The Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band, 2 p.m.
Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd calls Andy Linderman "one of the most dynamic electric harmonica players of our generation."
Jazz performer and producer Ben Sidran calls Mel Ford "one of the finest blues players in the Midwest if not the country."
Put "one of the most dynamic electric harmonica players" on the same stage with "one of the finest blues players in the Midwest if not the country" and you have one of the most exciting blues groups in the country: the Westside Andy & Mel Ford Band.
Andy Linderman and Mel Ford have played together for years. But because of their "other commitments," this is the first time they've made it official.
Andy's "other commitments" include collaborations with James Cotton, Corky Siegel, Jim Schwall, Luther Allison, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Charlie Musselwhite, The Doobie Brothers, Richie Havens, Muddy Waters, Ben E. King, Tab Benoit, and The University of Wisconsin 250-piece band. (Andy stopped the show.)
Mel began in opening acts for Albert Collins, Freddie King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He played with Bo Diddley, Sunnyland Slim, Zora Young, Junior Pettis, Ben Sidran, and Paul Black & the Flip Kings (with Andy). Mel also played the part of bandleader in Mel Ford & the Fairlanes.
So what is the Westside Andy/Mel Ford band? It's part celebration of a great American music. It's part the result of all the musicians Mel and Andy have played with. And it's all about love. They love this music, and they love to play it for you.
- Dan Smith
For more information: (http://www.westsideandy.com/band.htm).
The Eric Steckel Band, 4 p.m.
You probably know by now that the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival's slogan has been "Where Legends Come to Play." Well, for this artist, we need to rewrite that just a little bit: Eric is not a legend yet, but he will be!
Eric's mother Sue Steckel tells of the time she heard blues chords being played on piano in the basement. It was Eric at age six. His uncle Larry gave Eric a harmonica, which he played so hard it made his mouth bleed. Mom, Dad, and Uncle Larry got together and bought Eric a Fender Stratocaster before he was nine. Bye-bye to those other instruments after that. Not only did he learn to play but had a knack for writing as well. His first CD is a live recording called A Few Degrees Warmer. Eric made it when he was a mere 11 year old. His next CD, High Action, was made at age 13. Part of Eric's rare gift is the fact that he sees keys as color. If an instrument is slightly off-key, the color is muddy-looking.
In 2003, the Eric Steckel Band was invited to play the prestigious Sarasota Blues Festival, where he dropped many jaws. In 2004 he was back by popular demand. This time he was invited to share the stage with the "Godfather of the Blues," John Mayall, and he was the youngest guitar player to ever have that honor. John was so impressed that he took Eric on his Scandinavian Tour of 2004.
It didn't end there. Eric - now in his mid-teens - can also be heard on Mayall's latest, Road Dogs. Eric does the lead on the song "Chaos in the Neighborhood"
In addition to his bandshell performance, the Steckel will conduct a workshop at 1 p.m. Sunday.
- John Downard
For more information: (http://www.ericsteckel.com).
Kelley Hunt, 6 p.m.
In the middle of the dark months this last year, I traveled to Springfield to catch the Kelley Hunt show; man, was it ever worth the trip. Her incredible vocals and dead-on boogie-woogie piano will take your breath away. The band is one of the tightest I have ever seen; they are one solid unit.
Born in Kansas City, she hit the ground running, fueled by a family deeply rooted in music. Her influences include Ruth Brown, Mahalia Jackson, and Billie Holiday. She has forged her influences into her own unique style that will captivate you and make you feel the blues. Kelley also has mastered the piano, drawing inspiration from such greats as Professor Longhair and Toots Washington. You put the two talents together in one performer, and you can only imagine how good it will be.
- Rick Burris
For more information: (http://www.kelleyhunt.com).
Guitar Shorty, 8 p.m.
Guitar Shorty, a.k.a. David Kearney, was born in Houston, Texas, but raised in Kissimmee, Florida. As a young boy, he would sneak into his uncle's room and try to play his guitar. He was so small his hands didn't fit around its neck, so he would lean it against the wall and play it like a stand-up bass. When other kids were in high school, Shorty was a student by day and a working musician by night. One evening when he went to work, the marquee read "The Walter Johnson Band featuring Guitar Shorty"; the name he would go by from then on was born.
Right out of high school, at the age of 16, Shorty joined Ray Charles and his band for a year. At the age of 17 he recorded a single under the direction of Willie Dixon on the Cobra label. When Shorty was lured away to play with Guitar Slim, he moved to New Orleans.
In New Orleans, Shorty fronted his own group that became the house band at the legendary Dew Drop Inn. There he played with greats such as T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, and Little Richard. It took a job with Sam Cooke to get 19-year-old Shorty on the bus and on his way to the West Coast.
Shorty lived and worked in both Los Angeles and Canada until he met his wife, Marcia, in Seattle in 1961. When Shorty married Marcia, he also got Jimi Hendrix, Marcia's brother, for a brother-in-law. The young Jimi Hendrix came to see Shorty play often, and they were friends until Jimi's untimely death.
Like a Texas tumbleweed, Shorty rolled back to the Los Angeles area in 1971, and Los Angeles has remained his home. He cut his first full album and got his first W.C. Handy Award while living there.
Since that time Shorty has recorded several albums for the Black Top label and is currently signed to Evidence Records. He often jams at local clubs with former members of the Eagles and Steely Dan, and he calls local blues artist Keb' Mo' a personal friend and fan. He continues to capture audiences with his sincerity, energy, and rocking blues style.
- Kristy Adams
For more information: (http://www.guitarshorty.org).
Delbert McClinton, 10 p.m.
Delbert McClinton closes this year's IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival on the Band shell stage. Over the years, the entertainment committee for the Mississippi Valley Blues Society provides a great lineup for the entire festival. This year's booking of Delbert McClinton represents an absolutely phenomenal accomplishment in securing an artist of this stature to end another weekend of great blues music.
Delbert is the 2006 Grammy Award winner for the Best Contemporary Blues Album with his latest release, Cost of Living. This is a high-energy album that exemplifies Delbert's multicolored roots in the blues, rhythm and blues, country, and rock. Born in Lubbock, Texas, and raised in the Fort Worth area, McClinton honed his trade in his early 20s, when he was the only white band playing for a black promoter in the Skyline Ballroom on Blue Monday Nights. Delbert has said, "It was the greatest education I possibly could have had, playing behind my heroes." This includes performances with such blues legends as Lightnin' Hopkins, Joe Turner, Sunny Boy Williams, Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, and Bobby Blue Band. This opportunity of "on-the-job training" laid the foundation for his career.
Delbert's music represents Americana and life's happenstances that occur along the way. From lamenting failed relationships and celebrating those that have endured, his performance will certainly get LeClaire Park jumping. The opening number on Cost of Living is a hard-rocking ballad titled "The Fortunate Few"; make sure you're one of the fortunate many who catch Delbert McClinton live and on-stage at this year's blues festival.
- Rick Palmer
For more information: (http://www.delbert.com).
