Three Blues Greats all on one stage: Buddy Guy + James Cotton + Charlie Musselwhite – The Palais, Melbourne – April 21, 2014

In perfect timing for Christmas, Bluesfest Touring has announced a special Blues trio spectacular show tour led by Buddy Guy with special guests The James Cotton Blues Band and Charlie Musselwhite. This incredible trio is set to knockout Melbourne with their sensational show at the Palais Theatre.

Bluesfest Festival Director Peter Noble is more than chuffed to be presenting this tour and said; “Melbourne has never been hit with a show like this before, there is no greater live Bluesman performing today than Buddy Guy….he simply IS the Blues. Every one of the truly great guitar players hail him as the best of the best. 2014 also marks 25 years of my touring with Buddy – Yes – I first brought him here in 1990 – the same year Bluesfest started and the year before ‘Damn Right I Got The Blues’ was released and his career went in to the stratosphere.” He added; “I am advised that Buddy Guy is going to be pulling back on international touring and so, as much as I would hesitate to ever say this is his last tour of Australia, it really is going to become more difficult to get him back to our shores in future.” Peter Noble

James Cotton ‘Mr Superharp’ and his band will be in Australia for the very first time for this tour and Charlie Musselwhite, another master of the harp and legend of the Blues is returning to Australia after impressing us all when he joined Ben Harper earlier this year. With Buddy Guy pulling back on International touring, this is a rare opportunity to see these three Blues Greats all on one stage.

BUDDY GUY WITH THE JAMES COTTON BLUES BAND AND CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE TOUR INFO:
The Palais, Melbourne –MON 21 APRIL 2014 Ticketmaster.com.au 136 100
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2014 —

BUDDY GUY
“Heaven is lying at Buddy Guy’s feet while listening to him play the guitar.” – Jimi Hendrix
Buddy Guy is an absolute legend and can you believe it, he will be 78 next birthday!!!
Buddy Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on Rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric Blues. He has received 6 Grammy Awards, 28 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone rank him at # 23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

From his early days playing sessions alongside Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, through to his latest double CD release, Rhythm & Blues, Buddy Guy has played alongside them all, and released nearly 70 albums. But more than five decades into a life as one of the world’s leading bluesmen, Buddy Guy is used to new surprises, challenges, and accolades and, although he is beginning to limit his international touring, this past year has proven to be one of Buddy Guy’s most remarkable ever. He was awarded the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime contribution to American culture; earlier in the year, at a performance at the White House, he even persuaded President Obama to join him on a chorus of ‘Sweet Home Chicago’.

Now the story continues with the release of his latest CD; the first double-album set of his storied career. It has a title both simple and clever: Rhythm & Blues; 21 tracks which feature contributions from a stellar and wide-ranging set of guests, including Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Gary Clark Jr., Kid Rock, Beth Hart and Australia’s Keith Urban.

THE JAMES COTTON BLUES BAND
Grammy Award Winner, James Cotton is bringing his pure, raw soul-wrenching Blues harp to Australia for the very first time. And be sure of this… you haven’t heard harp-playing until you have heard James ‘Superharp’ Cotton play his harmonica. James Cotton has collaborated with the likes of Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters. He’s also opened for/ sat-in with The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steve Miller, Freddie King and BB King just to name a few… It’s no wonder he was given the name ‘Superharp’ early on – a name that lives on to this day.

CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
Charlie Musselwhite – This harmonica master is one of the most revered Blues musicians in the world and has collaborated with all the legendary musicians including Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson and Tom Waits to name a few. Charlie Musselwhite doesn’t just play the Blues, he lives the Blues and with 7 Grammy nominations, 27 Blues Music Awards including induction into the Blues Hall of Fame and recently the Living Blues Award for Most Outstanding Musician, ain’t nobody gonna argue!!

BUDDY GUY WITH THE JAMES COTTON BLUES BAND AND CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE TOUR INFO:
The Palais, Melbourne –MON 21 APRIL 2014 Ticketmaster.com.au 136 100
–Also appearing at Bluesfest Byron Bay 2014 –

Visit www.bluesfesttouring.com.au for all tour details and updates.