UPPER LAKE >> One of the best blues bands in the country, headed by the veteran Joe Louis Walker, comes to the Tallman Hotel veranda for the annual Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Fest on Monday, September 4.
“With the Lake County Fair over and guests gone home, a little quality music in a relaxing outdoor setting is a great way to end the Labor Day weekend,” said Blue Wing owner Bernie Butcher.
The venue is the tree shaded garden between the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Restaurant in Upper Lake. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts in the cool of the evening at 6:15 p.m. The price of admission ($50 plus tax) includes a gourmet barbeque dinner in addition to the music.
“We’ve been trying to get Joe Luis Walker to the Blue Wing Blues Fest for a number of years” said Butcher. “The dates didn’t work last year, so we helped to sponsor a show at the Soper-Reese in Lakeport. Anyone who saw Walker tear up the place last year at the Soper-Reese won’t want to miss this one.”
Walker is a Blues Hall of Fame inductee who has toured extensively throughout his career. He’s earned a legion of dedicated fans while performing at the world’s most renowned music festivals. His latest album Everybody Wants A Piece cements his legacy as a prolific torchbearer for the blues.
Looking back on his rich history, Walker says, “I’d like to be known for the credibility of a lifetime of being true to my music and the blues. Sometimes I feel I’ve learned more from my failures than from my successes. But that’s made me stronger and more adventurous and helped me to create my own style. I’d like to think that when someone puts on one of my records they would know from the first notes, ‘That’s Joe Louis Walker.’”
The Walker traveling band will be supplemented for this show by a horn section composed of veteran saxophone players Nancy Wright and Keith Crossan.
“I’ve had a great time playing with Joe Louis Walker in the past,” said Wright, “and I’m delighted that he’s invited Keith and me to join his show at the Blue Wing.”
Opening for Walker will be a scaled down version of local blues harp master Pat Gleeson’s Clean Sweep Blues Band. Joining Pat will be guitarist Mike Gymnaites with David Neft on keyboards. Keith Crossan will also join the group on sax.
Tickets for the Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Fest are limited to 100 only and may be purchased by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244 Ext. 0.
