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Saturday 10th June
Unfortunately due to a long standing commitment I was
not able to see as much of the festival as I wanted on
the Saturday, however at The Crossroads Stage, Chicago
Wind i.e. Matthew Skoller and Deitra Farr got the day
off to a great start. Matthew is great harp player and
demonstrated his skill on Devil Ain’t Got No Music and
then Deitra who is a superb singer rather than a blues
shouter sang beautifully on a slow blues Je Me Souviens
and That’s What They Do When They Really Love You. Also
playing were the excellent Tom Holland on guitar who had
played with John Primer and Felton Crews on bass.
The Juke
Joint Stage then showcased the amazing precocious
talents of 18 year old Christone “Kingfish” Ingram who
was making his first appearance at the Chicago Blues
Festival having developed a growing reputation in his
native Mississippi and the other southern states. He has
to be the most talented young guitarist on the current
blues scene displaying maturity beyond his years,
although like many youngsters, he sometimes plays more
notes than are needed. Having said that, a great future
beckons for a young man who has already played at The
White House for Michelle Obama.
One of the
weekend’s highlights was the visit to The Front Porch
Stage to see the evergreen Jimmy Johnson still playing
and singing superbly at the age of 88. A mainstay on the
Chicago blues scene for nearly 60 years his performance
was faultless particularly on the slow South side blues
Cold, Cold Feeling.
I couldn’t
stay for the evening’s entertainment but heard that soul
legend William Bell was superb.
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