child. Both come seemingly natural to her. Her writing is also a vital component of her artistry – sharing her words gathered from inspirations of every day life with the listener. Her performance of an original song, “Through The Eyes of a Child” was videotaped during the 2007 Children’s Miracle Network Telethon, and was rebroadcast during the 2008 Telethon.
In the last few years Kight has shared the stage with a diverse palate of notables such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Phoebe Snow, Delbert McClinton, Little Feat, George Jones, Taj Mahal, Merle Haggard, Hubert Sumlin, Lee Roy Parnell, Robert Cray, Koko Taylor, Gregg Allman, Brenda Lee, Pinetop Perkins, and Garrison Keillor.
She continues to expand and refine her craft, infusing each new song with her own blend of originality. Defining her style can be difficult, but the critics continue to try. Perhaps Sing Out magazine said it best - “Kight’s is a voice to be reckoned with, no matter the genre.”
SHAKURA S’AIDA:
WORLD RENOUNED JAZZ & BLUES ARTIST
& INTERNATIONAL BLUES
CHALLENGE FINALIST
Take an portion of Southern Baptist, flavour it with a drop of Brooklyn, stir in a spoonful of Swiss chocolate — and you’ve created a powerhouse singing sensation: Shakura S'Aida, who started off 2008 with a triumph at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, when she earned the 2nd runner-up position, competing against more than 100 bands from more than 20 different countries.
Calling both Switzerland and Canada home since leaving the U.S. when she was eight years old, her professional involvement in the Canadian music scene has been ongoing for the past 20 years, enriching the jazz, blues and classic R&B communities with her soulful voice, enthusiastic personality and commitment to music as an art form. Whether speaking Swiss-German, French or English, Shakura connects to her audience is a way that is ‘simply dazzling,’ at the same time richly demonstrating the “multiculturalism” that Canada prides itself on.
Shakura S'Aida — pronounce her name “Shack-oora Sigh-ee-da”— began performing at a young age and hasn’t stopped since Her first steps into music began with a Toronto community band called Mystique, which found her belting out tunes alongside such notables as Deborah Cox and Cree Summer. In 1992 she became the lead singer of the 13-piece world music ensemble Kaleefah; the group would later be nominated for a Juno Award.
She quickly learned how to own the stage and “perform,” a skill she has since carried to the musical stage (“Ain’t Misbehavin’”and “Mama, I Want To Sing” were two of her favourites), film and television (with supporting roles in film with Sudz Sutherland’s “Doomstown” (2006) and in Frances Anne Solomon’s “A Winter Tale” (2008). Other acting credits in 2008 include “ ‘Da Kink in My Hair” and “Flashpoint”.
As a solo artist, Shakura's career has spanned genres and countries and taken her to some of the most noted stages in the jazz world. She has performed at the Apollo Theatre in New York and has been nominated three times by the Toronto Blues Society as the Maple Blues "Female Vocalist of the Year" (2004/2005/2008); she was also nominated as Entertainer of the Year for the 2008 Awards.
Shakura has also been featured with such legendary artists as Jimmy Smith and Ruth Brown; she’s sung backup with Patti Labelle and Rita MacNeil, and is equally at home singing material with a Ray Charles tribute band, or presenting a one-woman show of the music of Nina Simone. She is a guest vocalist on Bill King and Saturday Night Fish Fry’s "Rhythm and Soul" and the group’s newly-released CD "Dirt Road Blues.”
The release of her debut blues album "Blueprint" earned strong critical applause. The 11-track CD takes listeners on a journey through the blues of the 1940's and 50's and is infused with Shakura's signature voice and sultry interpretation of the music. The album was produced by James Bryan, a member of the popular Canadian rock group, The Philosopher Kings, who also played guitar on the CD, and included a number of special guests including singes Harrison Kennedy, Jackie Richardson and Shannon Maracle, as well as Toronto harmonica ace David Rotundo.
Shakura’s whirlwind of shows in the past 2 years included participation in Les Grandes Dames du Blues Tour 2007/2008, and a recorded performance at the Spectrum for Espace Musique / Radio-Canada with Chris Thomas King, as well as the Montreal International Jazz Festival 07/08. Other festivals ran the gamut of musical styles — from the Great Atlantic Blues Festival & Beyond in Halifax to the Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival, to the Hildebrand Winery jazz and blues series.
Shakura's 2nd Place win in Memphis has brought her much luck in Europe as well. Her tours thus far include: Ruf Record’s Blues Caravan, Italy’s BreakLive Music’s Summer Blues Tour, Festival des Deux Rivieres and France’s Chicago Blues Tour (where she worked with artists like Jr. Boy Jones, Billy Branch and Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater).
"I am truly blessed by all the incredible opportunities I have had," says Shakura. "My life has been filled with amazing adventures; I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
THE TY CURTIS BAND
The Ty Curtis Band was a finalist in the prestigious 2009 International Blues Challenge. The Challenge started with more than 2,000 bands in nine countries and 36 states. One hundred bands earned the right to come to Memphis, ten made it to the Finals and The Ty Curtis Band was voted 2nd place by a panel judges made up of industry professionals. No small feat for a young band from Salem, Oregon. The band’s strong performance in Memphis has resulted in bookings for the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Redwood Run, the St John Blues Festival as well as numerous for European festivals.
This accomplishment comes on the heels of the band’s recognition in the Pacific Northwest. In the Fall of 2008, the band was nominated by the members of the Portland, Oregon based Cascade Blues Association for Best Regional Act and Best New Act, getting the nod for Best New Act for 2008. The Cascade Blues Association also selected the band’s first cd, Stubborn Mind, as the Best Self Produced cd for 2008.
None of this is surprising to the NW blues fans that have been filling clubs, festivals and dance floors wherever the band performs. Playing a mix of blues, blues-rock, funk and swing the band keeps audiences attention with a multi-talented line-up. The band’s performances feature passionate vocals and driving guitar from Ty Curtis, masterful harmonica and powerful vocals of Hank Shreve and three part harmonies with the added voice of bass player Milo Fultz. Milo’s tasteful bass lines coupled with Davis “Super D” Brown on drums lock in the rhythm that ties everything together.
The band’s music is receiving radio play from XM Radio to the Pacific Northwest to Germany to Argentina. And they have been privileged to open for Chris Cain, Coco Montoya, The Doobie Brothers, Roy Rogers, Paul DeLay, Curtis Salgado, Walter Trout, Big Monti and Lloyd Jones. The band has performed at Portland’s Water Front Blues Festival, Joseph Bronze & Blues, Rogue Valley Blues Festival, Central Oregon Blues Festival, The Red, White & Blues Festival, The Oregon State Fair and many smaller festivals and club shows.
Joe Whitmer, the coordinator of the International Blues Challenge, said, "I think they are a pretty tight and polished band. They are young, they do have a traditional feel about them, so I think they advanced because they play some damn good blues."
As Paul DeLay said, “Ty plays it like a young man should, straight ahead and from heart.”
Ty Curtis Guitar & vocals
Hank Shreve Harmonica, keys & vocals
Milo Fultz Bass & back-up vocals
Davis Brown Drums
JP SOARS AND THE RED HOTS
JP Soars and the Red Hots, the 2009 International Blues Challenge winner, is a trio of talented musicians that each brings something special to the band.
JP Soars, the guitarist and vocalist for the band is a musical melting pot, with influences form just about all genres of music, including heavy metal, which is where his professional career as a musician got it’s start.
Gary Rimmington is a seasoned veteran on the bass, with more than 40 years of experience, and a Masters degree in Jazz under his belt. Gary also has a diverse background and influences from Jazz, Blues, Country, Big Band, Broadway and more.
Chris Peet rounds out the trio on drums. Chris comes from a family with generations of musicians, and early on developed a style of his own. Chris has made a living as one of the hardest working and most requested drummers in South Florida and clearly is good company with these fine musicians, that call themselves the Red Hots, and yes they are just that….. Red Hot!
JP SOARS BIO
Most blues guitarists haven’t played in a handful of metal bands and aren't influenced by jazz icons like Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery. Which, as much as anything, explains why South Florida based JP Soars doesn’t sound like any other area guitar slinger. The guitarist and vocalist fronts a self titled blues band and plays with both former Elvin Bishop saxophonist/vocalist Terry Hanck as well as “the Gypsy Blue Acoustic Revue”, which updates the classic 1930s and 1940s material of Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli.
JP was born in California and raised in Arkansas. He moved to South Florida in 1985. "I love Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan… but I don't try to play like them. I listen to the guys they listened to, like Albert King, Johnny Guitar Watson, T-bone Walker, Muddy Waters and Guitar Slim. I'm also very into Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery as well as horn players like Louie Jordan".
A trip to Memphis Tennessee to meet Blues legend Jessie Mae Hemphill was a life altering moment. The simple beauty of the hypnotic country blues, and a chance meeting with Cigar box guitar pioneer John Lowe opened another door of musical majesty to a very receptive JP.
Another trip to Memphis as a side man with The David Shelley and Bluestone for the International Blues Challenge in 2007, gave JP a glimpse of the finals of the Competition, as the Dave Shelley Band made it to the top ten. It wasn’t long after that JP formed the Red Hots and would be on that very stage again in 2009.
JP and the Red Hots made their second trip the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee after winning the local South Florida Blues Society competition 2 years in a row. In 2009 at the IBC Challenge, the band proved that their popularity was not just in Florida when they took home top honors. JP was also awarded the Albert King Blues Guitar award, confirming the fact that this young kid from Arkansas who may not have started out as a blues player, has surely found his place in the blues world.
Soars has just released his own cd entitled “Back Of My Mind”. He is a versatile guitarist who is constantly evolving and reaching for new heights. Definitely worth checking out!!
WASHBOARD JO
WashBoard Jo, a lifelong music fan and Kansas City native, was a little girl when she moved to Iowa. As a teenager, in the mid 70’s, she joined The Nee Hi’s, an 80 piece, all girl drum and bugle corps out of Clinton, Iowa.
Immediately intrigued, Jo joined the percussion line. She marched in hundreds of parades and field competitions. During this time, Jo had an amazing percussion instructor named Ramiro Martinez. He was a major influence on her development as a musician.
Although her rhythm and love for music developed at an early age, it wasn’t until the fall of 2000, while attending a concert at the Grand Emporium in Kansas City, Missouri, that all the dedication in her youth and countless hours spent learning rudimentary skills she never thought she’d use, finally paid off. Jo was chosen from the audience and given what seemed like a silly instrument at the time, a washboard, to place upon her chest. She hasn’t put it down since.
WashBoard Jo captivates audiences with her endless energy and versatile playing styles, bridging the gap between blues, jazz, funk, zydeco, gospel, bluegrass, reggae, and rhythm and blues.
Over the past 10 years Washboard Jo has played with some of the greatest names in the Blues world and this past March she was a featured artist at the St. John Blues Festival where she had the entire audience on their feet just as she did last January on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.
Besides the washboard, Jo has an array of percussion instruments she could summon and dazzle with at any time in a show or song. In addition to her talent for playing the washboard she is also a incredible at songwriting and poetry.
Jo thanks all of you for your love and support and interest in her passion of music. Her wish is that all of you enjoy her music as much as she enjoys sharing it with you. And, as Jo always says, music truly is, “The next best thing to God”
BILLY GIBSON "The Prince of Beale Street"
Billy is performing at the Charleston Blues Festival in Charleston, SC. Click here to find out more!
Billy, affectionately known as “The Prince of Beale Street” since he won the Beale Street Entertainer of the Year award was honored by the entire Blues world this past May when he won the coveted Blues Music Award.
Billy was also part of Steve Simon’s very first BLUZAPALOOZA tour to Iraq two years ago and recently went with Steve on BLUZAPALOOZA III “The Cairo Tour” to entertain our U.S. Embassy staff and military families in Egypt
EXACT SCHEDULE IS NOT YET FINALIZED
The 8th Annual Steve Simon Johnnie Walker St. John Blues Festival
is brought to you by Steve & Helen Simon.
For further information contact
Steve Simon at 340-643-6475 or at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com