Blues at the Crossroads 2: Muddy & The Wolf Caps

Blues at the Crossroads 2: Muddy & The Wolf Caps
Segerstrom Center’s 2012-13 Jazz Season

Guitarist, vocalist, song-writer Tinsley Ellis steps in for J.J. Grey

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

SCFTA.org

Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents Blues at the Crossroads 2: Muddy & The Wolf on March 13 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

The performance celebrates the music of two legends and friendly rivals – Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf – both revered as the “father of modern Chicago blues.”

The Fabulous Thunderbirds anchors this musical tribute, backing such greats as James Cotton, Jody Williams, Bob Margolin and Tinsley Ellis.

Each musician brings his own distinctive talent, producing a timeless mix of blues, rock and R&B.  Following a successful tour with the Robert Johnson Centennial Concerts, Blues at the Crossroads now returns to pay homage to music legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Both lauded musicians are considered the key bluesmen who inspired Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Mayall, Eric Clapton and others – the artists responsible for the 1960s British blues explosion.

Though friends, Waters’ and Wolf’s friendly competition resulted in genre classics such as “Spoonful,” “Mannish Boy,” “Rolling Stone,” and ‘Smokestack Lightning.” Tickets start at $25 and are available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236.

The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

“Muddy’s music was the first that got to me and it remains some of the most important music in my lifetoday,” said Eric Clapton. Jon Landau noted, “As a performer, Wolf pioneered the extreme stage tacticsand extroverted style that have been the hallmark of the rock and roll spirit.

For more than 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds has been led by one of a kind vocalist/harmonica player and sole original member Kim Wilson. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound mixes Texas blues and southern rock with harmonica-laced swamp blues and R&B. Because of their peerless musicianship and unique vocals, they have a huge worldwide fan base and have always been favorites of top musicians, leading to world tours with The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

“Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up” were Top 10 hits, and many of their songs have been used in movies and commercials.

For more information, visit: www.fabulousthunderbirds.com.

James “Superharp” Cotton has a flawless musical pedigree. He’s a Grammy® winner, an inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian Institute and a recipient of countless W.C. Handy Blues Awards. He has shared the stage with B.B. King, Santana, Steve Miller, Johnny Winter, the Allman Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Sam and Dave and the Grateful Dead. Cotton is the only musician alive today who has played with Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.

For more information, visit: www.jamescottonsuperharp.com.

Jody Williams (c) Christian Mariette

In the mid 1950s, Jody Williams was one of the most sought-after session guitarists in Chicago, but because his name rarely appeared on records, he was little known outside the music industry. His acclaimed comeback in 2000 led to a resurgence of interest in Williams’ early work and his reappraisal as one of the greatest blues guitarists.

Williams’ guitar playing, marked by flamboyant string-bending, imaginative chord changes and distinctive tone, was highly influential in the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s. Williams continues to perform around the world, mainly at large blues festivals, and can often be seen sitting in with blues guitarist Billy Flynn at Chicago club appearances. For more information, visit: www.tedkurland.com/artists/blues-crossroads.

Bob Margolin

Bob Margolin is a blues guitar player and vocalist as well as a recording artist who tours worldwide, both leading his own band and The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam. He won a Blues Music Award for Guitar in 2008 and the W.C. Handy Award in 2005. Margolin played guitar in Muddy Waters’ band from 1973-80. He can be seen with Muddy Waters and The Band in The Last Waltz, the classic music documentary. His most recent album is The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam for Telarc Records, which features many of today’s surviving Chicago blues legends.

Since the 1990s, he has also recorded albums for the Powerhouse, Alligator and Blind Pig labels. He writes a regular column for Blues Revue magazine and contributes to BluesWax.com online magazine. For more information, visit: www.bobmargolin.com. Hard-rocking blues-soaked guitarist/vocalist/song-writer Tinsley Ellis sings and plays with the energy and soul of all the great Southern musicians who have come before him. Ellis attacks his music with rock power and blues feeling, following in the tradition of Deep South musical heroes Duane Allman, FreddieKing, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes.

Since first hitting the national scene with his Alligator Records debut, Georgia Blue, in 1988, Ellis has toured non-stop and continues to release critically acclaimed albums. His stellar guitar work, always a staple of his live shows and CDs, is matched by his strong songwriting and powerful, soulful vocals.

His website is http://tinsleyellis.com.

Segerstrom Center applauds Acura, Official Automotive Sponsor of the Center, and Media Partners Long Beach Press-Telegram and KKJZ, KJAZZ 88.1 FM for their support of the 2012 – 2013 Jazz Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multidisciplinary cultural campus.  It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization and owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center’s studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab.

A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ ongoing Free for All series. The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, Blues at the Crossroads 2

2013600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626 T  (714) 556-2121 F  (714) 556-8984 SCFTA.orgcontemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, familyfriendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing onthe plaza and many other special events.

The Center’s arts-in-education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.  In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.