Kim Wilson grew up in a musical family and
was tutored in blues harmonica by George
"Harmonica" Smith, Luther Tucker, and PeeWee
Crayton. Raw but refined, and in high demand,
he has been a renowned performer for over three
decades, both with the Fabulous Thunderbirds
and the Kim Wilson Blues Revue. Many
consider Wilson to be one of the premier blues
harmonica players in America; his rich, buttery
vocals brighten every performance. Kim has
appeared/recorded with many greats, including
Muddy Waters, Eddie Taylor, Carlos Santana,
Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Keith Richards.
He is backed by powerhouse Billy Flynn on
electric guitar, and other hand picked performs, TBA.
(www.myspace.com/kimwilsonblues).
The Lafayette Rhythm Devils harness the
infectious energy of Cajun dance hall music.
Kristi Guillory started playing button accordion
at 11 years old, and quickly immersed herself in
Cajun culture and music; Kristi has won the
CFMA's New Dawn Award, Best Female
Vocalist, and Best New Recording Awards.
Randy Vidrine (guitar, vocals) grew up in a
bilingual household, and his voice is expressive,
passionate, and unquestionably authentic.
Chris
Segura plays strong, rhythmic fiddle with
rock-solid precision.
Yvette Landry (bass)
comes from a long, venerable line of Cajun
musicians, including her grandfather, Lucien
Landry.
Donald Lejeune plays drums.
(www.lafayetterhythmdevils.com).
Churua is an internationally renowned group of Irish musicians, each with individual acclaim. Paddy O'Brien, a native of County Offaly, plays button accordion, and has amassed a repertoire of over 3,000 traditional tunes. Also an avid student of the old masters, Patrick Ourceau is a virtuoso on the fiddle, and a particular specialist in the style and repertoire of Clare and East Galway. From Tipperary, Pat Egan has developed his own powerful style of guitar accompaniment and vocal delivery. (www.chulrua.com)
This multi-state Midwestern string band rejoices in the frolic and fun of oldtime music and clog dance. Illinois master fiddler and mandolinist Chirps Smith fronts a group that includes Tim Foss on fiddle, guitar and banjo; Dave Landreth on banjo and guitar; Andrew Gribble on guitar, clawhammer banjo and acoustic bass; and Dot Kent on feet. Yes, you read that right - Dot's a prize-winning clog dancer and a fantastic dance caller (www.newbadhabits.com)!
Geraldine Gay is most notably recognized as a member of The Gay Sisters Trio that recorded for Dolphin and Savoy Records in the late forties and early fifties. The Trio, which included Geraldine and her sisters Evelyn and Mildred, performed at New York's Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, the Astrodome, and the Bicentennial Celebration of the United States on the Washington Mall. In addition, the sisters sang at churches around the country, and have performed or recorded with some of the most influential artists of the 20th century, including Mahalia Jackson, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Dr. Thomas Dorsey, Clara Ward, Pops Staples, and many others.
In his book The Gospel Sound, Anthony Heilbut referred to Geraldine Gay as the "Errol Garner of gospel".Pastor Gregory Donald Gay is the co-founder of Prayer Center Church of God in Christ, and younger brother of The Gay Sisters Trio. At six years of age, Pastor Gay appeared at Carnegie Hall with his sisters. His singing continues the Gay family gospel tradition.
The Gay family was honored by the Smithsonian Institute for their contributions and advancement of gospel music in America.
Geraldine and Donald recorded on "In the Right Hands - Chicago Gospel Keyboard Pioneers" for The Sirens Records; They are currently working on a new recording for The Sirens Records. These recordings will expose the next generation of listeners to their exceptional talent.
Paul Brown started playing banjo at age ten. He has spent decades learning music from some of the greatest old time fiddle, banjo, and guitar players to emerge before the age of recording and radio, including Tommy Jarrell of North Carolina. Paul is known for his extensive knowledge of tunes and songs from northwest North Carolina and central and southwest Virginia, including songs his mother learned in the 1920s and 1930s from older musicians. He has performed with a long list of outstanding old time musicians, including Andy Cahan and Mike Seeger in the Bent Mountain Band and Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys. (www.brownpaul.net)
Aaron Moore plays barrelhouse and boogie
woogie blues piano that was once common in
Chicago but is now a rarity. Blues on Stage
writes "despite the loss of such piano giants as
Eddie Boyd, Memphis Slim, and Roosevelt
Sykes, Moore at age 75 seems to just be starting
to gain the notoriety that he shunned years ago
when he played with ... Little Milton, Muddy
Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and B.B. King." Moore
joins us for the 2008 Folk Festival with a special
solo acoustic set on Sunday evening only.
Check out his work at Artist Direct.
Junior Sisk (guitar, vocals) has been involved
with several bluegrass groups, including The
Lost and Found, Blue Ridge, and the Lonesome
River Band. He grew up in Virginia's Blue Ridge
Mountains and started playing at 14. Junior's
raw, gravelly voice transports the listener back to
the pre-bluegrass age of stringband music.
Junior's own group, Rambler's Choice, is back
with a new lineup in 2008: Timmy Massey
(bass, vocals), Darrell Wilkerson (banjo), and
Chris Harris (mandolin, vocals).
Vist them on Myspace.
The Chicago Klezmer Ensemble is the premier klezmer group in the midwest. Known for their elegant, accessible, and knowledgeable performance style, the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble is led by musical director Clarinetist Kurt Bjorling.
A versatile musician, he also performs on basset-horn, bass clarinet, tsimbl, saxophone and accordion. He has toured and recorded with the Klezmatics and Brave Old World. Klezmer music developed in
Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, and has a
unique sound, with both haunting and joyous
melodies. He will be performing with several of the best klezmer musicians around, TBA.
The Chicago Klezmer Ensemble appears Sunday night only!
Read more about him here.
