Red Hot and Blue Revue II
May 1-2, 2009

The Cultural Arts Division of the City of Kingsport and the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport are pleased to present “Red, Hot and Blue Revue II” on May 1 and 2 at the Renaissance Center Theatre located at 1200 East Center Street in Kingsport, TN. Tickets for reserved seating for each night of the event are $20, regular admission, and $18 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.KingsportARTS.org or by calling 423-392-8417.

If you see the RenCen rocking it is not an earthquake just a really great concert…and you don’t want to miss either night! Friday, May 1 is the FIRST of two nights of fantastic music! Join the charismatic Lightnin' Charlie as he rocks and rolls and hosts some truly great blues performers: "Harmonica Todd" and headliner "Barrelhouse Chuck". Saturday, May 2 is LADIES NIGHT, when the ladies take the stage for a second night of truly great blues music! Performers include EG Kight, Ann Rabson, and Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women. This concert is made possible through a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Touring Artist program. For all info, artist bios, pics, videos, songs, etc. go to www.myspace.com/redhotandbluerevue

Details on the 2-day Event: 

This year’s RH&B Revue is expanded to two nights!!
PER NIGHT: $20/Adults $18/Students or Seniors

FIRST NIGHT, Friday May 1 @7:30 PM
Featuring:

• The legendary, "Barrelhouse Chuck" -- Premier Chicago Blues Pianist
• Lightnin' Charlie – American Roots Music
• Harmonica Todd - Chicago Harp Master
• w/The Billy Crawford Band
• With an ALL-STAR JAM as the Grand Finale!

SECOND NIGHT, Saturday May 2 @7:30 PM
Featuring:

• "Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women" on their Farewell Tour
• Ann Rabson - Boogie-woogie Hall of Fame member
• EG Kight - International Female Artist, Rhythm & Blues
• w/The Billy Crawford Band
• With an ALL-STAR JAM as the Grand Finale!

1st NIGHT

BARRELHOUSE CHUCK is the only Chicago blues pianist to have studied under Sunnyland Slim, Pinetop Perkins, Blind John Davis, Detroit Junior and Little Brother Montgomery. Barrelhouse Chuck draws on this distinguished lineage to create a blues, boogie-woogie and barrelhouse piano style that places him at the forefront of this celebrated tradition. Barrelhouse Chuck and the Cadillac Records band were invited PERSONALLY by the president to perform at his inauguration.

BARRELHOUSE CHUCK is the premier Chicago Blues pianist and is the pianist in the new major motion picture "The Cadillac Records Story", starring Beyonce. Barrelhouse Chuck is musically in a class by himself.  Bruce Springsteen said of Chuck’s performance in "The Cadillac Records Story", "Man, that’s GREAT piano!" www.barrelhousechuck.com

Barrelhouse Chuck will be joined by his longtime friend and bandmate, HARMONICA TODD. TODD has played and recorded with Barrelhouse Chuck and Lightnin' Charlie separately for decades.

LIGHTNIN’ CHARLIE has been a favorite of music fans locally, nationally and internationally for years. Known for his charismatic personality and dynamic stage show, he is a natural entertainer and a virtual encyclopedia of classic American music styles. Lightnin' Charlie is a master showman and always leaves audiences smiling and begging for more. "Everyone who has seen Lightnin' perform is astounded by his talent, range, and showmanship. This man knows how to entertain a crowd. ... Lightnin' Charlie is one of the most entertaining, yet down-to-earth guys around, and if you have never seen him in concert, you are missing out on something really special."--PickinPorch.org  Lightnin' Charlie has been voted "Favorite Musician or Group in the Mountain South" and "The Mountain South’s Favorite Artist" (The Mountain South covers Roanoke to Chattanooga, Boone to Knoxville) by the readers of Marquee Magazine for TWO YEARS IN A ROW (2007-2008). He has been featured on national network and cable television, international and satellite radio, and is regularly featured on several local television channels. www.LightninCharlie.com

THE BILLY CRAWFORD BAND plays contemporary rhythm & blues and has released 5 CD’s on the triple shot label. The band formed in 2002 after Billy Crawford came off the road with Deborah Coleman. BILLY CRAWFORD has played the blues for 20 years and toured 20 countries on 5 continents. He has played with recording artist Deborah Coleman from 1997 to 2002 and is featured on 3 Blind Pig Releases, "Livin On Love", Soft Place To Fall" and "Soul Be It". He also has 4 solo releases on Triple Shot recordings, "Side Tracked at Elis Hall", "When You Got A Good Friend", "500 Mile To Memphis" and "Memphis City Limits". Billy is currently working with Janiva Magness and E.G. Kight in addition to his solo dates.

Each night of RH&B Revue, all the artists on the bill will take the stage together for an ALL-STAR JAM for each evening’s grand finale. Harmonica Todd, Barrelhouse Chuck, and Lightnin' Charlie will be performing solo, duo, and with the Billy Crawford Band. Don’t miss this one!

2nd NIGHT

**2009 marks Saffire’s 25th anniversary, which also marks their FINAL TOUR and final release as a group!**

SAFFIRE - THE UPPITY BLUES WOMEN is an acoustic threesome of richly-talented, strong women who also are persistent, daring, and opinionated. ANN RABSON performs boogie piano and finger-picked guitar from the old school. GAYE ADEGBALOLA plays incisive guitar and harmonica, while multi-instrumentalist ANDRA FAYE adds bass, guitar, mandolin, and fiddle.

For the uninitiated, Saffire’s bawdy brand of blues is full of pithy observations on sex, love, booze, and women misbehaving, full of double (and even single) entendre. At other times, they can be melancholic enough to break your heart. These are traits inherited from the classic blueswomen of the past -- the need to embody the desires of women while voicing their own pleasure and pain. And this tempting trio can do it well. Saffire Deluxe Edition "Middle Aged Blues Boogie" has become the group’s anthem. The song features the basics of acoustic piano, mandolin, and guitar, yet it comes with all the sass of Bessie Smith and the authority of Sippie Wallace. www.uppityblueswomen.com

ANN RABSON, now honored as a member of the Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame, brings the historic blues, boogie-woogie, and barrel house styles front and center. She was first touched by the blues at age four when she heard Big Bill Broonzy on the radio. Ann says, "His music spoke to me; my world went from black-and-white to color." Little did Ann know that that three-minute experience would lay the foundation for her adult life. Now in her fourth decade as an internationally acclaimed songwriter, recording artist and performer, Ann creates music that speaks to and entertains people all over the world. www.annrabson.com

Gaye Adegbalola of Saffire has been nominated for a Blues Music Award for Best Contemporary Female Blues Artist! The 30th Blues Music Awards will be held Thursday, May 7, in Memphis, Tennessee. Gaye released her fourth solo cd, Gaye Without Shame, in July 2008.

EG KIGHT - The Georgia Songbird, has been dazzling audiences for years with her Southern Belle mix of Blues, Soul, and Country. EG KIGHT’s refreshing twist on blues music is earthy as well as explosive. She is a powerhouse performer with tremendous style. Her songs are exciting, comforting and exceptionally polished. This artist pours her soul into every note she sings, struts her vocals with confidence, and brings you to your knees with the smokiest of lyrics. Blues Revue Magazine states, "Kight will be an unstoppable force." EG Kight has been nominated for five W.C. Handy awards! Once for Debut Artist, and twice for Contemporary Female Artist! Nominated for Song of the Year - "Nothin’ Ever Hurt Me" Nominated for Song of the Year - "Southern Comfort".

EG Kight is now well positioned in the blues world, honored with six prestigious Blues Music Award nominations. Her song, "Let the Healing Begin," was selected in the final round of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). EG’s songs were chosen for two successful NARM/BMA compilations, (Get the Blues! and Get the Blues 2!) each maintaining Billboard chart positions for more than a year. In addition to her own live performances, both solo/acoustic and with her band, EG has shared the stage with such notables as Taj Mahal, Delbert McClinton, Phoebe Snow, Merle Haggard, Little Feat, and Garrison Keillor during the past year.

As she did last year, EG will be performing with the sensational BILLY CRAWFORD BAND. www.egkight.com

Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women, Ann Rabson (performing a solo set), and EG Kight with the Billy Crawford Band will all take the stage for an unprecedented ALL-STAR JAM as the grand finale to an evening dedicated to the Grand Dames of the Blues.

LADIES, bring your husbands...maybe they’ll learn something! MEN, bring your wives...maybe they’ll hear some blues y’all can use!

The Renaissance Center is located at 1200 East Center Street in Kingsport. The 3-story building features an art gallery, 345-seat theatre and meeting rooms available for the community. The facility is also home to various arts organizations as well as the community’s senior center.