Blues Fest: Yesterday and Today

I think this was a first.  Our Friday Double Feature yesterday was Buddy Guy and Bonnaroo.  Marty Lennartz was at Bonnaroo and I was with Buddy.  Highlight of the Fest yesterday had to be Matt “Guitar Murphy playing with James Cotton.  Click more.

Most of Friday at the Chicago Blues Fest was dedicated to Howlin’ Wolf who would have turned 100 years old on Thursday.  James Cotton played with Wolf for years.  In the 70′s Cotton made great records with Matt Murphy, though Matt’s most widely known for his role in the Blues Brothers movie.  Last night was magical when the two of them sat side by side, grinning from ear to ear, and ROCKED THE HOUSE on the Petrillo stage.

It was also so great to have Hubert Sumlin around for the Wolf tribute.  He played with the Eddie Shaw and The Wolf Gang set and with Zora Young on the last set of the evening.  He once again gets the reward for being the happiest and sweetest guy around.

TheOtis Taylor band was also amazing.  It might have been the first time there was a band on the Petrillo stage at Blues Fest with a banjo and a violin.  Chicago’s Anne Harris nearly steals the show every time she fiddles with Otis. He also sounded great at the broadcast we did from Legends on Thursday.  Anyone hear it on the radio?  How did it sound?

Today, don’t-miss acts include Davis “Honeyboy” Edwards on the Mississippi Juke Joint Stage at 2, Norah Jean at the Front Porch stage at 2:45, and the Chicago Living Blues History band starring Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson, John Primer and Billy Boy Arnold doing a two hour set beginning at 7:30 on the Petrillo stage.

See ya’ out there.