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I think the blues will always be around. People need it.

- Johnny Winter

MVBS Presents Chris Cain at Creekside Bar & Grill, Sunday May 4

Chris Cain - photo by Sarbajit Banerjea (Shorbo) http://www.shorbo.com; used by permission

As the word started to leak out that the Mississippi Valley Blues Society had booked Chris Cain to play on Sunday, May 4 at the Creekside Bar & Grill in Davenport, the feedback was some of the most positive we have seen for any of our shows in recent history. It's been a while, but those who remember his blistering performance at the 1988 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival await his return to the Quad Cities with eager anticipation.

The Bay Area guitarist is one of the most requested artists for fests worldwide. His jazz-tinged, blues-soaked guitar, and deep, warm vocals have the maturity and authenticity of bluesmen many years his senior. His expressive style is the result of a lifetime of study and the relentless pursuit of music mastery.

Cain was raised on stories of his father's childhood upbringing on Memphis' historic Beale Street. As a child, Chris was taken by his parents to concerts by B.B. King, Ray Charles, Johnny Otis, Fats Domino, and Freddie King - often viewed from atop his father's shoulders. He began teaching himself to play guitar at the age of eight in a home where blues music played continuously. Cain recalls, "I can remember when I was a kid, my dad would be mowing the lawn with the stereo blasting Muddy Waters on 10. When I look back - that was pretty cool!"

Blues Fest Tickets Available!

Advance tickets for the 2008 IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival are now available at all IH Mississippi Valley Credit Untion locations, the River Center/Adler Theatre box office and through Ticketmaster®. A three-day pass for the Fest is available in advance for $40. The admission price at the gate will be $18 per day, so the three-day pass offers a significant savings. Mississippi Valley Blues Society and IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union members will also be able to purchase individual fest tickets in advance at a discounted rate of $15 each at all IHMVCU locations.

2008 Iowa Blues Challenge Finalists Set

The Finals for the 2008 Iowa Blues Challenge are now set!

Come join the party at the Hotel Fort Des Moines at 10^th & Walnut in Des Moines, Iowa. On Sat., May 17^th, 2008, performances will start at 9:00 PM with the Avey Brothers, followed by The Soul Searchers and The Smokin’ Mojo Kings. Cover charge will be $9 for Blues Society members and $10 for non-members. Call 515-243-1161 or 1-800-532-1466 and ask for the Blues fan rate to book rooms.

Fruteland Jackson

Beginning in the year 2000 with the John Jackson February Black History Month Blues in the School Residency and continuing from year to year until the 2007 February residency of Hal Reed and Donald Kinsey we could have not been more forthright with the good weather we had during each of the eight residencies. But winter weather finally caught up with us for Fruteland Jackson this February during the week of the 4^th through 8th. It began snowing during Fruteland’s workshop at St. Paul the Apostle School in Davenport Tuesday afternoon and continued off and on until late Wednesday afternoon. There were twelve inches of snow on the ground, causing cancellations of Fruteland’s workshops at Rock Island High School and Audubon Elementary School on Wednesday. The weather greatly affected attendance at the free open to the public performances at the Bettendorf Library on Tuesday and River Music Experience on Wednesday.

Events Calendar

May 2008

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