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| DELMARK RECORDS BLUES & JAZZ ALL-STARS HOLIDAY CONCERT AT THALIA HALL Wednesday Dec 20th 2023 8:00 PM (Doors 7:00 PM) Thalia Hall 1807 S Allport St, Chicago, IL 60608 $30.00 – $390.00 Ages 17+ The Delmark All-Star Blues Band: Dave Specter: vocals & guitar Mike Wheeler: vocals & guitar Roosevelt Purifoy: Hammond B3 organ & piano Larry Williams: bass Greg Rockingham: drums The Soul Message Band: Chris Foreman: Hammond B3 organ Geof Bradfield: tenor sax Lee Rothenberg: guitar Greg Rockingham: drums Featuring: Sheryl Youngblood Carlise & Greg Guy, Buddy Guy’s daughter & son. Demetria Taylor Jimmy Burns Mud Morganfield, Muddy Waters’ eldest son Willie Buck with Muddy Waters’ guitar player Rick Kreher and very special guest Billy Boy Arnold with a special book signing from the legendary Chicago bluesman, BILLY BOY ARNOLD!! You never know, he may feel motivated to sing and play like he did at the recent 70th celebration at Evanston SPACE at the end of September…his first public performance since before the pandemic! Delmark Records celebrates its 70th anniversary by presenting Delmark Blues & Jazz artists. Delmark Records is the oldest continuously operating blues and jazz label in the world. Founded in 1953 by Bob Koester, Delmark is, since 2018, also a woman-owned business, with Julia A. Miller at the helm as President and CEO. Under the new administration Delmark Records has put out over 30 releases on vinyl and CD, it has made digitally available over 12,000 songs from Delmark’s historic catalogue and it has expanded worldwide its distribution. This holiday blues and jazz extravaganza will feature a constellation of Delmark recording artists, both blues & jazz musicians, including three women: Demetria Taylor, Sheryl Youngblood and Carlise Guy as well as her brother Greg. They are the daughter and son of Buddy Guy and very talented artists in their own right. Demetria Taylor is, of course, the daughter of the great Eddie Taylor, the sister of Eddie Taylor Jr. and the niece of Jimmy Burns, also featured in this concert. Sheryl Youngblood is one of the most recent additions to the large and growing Delmark family. Jimmy Burns will present songs from his upcoming Delmark album with The Soul Message Band, which also will perform some tunes of their electrifying soul-jazz repertoire. Muddy Waters’ eldest son Mud Morganfield and Muddy Waters’ guitar player, Rick Kreher will be joined by the Delmark All-Star Band for a vibrant tribute to Muddy. In that way Delmark will be honoring Chicago’s blues history with the presence of three blues dynasties coming from Muddy Waters, Eddie Taylor and Buddy Guy. Dave Specter recently celebrated his 30 years on Delmark Records with a luxurious double album on vinyl and CD, which made justice to the brilliancy of one of the top living blues guitar players. Mike Wheeler is one of the busiest and most powerful artists in the international blues scene and he has already two albums on Delmark. Dave and Mike will be singing and playing guitar fronting the Delmark All-Star Blues Band. With them, Delmark will present two players of amazing skills, knowledge and passion, such as Roosevelt Purifoy on keyboards and Larry Williams on bass. Greg Rockingham, the leader of The Soul Message Band, wil be at the drums. He is a warm and versatile musician as comfortable in the blues as he it at home in jazz, soul and R&B. This very special holiday concert at the gorgeous Thalia Hall will be the event closing a whole year of Delmark celebrations, including the Delmark All-Star show at the 2023 Chicago Blues Festival, the celebration at Space in Evanston, Il; the historical concert at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, IL; the Rockwell Stroll in Chicago; the Woody Award received at the Woodstock Folk Festival; the Delmark 70th celebration at the “Jus’ Blues Awards” in Tunica, Mississippi, among other remarkable events. |
https://www.thaliahallchicago.com/
THE HISTORY OF THALIA HALL
Thalia Hall is a historic landmark located in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. It was founded by John Dusek at the turn of the century as a neighborhood establishment. Dusek was a family man, a tavern owner, and a facilitator of the arts. He was a visionary, and the founding father of Thalia Hall. His hope for the corner of 18th & Allport was to build a public hall for the community. In 1892 his dream became reality: a multi-purpose property that would offer commercial storefronts, residential housing, and a hall for the community.
In September 2013, owners Bruce Finkelman [Beauty Bar, Bite, Empty Bottle, EBP, Longman & Eagle] and Craig Golden [Longman & Eagle, Space, Union] launched three new concepts within this storied property: a re-established beer inspired restaurant, a Punch focused cocktail bar, and a public hall fit for all types of events.
Billy Boy Arnold’s autobiography – He will be signing and selling at the event
Mud Morganfield with Elbio and Julia Miller
MUD MORGANFIELD
Rick Kreher with Mud Morganfield. Rick was Muddy Waters’ last guitarist along with John Primer and Mud Morganfield’s long time guitarist, too!!
The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold with Kim Field
The frank, funny, and unforgettable autobiography of a living legend of Chicago blues.
Simply put, Billy Boy Arnold is one of the last men standing from the Chicago blues scene’s raucous heyday. What’s more, unlike most artists in this electrifying melting pot, who were Southern transplants, Arnold—a harmonica master who shared stages with Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and Howlin’ Wolf, plus a singer and hitmaker in his own right who first recorded the standards “I Wish You Would” and “I Ain’t Got You”—was born right here and has lived nowhere else. This makes his perspective on Chicago blues, its players, and its locales all the rarer and all the more valuable. Arnold has witnessed musical generations come and go, from the decline of prewar country blues to the birth of the electric blues and the worldwide spread of rock and roll. Working here in collaboration with writer and fellow musician Kim Field, he gets it all down. The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold is a remarkably clear-eyed testament to more than eighty years of musical love and creation, from Arnold’s adolescent quest to locate the legendary Sonny Boy Williamson, the story of how he named Bo Diddley Bo Diddley, and the ups and downs of his seven-decade recording career. Arnold’s tale—candidly told with humor, insight, and grit—is one that no fan of modern American music can afford to miss.
Dave Specter – vocals, guitar
“One of the few top-tier guitarists” – Downbeat
“Dave Specter is a global ambassador of Chicago Blues” – Chicago Sun-Times
GUITARIST, SINGER/SONGWRITER, BANDLEADER, RECORDING ARTIST, PRODUCER & PODCAST HOST
Dave Specter has earned an international reputation as one of the premier talents on the Chicago music scene. Since 1985 Specter has performed regularly at top venues and festivals throughout the USA and has toured internationally in 19 countries.
Before forming his own band in 1989, Specter toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe behind such blues greats as Son Seals, The Legendary Blues Band, Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay and Steve Freund. Specter has also performed and/or recorded with such artists as Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jimmy Johnson, Jack McDuff, Johnny Adams, Snooky Pryor, Kim Wilson, Tad Robinson, John Primer, Johnny Littlejohn, B.B. Odom, Mighty Joe Young, Magic Slim, Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Earl, Otis Clay, Floyd McDaniel, Pinetop Perkins and Jorma Kaukonen from Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane.
Dave has performed for the President of the United States, the Governor of Illinois and the Mayor of Chicago.
Dave appears on over 50 albums and DVDs as a guitarist, bandleader and/or producer, with 13 albums as a leader or co-leader on Delmark Records. His new double album, Six String Soul 30 Years on Delmark was released in 2021.
Specter’s guitar playing is featured on the 2023 Grammy nominated “Into The Little Blue House” by Wendy and DB, nominated for Best Children’s Music Album.
Specter appears on compilation albums with artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, T-Bone Walker, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Mike Bloomfield.
Dave was inducted into The Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2018.
Recently featured in Rolling Stone, Dave’s handwritten song lyrics are on display at The Woody Guthrie Center’s Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom exhibit in Tulsa alongside Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics.
Dave is also partner at one of the Chicago area’s most acclaimed music venues, Evanston SPACE and hosts the podcast, Blues From The Inside Out.
MIKE WHEELER BAND
About Us
Mike Wheeler has a vast knowledge of music and a voice that’s reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke. He can sing and play everything so well that you may forget what the original record even sounds like. From Jazz to Rock, from popular music to Top 40, he slides in and out of musical genres with sophistication, ease and indulgence. Mike Wheeler is a brilliant staple in the Chicago blues community, playing and writing songs for a variety of Chicago artists including, Nellie Tiger Travis, Peaches Staten, Sam Cockrell, Demetria Taylor, Big Ray & Cadillac Dave. Mike was a well known member of Big James &The Chicago Playboys, a notable band in Chicago and recorded five albums with the group. He has travelled the world as an ambassador for Chicago blues music. He’s been to Monaco, France, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium, just to name a few. He’s also shared the stage with the most elite musicians the world has known, including Willie Kent, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, George Benson, Jimmy Johnson and Shemekia Copeland. Mike was inducted in the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.
Larry Williams is a Bassist Extraordinaire with unmatched stage presence and charisma. Influenced by artists such as Bennie Williams, Jerome Scott, Sam Cockrell, Larry Graham, James Jamerson, Willie Dixon, Stanley Clarke and Verdine White just to name a few. Larry’s style is clean and driving, reminiscent of the late greats yet modern, enabling him to play with the best in the business. From Gospel to Alternative, Larry can play it all. He has played on national and international stages. He has performed with Albertina Walker, Tyrone Davis, James Cotton, Jimmy Johnson, Buddy Guy, Vicki Winans, Koko Taylor, B.B. King and George Benson along with countless others. He has recorded on three major blues labels: Alligator, Blind Pig and Delmark Records. He is a true example of someone who knows what he was born to do!!
SHERYL YOUNGBLOOD
SHERYL YOUNGBLOOD
Singer/ Songwriter/ Musician/Audio Video Technician
Favorite Subjects:
Music and what it means
Motto:
“Do Your Best”; “Nothing beats a Failure but a TRY”;
Growing up in a musically inclined family with her mother having her own female group “The Royal Harmonetts” and being a pianist and vocalist in the church, Sheryl was born into music.
2015 Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame Inductee. Sheryl began singing and playing various instruments in the church, in her teen years Sheryl began her own female group in her church (Mt. Zion Baptist Church) called “Sisters” in which she wrote several of their songs and also wrote songs for the National Baptist State Convention, (unfortunately those songs were not recorded) soon after Sheryl auditioned for and was immediately excepted into the world renowned gospel recording group “Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers of Chicago” affectionately called “The Tommies” while singing with “The Tommies” the group became a Grammy and Stella Award winning group. During that time Sheryl began playing drums and or singing with various recording artist such as Otis Clay, Artie “BLUES BOY” White, Bobby “Slim” James, “KoKo Taylor and “The KoKo Taylor Blues Foundation”, Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Willie Rogers, 3x Hall of Famer Billy Shelton, 3x Stella Award winner “Darious Brooks”, Hall of Fame Group “The Spaniels, “Raven” Grammy and Emmy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, Yolanda Adams, Daryl Coley, LeAnn Faine, Stormy Weather, she has opened for The Whispers, Buddy Guy, Lakeside, Chante Moore, Reheem De’Vaughn, Kindred The Family Soul, Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush, John Primer, Maurice John Vaughn and the list goes on in 1995 Sheryl Formed “SAYYES!” band and an all female band Ultimately Blessed a.k.a. “UB” SAY YES! And UB performed at many different venue’s and put on yearly benefit concerts for SWWR (Batter and abused Women and Children Facility) Cancer; Sickle cell Anemia; Diabetes; Prostate Cancer and more. SAYYES! the band continues to play a variety of music, a variety of venues and for a variety of events SAYYES! has opened for many artist as mentioned on the SAYYES! page of this website www.sayyeslive.com the band continues on, making and playing music. Sheryl has been on Radio, Television, in multiple Blues magazines and in digital media.
Sheryl started her own Blues band Sheryl Youngblood Blues Band in 2013 A Powerful Vocalist; Drummer; Songwriter; Bandleader; Entertainer. works regularly and travels extensively. Performing at such places as The world renown BLUE CHICAGO as a regular artist of the club as well as playing at many venues in and out of the United State with bookings at Buddy Guys Legend, Rosa’s Lounge, House of Blues Main Stage, Crossroads Stage and Foundation Room, Kingston Mines, B.L.U.E.S on Halsted, Taste of Chicago, Taste of East Chicago, Blue Chip Casino, Majestic Star Casino, Hardrock Casino MWI, Muckleshoot Casino Seattle Washington, Ameristar Casino Jackson Mississippi, Country Club Hills Theater , Blues On White Edmonton Canada, Blues Can Calgary Canada, and many more venues, keeping the audience involved and energized with a TRUE show. Sheryl also sings and performs with world renowned group, Mississippi Heat
A/V (Audio/Visual): Attended school of Can TV: Videography; Video recording and editing and is now certified as a videography and Audio technician Working in the music business has afforded Sheryl many opportunities for hands on training and teaching of Audio, Video, lighting, spot lighting and as a full on stagehand with Hands R Us Staging for multiple venues: Country club hills Theater; House of Hope special events to name just a few.
Discography: Stranger In My Bed, Live at House of Blues with her rearrangement of At Last by Etta James and other songs you will love to listen to and soon hear in the Blues and R&B sector.
Sheryl’s mission is to touch everyone possible musically even if only for an hour or two on stage making someone feel better then they did when they arrived to the event!
ROOSEVELT PURIFOY
Though he is not well known, even to many blues fans, Roosevelt “Hatter” Purifoy Jr. has performed for decades with a who’s who of artists: Buddy Guy, Marvin Gaye, Son Seals, Jimmy Johnson, Willie Clayton; and he appears on dozens and dozens of recordings, likely into the hundreds. He has been the go-to pianist for indy blues and jazz label Delmark Records for years. His talent for adapting his style to best support other artists has led to sessions with Lurrie Bell, Syl Johnson, Sugar Blue, Larry McCray, Eddie Burns, Mavis Staples, the Kinsey Report and many others.
A native of Chicago, Purifoy has worked full time as a musician since he was a young man. Mostly, he has been honored to make others sound their best. For much of his career, however, his opportunities were limited due to his refusal to board an airplane. He decided to fly a few years ago, and as a result, audiences across the country are discovering his talent. He is also stepping out front more often with his own keyboard-driven shows. Purifoy has now taken to the sky regularly as Lurrie Bell’s keyboardist, and he is finally working on a full-length recording of his own.
