Greeley Blues Jam: Do You Get The Blues?

By Lisa Baird
If you’re a fan of the blues, you’ll want to be in Greeley on June 8^th and 9^th.  The Greeley Blues Jam festivities kick off at 5 p.m., on the 9^th Street Plaza with a concert by Bad Brad and the Fat Cats. From 6 p.m.-8 p.m., the Johnny O Band performs. Following the shows, continue to get your blues on by visiting any of the twelve downtown venues that offer libations and feature live music.
Headlining The Greeley Blues Jam on June 9^th, in Island Grove Park, is Jimmie Vaughn and the Tilt-a-Whirl band, feat. Lou Ann Barton. Vaughn was a founding member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, whose 1986 album, Tuff Enuff, shot the band out of Austin and into mainstream.
Guitar Player magazine proclaims, “He (Vaughn) is a virtual deity—a living legend.”
He is also Stevie Ray’s big brother and their collaborative effort, Family Style, was Stevie Ray’s last album release.
Jimmie Vaughn says about his feature performer, Lou Ann Barton, “I go back with Lou Ann before The Thunderbirds. When we met, she was eighteen and sang a Little Richard medley and I never recovered.”
Jimmie Vaughn’s latest solo effort is, Plays, Blues, Ballads and Favorites/ Shout! Factory-Proper Records/2010 (Source www.jimmievaughn.com)
Also scheduled to perform is the New Orleans based, eight piece, Soul Rebels Brass Band. They are a group whose style reflects the traditional influence of brass bands, and the additional infusion of R&B, funk and hip-hop.
“Described by Village Voice as the ‘missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong,’ The Soul Rebels Brass Band, as you would imagine, encapsulate a hip hop sensibility while paying full respect to the brass band tradition from which they come. Led by Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, the New Orleans-based eight-piece produce funky, horn-driven music that immediately invites the listener to party. You may be hard pressed to hear a more vibrant, life-affirming record this year.”
The Soul Rebels latest release is Unlock Your Mind/ Rounder Records.