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Press Releases
Blues Pilgrims Eric Bibb and Guy Davis set to perform at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Feb. 9
DURANGO, Colo. – Eric Bibb and Guy Davis join their blues lineages in a pilgrimage to find and preserve “the mystical center of the blues in today’s world.” These “Blue Pilgrims” come to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, 7 p.m.
Born into a musical family, Grammy nominee Eric Bibb is a native New Yorker with deep roots in the American blues and folk tradition. Bibb received his first steel stringed guitar at age seven, and by 16 his father, Leon Bibb, had invited him to play with the house band for his television talent show “Someone New.” At 18 he played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark’s Place in New York, and went on to study psychology and Russian at Columbia University – though he left early, moving to Europe to refocus on blues guitar.
Today, with more than a dozen releases under his belt, Bibb is, according to Taj Mahal, “… one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music.”
Bibb has been described as “discreetly awesome” and “a total original,” lauded for his ability to “use standard blues ingredients to cook up something all his own.”
Following his release of the successful Booker’s Guitar, a tribute to Delta blues legend Booker White, Bibb released Troubadour Live in May 2011.
Recorded at Katalin and All That Jazz in Uppsala, Sweden, the album captures a powerful live performance in an intimate and emotionally charged setting. View a video of Eric Bibb performing live at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0WDTtIeSAI&feature=related.
Handy Award winner and Renaissance bluesman Guy Davis, the son of stage legends Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, has combined his theatrical legacy with a deep sense of the blues as the core of African-American culture. Revered for his portrayal of Robert Johnson Off-Broadway, among other Broadway shows, Davis reminds his audiences that the blues is made for humming along, stomping your foot and feeling righteous in the face of oppression.
Throughout his career, Davis has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues through the material of the great blues masters, African American stories, and his own original songs, stories and performance pieces. Though raised in the New York City area, he grew up hearing his grandparents’ accounts of life in the rural south, and these made their way into his songs. Davis taught himself the guitar, learning by listening to and watching other musicians.
His most recent album, Legacy, was selected as one of the Best CDs of the Year by National Public Radio (NPR).
Noted the Daily Herald Tribune, Alberta, Canada, in a recent review, "Davis’ folksy and humble stage presence, combined with his humorous monologues, made one feel that this was not a concert, but rather an impromptu performance on a front porch down in some southern swamp. Indeed, at times Davis had the audience singing, clapping and stomping their feet."
Davis discusses his blues roots and performs at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIsqu-18T0Y&feature=related.
Tickets for Blues Pilgrims Eric Bibb and Guy Davis – $19/$29 – are available on-line at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657, or at the Ticket Office in Downtown Durango at 7th St. and Main Ave. All sales final.
Showtime is 7 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6 p.m.
The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.
