The Willie Brown Blues Benefit
Description:
The purpose of The Willie Brown Blues Benefit is to raise money to purchase Willie Brown a headstone. Mr. Brown is currently buried in an unmarked grave in Tunica County, MS. In order to have a headstone created and placed at the Good Shepherd Church in Tunica, we need to raise $2100. Every single cent raised from this benefit will go directly to the purchase and placement of the headstone.
The Willie Brown Blues Benefit is a FREE SHOW. There will be raffles, live auctions, and a donation bucket to raise funds for this worthy cause.
Download the Print Ready Poster Here. | visit the donations page | Premier Guitar Magazine |
Check out our great Raffle Prizes:
Prize Pack 1: The Bluesman
- Autographed Ibanez Guitar w/hard case
- Collectible Blues Postcards
- Legendary Blues Cruise DVD
- 2 VIP passes for all three days of Daytona Blues Festival
- Legendary Blues Cruise CD (x2)
- 8 custom cigars
- Willie Brown Shirt
- Suncoast Blues Society Shirt
- Hard Times George Brock DVD
- Cathead Vodka
- Full Moon Lightnin’ DVD
- Floyd Lee Band CD
And more!
Prize Pack 2: The Junior Bluesman
- Collectible Blues Postcards
- Legendary Blues Cruise DVD
- Legendary Blues Cruise CD
- 2 VIP passes for all three days of Daytona Blues Festival
- 4 Custom cigars
- Willie Brown Shirt
- Suncoast Blues Society Shirt
- Cat Head Store/Clarksdale MS T-Shirt
- Full Moon Lightnin’ DVD
- Floyd Lee Band CD
And more!
Prize Pack 3: The Blues Fan
- Collectible Blues Postcards
- Legendary Blues Cruise CD
- 4 Custom cigars
- Willie Brown Shirt
- Suncoast Blues Society Shirt
- Cat Head Store bumper sticker
- Mississippi Blues Trail Map
- Full Moon Lightnin’ DVD
- Floyd Lee Band CD
We will also have a blind silent auction for a Leslie West Signature Model Guitar by Dean Guitars!
Location:
The event will take place September 26th 2010 at Ricks’s On The River, in Tampa Florida.
2305 N. Willow Ave. Tampa, Florida
813-251-0369
View Location on Map
View Venue’s Website
Artists:
The lineup, which is subject to change, is listed below.
Sean Chambers
Sean toured with the legendary Hubert Sumlin as his guitarist and band leader from 1998-2003. Performing extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe together, Chambers recalls this time as being his “College Education” in music. “My band would usually open the show, then take a short break and bring out Hubert for his set. I learned so much during my time playing with Hubert, I consider it my college education.” Sean not only learned at Hubert’s feet, but his own style of the blues began to get noticed by fans and critics as well. During a tour throughout England in 2001 Britain’s own “Guitarist” magazine named Chambers as one of the top 50 blues guitarists of the last century! After his tenure with Mr.Sumlin he later performed 3 more tours throughout England on his own.
Sean has several CD’s out, has been featured in many publications including Living Blues Magazine, and is an amazing bluesman. He has also shared the stage with BB King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Greg Allman, Lynyrd Sknyrd, Double Trouble, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tommy Castro, and many many more.
A Special Appearance By:
During Sean Chamber’s set, he will be joined by special guest Cody Benecasa.
Cody Benecasa was born in Cold Spring NY and moved to the Daytona area after his mother died suddenly in 2005. He took up the guitar, encouraged by his favorite uncle, a popular Blues drummer in the Daytona Beach area. After only several months of picking strings his uncle succumbed to Brain Cancer. He formed with his friends at 14, a blues/rock cover band that played several “jams” at the Bank of Blues in Daytona. Constantly trying to improve, he strives to play all genre’s of music whether it be Blues, Jazz, Rock or Heavy metal. He’s taken many music classes in high school, has private instruction from a Berklee School of Music graduate and plans to pursue a music career when he attends College in the fall. He says the only regrets he has is that he hadn’t started playing at a much younger age and he never got to “jam” with his uncle. His influences are B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), Scottie Henry (Norma Jean) and Paul Waggoner (Between The Buried and Me).
Eddie Wright
Born in 1950 in Bay Shore, Long Island, Ed started his career in music playing tuba at age 8. He started playing guitar in 1963, learning folksongs from friends. In 1980 Ed started his first all blues band, “The Almost Brothers Blues Band”. According to Ed, “We played up and down Long Island inventing our own blues scene, and spawning some blues band and blues players along the way.” One of his fondest memories is opening for Albert Collins, which he considered a real treat and privilege. Soon, Ed would hook up with Damon Fowler, and the two rocked out the Tampa blues scene.
His debut all-acoustic CD, “JUST WRIGHT”, was recorded at Media Central Studios in Brandon. He is a talented bluesman who has shared the stage and spotlight with loads of talent.
The Backwater Blues Band
Backwater Blues Band plays a unique style of music with a full rich sound that moves audiences with powerful ballads and upbeat arrangements of traditional, contemporary, and original blues. Since 1997 the band has entertained music lovers of all ages in a variety of venues from small pubs to large festivals. The band’s influences and sound are a range of rockin’ Texas blues, soulful Chicago blues, and funky New Orleans blues. The Backwater Blues Band is constantly adding new songs to their repertoire while keeping their current arrangements fresh.
Whether on the dance floor or tapping their feet at their table, audiences not only hear, but feel the richly spiced arrangements that have been described as having a subtle coolness and smooth funk- known as the Backwater groove.
View The Backwater Blues Band Website
Lee Pons
Lee is an extremely talented and avid musician, winning awards and rockin’ the keyboard at joints regularly around his home town of Florida. His brand new CD is an excellent showcase of his larger than life abilities, as well as his deeply rooted influences such as Professor Longhair, Dr John, Ray Charles, among others!
Lee was born and raised in the Streets of Tuscaloosa (or someplace like that)! His father, his biggest influence, was a musician with big bands such as Harry Belefonte, Duke Ellington and Danny Kaye. Following in his father’s footsteps, by sixteen Lee was already playing in clubs around town and later attended Julliard School of Music, earning 2 degrees. He plays a variety of different instruments and styles of music but his real love is rockin’ the 88s playing Jazz and Blues on his keyboards.
Special Guest Damon Fowler
Born and raised in Brandon Florida just outside of Tampa, Damon first picked up the guitar at the age of 12. After being shown a few chords, it was apparent that he was a natural. While his friends were listening to the music flavor of the month, Damon was digging into the Blues, and was soon playing small clubs in and around the Tampa Bay area. Years later with thousands of shows behind him, you’ve got one of the most unique and seasoned acts on the national circuit.
Damon Fowler has shared the stage with some of the best. He has also been voted Best Guitar Player, Best Lap Steel Player, Best Do-bro Player, and Best Slide Guitar Player.
Gold Sponsors:
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Inc.
252 Delta Ave.
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Legends Guitars in conjunction with Dean Guitars
4340 West Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa, FL 33614
Bluescentric
Somewhere near the Delta
Missouri, US
Special Thanks to:
