Clearwater ready for weekend of seafood and blues (February 2012)

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Clearwater ready for weekend of seafood and blues (February 2012)
February 14m 2012
By LEE CLARK ZUMPE
TBNWeekly.com

CLEARWATER – The Knology Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival is Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 18-19, at Coachman Park, 301 Drew St., Clearwater.

The festival sails back into February in 2012. Last year, the event temporarily became part of the city’s signature Fun ’n’ Sun Festival in May. The annual event, established in 2007, provides the opportunity to satisfy seafood cravings while enjoying some of the best blues music around.

The inaugural concert series featured musicians such as Johnny Winter, Coco Montoya and Chris Beard. Since then, the festival has seen performances by Eric Lindell, Bettye LaVette, the Derek Trucks Band, Chris Thomas King, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Jonny Lang, Marcia Ball, Elvin Bishop, Tab Benoit, Robert Cray and Taj Mahal.

This year’s festival headliners include Buddy Guy Janiva Magness and Curtis Salgado.

Buddy Guy

Born in 1936, Buddy Guy is a living blues legend.

The guitarist and singer is considered a pioneer of the Chicago blues style. Guy has been awarded no less than five Grammys and 23 W.C. Handy Blues Awards. He received the Billboard Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and, in 2003, earned the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to the creation, growth and support of the arts.

Ranking in the top 30 of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Guy has influenced rock ’n’ roll guitar gods such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 by Clapton and fellow bluesman B.B. King.

His history in music dates back to the 1950s, playing first in Baton Rouge and then in Chicago, under the influence of Muddy Waters.

Guy’s discography begins with 1965’s “Hoodoo Man Blues” with Junior Wells. His debut solo album, “I Left My Blues in San Francisco,” was released by Chess Records in 1967.

Guy’s most recent album, “Living Proof,” is his 26th studio album by most accounts.

Conceived of as an aural autobiography, the album traces Guy’s evolution as a blues artist and illustrates the true range of his virtuosity. Guy dismisses genre distinctions as meaningless.

“Before the ‘60s, we were always just R&B players,” Guy said in notes about “Living Proof.” “Then they branded us – there was Chicago blues, Memphis, Motown, and so we were considered blues players. But in Chicago, if you wanted to keep your gig, you had to be able to play all the top tunes on the jukebox, whether that was Lloyd Price or Fats Domino or Ray Charles.”

Janiva Magness

Born near Detroit, Janiva Magness was inspired by the blues and country she heard listening to her father’s record collection and by the classic Motown sound.

Her early life was marred by chaos and tragedy. Magness lost both parents to suicide. At age 16, she found herself living on the streets, drifting from one foster home to another. At 17, she had a child of her own. She had to give up her baby daughter for adoption.

Then came a turning point: an underage Magness got into a club to see blues great Otis Rush. She had found her calling.

Listening to blues and soul artists such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Etta James, Magness found inspiration and direction. Her first break came several years later, when she was approached to sing some supporting vocals on a track. This led to regular background singer work. By the early 1980s, Magness found a mentor in Bob Tate, musical director for Sam Cooke.

Magness found regional success with her first band Janiva Magness And The Mojomatics. She recorded a string of independent releases before signing with Northern Blues and recorded “Bury Him At The Crossroads” in 2004 and “Do I Move You?” in 2006. Both CDs were co-produced by Magness and Canadian roots star Colin Linden.

In 2008, Magness signed with Alligator Records and released her label debut, “What Love Will Do.”

She earned the 2009 Blues Music Awards for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year and for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year, an honor she also received in 2006 and 2007. She has received 11 previous Blues Music Award nominations.

Her 2010 follow-up, “The Devil Is An Angel Too,” brought even more acclaim. The album was the No. 1 CD of 2010 on the Living Blues radio chart.

Her new album, “Stronger For It,” will be released in March 13.

Produced by Dave Darling, “Stronger For It” includes three autobiographical songs Magness co-wrote for the album, including the poignant and melodic “Whistling In The Dark,” the riveting “I Won't Cry” and the take-no-guff showstopper “There It Is.”

“As I move forward, I’m more willing to put myself on the line,” said Magness in her notes on the new album. “I’m less willing to burden myself with unnecessary problems, less willing to care what people say about me. As it turns out, the more vulnerable I allow myself to be, the more strength I draw from that.”

Curtis Salgado

Based in Portland, Oregon, Curtis Salgado has a long history in blues.

Salgado was the featured vocalist of the original Robert Cray Band and did a stint as lead vocalist with Roomful of Blues and Santana. On his own, Salgado has released a total of seven solo albums and has built a legion of fans worldwide.

Salgado even served as inspiration for John Belushi. The two met in Eugene, Oregon in 1977 when Belushi was filming “Animal House.” Salgado mentored Belushi in blues in R&B and ultimately adopted part of Salgado’s show as the foundation of the Blues Brothers act he developed with Dan Akroyd. The debut Blues Brothers album is dedicated to Salgado.

In 2006, Salgado faced somber news: He was diagnosed with liver cancer and was told he had eight months to live without a liver transplant. With no health insurance, Salgado benefitted from a little help from famous friends. Fundraising concerts featuring the likes of Steve Miller, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal helped raise $500,000 and enabled Salgado to get a transplant. Having overcome his serious health issues, Salgado recorded “Clean Getaway” in 2008. Salgado was nominated for four Blues Music Awards including Album of the Year. He won the award for Soul Blues Artist of the Year in 2010.

“I’m playing music with the most incredible people,” Salgado says on his website. “I've got everything to be grateful for. To me, I’ve won the lottery, I’ve won all the Grammys. It makes me humble. So I’m just trying to stick to my guns, perfect my craft and make great music.”

The festival schedule is as follows and is subject to change:

Saturday, Feb. 18

• Noon – Gates open
• 12:45 p.m. – Selwyn Birchwood
• 2:20 p.m. – Michael Williams Band
• 4:05 p.m. – Rich DelGrosso/Del Toro Richardson Band


• 6 p.m. – Curtis Salgado
• 8:10 p.m. – Buddy Guy

Sunday, Feb. 19

• 1 p.m. – Gates open
• 1:30 p.m. – Franc Robert
• 2:45 p.m. – Eden Brent


• 4:30 p.m. – Beverly McClellan
• 6 p.m. – Ronnie Baker Brooks
• 7:30 p.m. – Janiva Magness

Of course, music is only half of the fun at the Sea-Blues Festival. Attendees will be able to experience some of the best seafood in the area, including jumbo shrimp, crab cakes, oysters, crawfish and gumbo.

Pets, grills, open flames, glass containers, coolers, food, drinks, tents, audio video recording equipment, thrown objects, and fireworks are not permitted. Lawn chairs, blankets and one sealed bottle of water per person may be brought into the park.

General admission is free. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and noon Sunday. There is limited reserved seating available for purchase at Ticketmaster.

For more information, call 562-4811 or visit ClearwaterSeaBlues.com.