Don’t Lose the Blues!

by Steven Horan

Do you believe in the BLUES? The Mississippi Valley Blues Society has scheduled an exciting series of events designed to reinforce the power of the BLUES.

John Resch & Doggin’ Out

MVBS will host a Blues Trivia event at Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Moline that will include two matches (Example: Where did George Gershwin write the musical Porgy & Bess? Charleston, SC.). Teams of four will get to ‘show their stuff’ and the winners get to ‘strut their stuff.’ Sign up at 2:30. Games will run from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. By the way, come hungry as the chili will flow…as does the great selection of beer!

Buckle your seat belts at 4:00 as John Resch & Doggin’ Out will play some world class Jump Blues and more. The Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Moline welcomes the triumphant return of the band from their exciting performances at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. The ‘Dog’ had advanced to the semi-finals. Folks that puts them in elite company. DON’T Miss their next show.

This event serves as a fundraiser in support of the 40th annual Blues Festival. We need help. Please mark your calendar – MARCH 2 – and tell all your friends to come and help us out at a fun winter blues party.

Chris Avey Band

Saturday, March 1 @ Gypsy Highway 8-11pm
Half of the Avey Grouws Band, Chris mixes Blues, rock, funk, soul, with a solid range of musical talent, playing lead guitar for 35 years all around the country.

Opening Artist: Chris Stevens | 6:30-7:45pm
Chris Stevens opens and will perform his solo acoustic “Blues & Beyond” show.

Mike Morgan and the Crawl

Sunday, March 16 @ Gypsy Highway 4-7pm
Admission: $10 Members; $12 Non-Members

Mike Morgan, born in Dallas in 1959, grew up in Hillsboro, Texas, and developed a passion for music early on, influenced by Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Though he started playing guitar in third grade, it wasn’t until discovering Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan in 1985 that he fully committed to the blues. Moving to Dallas in 1986, he teamed up with Darrell Nulisch to form The Crawl, named after a song by Lonnie Brooks. The band quickly gained recognition, incorporating Chicago blues influences and writing original material alongside classic covers.

After Nulisch left in 1989, Morgan recruited Kansas City vocalist and harmonica player Lee McBee, leading to a successful era that saw them perform at major blues festivals and sign with Blacktop Records. Their 1990 debut Raw & Ready launched a series of acclaimed albums, including Mighty Fine Dancin’, Full Moon Over Dallas, and I Like The Way You Work It. Even during a break from touring in 1994, Morgan recorded Let The Dogs Run with fellow Dallas guitarist Jim Suhler.

By the late 1990s, McBee departed, and Morgan stepped into the frontman role, releasing Texas Man (2000) and Live in Dallas (2004) on Severn Records. His last studio album of that period, Stronger Every Day (2007), featured guest appearances from McBee and Randy McAllister. Around this time, Morgan reduced touring to focus on his other passion—motorcycles—working as a sales manager while continuing to play local gigs.

In 2018, after a long songwriting hiatus, Morgan returned to music. Following a successful 2019 tour, he joined Anson Funderburgh and Shawn Pittman in The Texas Blues Guitar Summit. After a triumphant European tour in 2022, he signed with M.C. Records, releasing a new album in September of that year. With renewed energy and decades of experience, Mike Morgan & The Crawl remain a force in contemporary blues.

Praise for Morgan has been widespread, with Guitar World calling him “a genuine blues guitar hero” and Blues Access Magazine hailing his mix of gritty blues and Stax/Volt-era soul.

Posted in Feb 2025