08.09.2010 / Plan to attend this years final Playing with Fire concert this weekend!
The final show of the 2010 Playing With Fire Summer series is happening this Saturday, August 14th. As with all the summer Playing With Fire shows, the gates open at 4pm at Lewis and Clark Landing, located on 515 N Riverfront Drive in downtown Omaha. The final summer Playing with Fire concert features Ellis Hooks, Blackburn and the Stacy Mitchhart Band.
As we’ve mentioned before, each concert kicks off with a band from the BluesEd Youth Artist Development program. The band playing at this concert is Backer’s Blues, who are playing at several other concerts around the area this summer!
Ellis Hooks is a dynamic, Alabama-born blues, soul and R&B vocalist who began his blues career as a street busker at age 15. Ellis Hooks, the third youngest of 16 children born to sharecroppers, didn’t own a pair of shoes until age eight. He was discovered by Diana Ross, who offered him a recording session, though he didn’t show up for the studio session. But his blues fate seemed predetermined, later he accompanied a friend to an audition, and the producer instead signed Hooks. Hooks headlined the BBC's 2003 World Music Festival, was Bonnie Raitt's special guest onstage at the Montreux Jazz Festival and has opened for Terrence Trent D’Arby. His 2003 album, Up Your Mind, earned him a Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards) nomination. The Chicago Sun Times wrote, Hooks “plays Stones-like riffs one minute and conjures Sam Cooke with his voice the next.” For more information on Ellis Hooks, visit his web site http://www.ellishooksmusic.com.
Blackburn was this years winner of Canada’s 2010 Maple Blues Awards for “Best New Artist/Group,” Blackburn brings its infectious blend of blues, R&B and soul with an urban vibe to Omaha. This group of three brothers, Duane, Brook and Cory Blackburn, along with friend Mark Ayee, recently released Brotherhood. Performing together since 1995, Blackburn has played or recorded with Shakura S’Aida and Canadian Idol finalist Toya Alexis and appeared on stage with Etta James and Mary Wells among others. http://www.myspace.com/blackburnbrothers
Grammy-nominated blues artist Stacy Mitchhart won a 2003 Albert King award, numerous Music City Blues awards, and has been featured on HBO among other TV shows. Mitchhart’s band regularly entertains fans at B.B. King’s Blues Club in Nashville. Delivering live shows that fans call “phenomenal” and “boisterous and fun,” Mitchhart’s music is a crowd pleasing mix of up tempo blues and boogie. Mitchhart has released nine CDs, and has a worldwide fan base that craves his masterful guitar work, strong vocals and high-octane show band. http://www.stacymitchhart.com
If you are planning on going, or have a review after the show, leave a comment and let us know!
