Sugar brought Junior coast tocoast, first to the PoconoMountains, New Jersey, NewYork City, Brooklyn & Old YankeeStadium to kick off his April birthdaymonth long celebration #60 whenlife begins. Mother Owens & “TheGood Doctor” Eric fixed them a feastafter they checked out Dave Fields’new blues jam on Thursdays atElmwood, NJ’s The Escape—beauti-ful room and happy people. For theirearly spring weekend it was CentralPark, Canal St., Brooklyn Bridge,Eagle Warehouse, Prospect Park, &

those Glen Lake newlyweds—Shawna & Steven. Then they wereoff to the West Coast—Avalon,Catalina Island, Encinitas & LA forJunior’s next birthday adventure.They sailed to sunny & stunningSanta Catalina Island where at theCatherine Hotel Roger Connellyhosted a big jam wsg LaurieMorvan & Paul Oscher. Thanks toall the musicians and especially toKathy Connelly too – let them eatcake! Back to the mainland inSolana Beach (Hi Lucky!) at theBelly Up Tavern they caught CharlieMusselwhite wsg Los Fabulocosopening and Candy Kane sang too.

On Junior’s official day he wasswimming on Moonlight Beachbefore just they drove up the coast toLA to visit recently engaged Rand &Kelli and stopped by their DeltaGroove Music offices and a bike ridealong Venice Beach with PaulOscher. Junior’s birthday finale—thebest for last where he will always beevery year- New Orleans Jazzfest!They arrived in time to set up campwith Capt. Dirk and dash off to OldAlgiers to The Old Point with JDHill. They rode the ferry across toThe French Quarter and met new oldfriend Ray Brooks at the BalconyClub. The first day of Jazzfest Sugar& Junior found a new way of doingthings—no inside parking after 20plus years? After circling the fair-grounds twice wondering where topark Sugar missed hearing Rufus“Rip” Wimberly & The Dreamers

(11:15 am) kicking off Jazzfest at theBlues Tent but she did see J.Monque’ D Blues Band, BarbaraLynn, Doyle Bramhall with CCAdcock & Lafayett Marquies, TabBenoit & Buckwheat Zydeco and atother stages Creole Wild West &Terrance Simien along with headlin-ers Robert Plant & Allison Krauss &T-Bone Burnett and Sheryl Crow.Later that evening oh what a nightwith Walter Wolfman Washingtonat Banks St. Saturday Sugar & Juniorattended Lt. Governor MitchLandrieu’s intimate Forum behindCongo Square with Irma Thomasleading the discussion joined byKansas Governor Kathleen Sebeliuswho reflected on being at the last 26Jazzfests but shortened her stay lastyear due to Greensburg’s devastatingtornado. Sugar welcomed the Govfor coming and reported on Big CityRhythm & Blues Magazine’s effortsto keep New Orleans in the spotlight.When the rain began, they stayeddry under the Blues Tent whereJames Cotton reigned. Next up wasThe Ponderosa Stomp Revue featur-ing Dennis Binder, Tammy Lynn,

Texas Guitar slinger Barbara Lynn was impres-sive on the guitar and as the leader of herbig band at JazzFest.

Keb Mo back at JazzFestin the Bluestent playing a beautiful "steel" to avery appreciative audience.

Kenny Wayne Shephard wasHOT,HOT,HOT! in JazzFest's Blues tent,which was always high & dry!

Kenny Neal is back, and looking goodat the 2008 New Orleans Jazz &Heritage festival.

60 Big City Blues • June-July 2008

Jr. & Paul Oscher on bikes at Muscle Beach on Venice Beach, one of Junior's 60 wishes.

Robert Jr's birthday party at the historic Catharine Hotel in Avalon, on CatalinaIsland, Junior sez, “...the people of the island really make me feel I belong here.”

All photos by Shirley Mae Owens unless otherwise credited.

And I Ain’t Lyin’!

BLUESBIG CITY SUGAR MAE

Archie Bell and Roy Head who didwild stage antics beginning with thealligator and slinging his microphonelike a yo yo aiming at photographers’lenses. Sunday was muddy andrainy for the Voice of theWetlands—Tab Benoit, Dr. John,Big Chief Monk Broudeaux, GeorgePorter Jr., Cyril Neville, AndersOsborne, Johnny Sansone, JohnnyVidocovich who welcomed Juniorbackstage. Wednesday night at theHOB Ponderosa Stomp Sugar sawHenry Gray, Lazy Lester, LittleFreddie King, Syl Johnson, SugarBoy Crawford and his grandsonDavelle, and Ronnie Spector. Thefirst day of May Sugar & Juniordrove by tent city on the way toCanal Street Guest House to pick upvirgin Jazzfest goers Holly & Barry(Legendary Rhythm & Blue Cruiserpartners) and what a ball they had!Sugar’s Jazzfest highlights at theBlues Tent: Mem Shannon, TheMusic Maker Revue featuring BooHarris, Macavine Hayes and EddieKirkland followed by the charmingCarolina Chocolate Drops and theaward winning Bettye Lavette. Gene“Duke of Earl” Chandler was atCongo Square, CJ Chenier at Fais

Do-Do Stage and Deacon John wsgWanda Rouzan at Gentilly Stage.Throughout the day there wasnumerous gourmet delicacies fromJama Jama to Crawfish Monica toOyster Spinach Salads. Friday CocoRobicheaux started up the packedBlues Tent and then Stoney B &Grampa Elliot, Jumpin Johnny’sHarmonica Revue, The Lee Boys,John Hammond Quartet and over atAcura Sugar saw Stevie Wonderwho asked the huge crowd for amoment of silence for the victims ofKatrina. Time for another birthdayparty for Junior at the Mother InLaw Lounge with Little FreddieKing, Al Carnival Time Johnson,Mitch Woods, Herman Ernest andPaula & The Pontiacs. The loungewas rockin’ & red beans and riceflowing. For Saturday’s Jazzfest itwas all good with The GuitarLightnin’ Lee Band, Lil’ BuckSinegal wsg Rudy Richard, RuthieFoster, John Mooney and KennyWayne Shepherd. After the festanother Junior birthday feast with 9friends at Jacque I Mo’s—what noCarpet Bagger steaks again? ForSunday the last day at Jazzfest theBlues Tent was the place to stay witha line-up that was top notch withGuitar Slim, Jr, Kenny Neal,Snooks Eaglin, Keb Mo and TheDerek Trucks Band. Sugar & Juniorclosed Jazzfest with the return of the

Neville Brothers and CarlosSantana sitting in. Once againJazzfest was more than anyonecould ever imagine and such a magi-cal one. Thank-you Jazzfest! Bigthanks to Larry & Linda & all yourhospitality aboard your Bluesbird RV.

Sugar Mae finally spent morethan four hours at the Shack UpInn—thank-you Bill & Guy andJunior who arranged for a 3-nightstay. First they attended the BluesMusic Awards (formerly theHandy’s) for its first time ever out ofMemphis at the Grand CasinoTunica. Sugar saw blues stars every-where and it was difficult to leavethe lobby. On stage she saw MaryFlowers, Tommy Castro & theLegendary Blues Revue, FruitlandJackson, Nappy Brown who laid onthe stage while shouting the bluesand then joined the audience nevermissing a note. After midnight it wastime to scoot back to our Cotton Ginroom at the Shack Up to prepare foran all day outdoor stage with DeltaGroove Music Productions at GroundZero. What a finale to Junior’s birth-day! Everyone showed up DaveFields, David Hughes, Dave Keyes,Deak Harp, Bill “Howlin” Perry,Cedric Burnside, Lightnin’ Malcom,

Bill Sims, Super Chikan, Walter“Wolfman” Washington, BillyGibson, Rich DelGrosso and somany others to thank for jammingplus Roger & Peg (WHFR- FM) foryour help. Inside at Ground Zero itwas packed to the rafters and non-stop blues until 2 am. Thanks toRand and all the hard working DeltaGroove staff for a successful collabo-ration and more to come. Sugar &Junior decided to relax for their lastday in Clarksdale but had the chanceto go over to Big Jack Johnson’shouse and then to WesleyJefferson’s home and wound up atMoon Lake’s Uncle Henry’s surpris-ing George & Sarah with a visit thatwas interrupted by a tornado warn-ing. Finally the storm passed andback at the Shack Up Inn theyenjoyed one more good night’s restbefore goin’ down that long windingroad to Big City Blues fests, clubsand more. Safe journeys.

Love & Happiness,Sugar Mae

61

Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina ChocolateDrops, one of the hottest freshest sounds at2008 JazzFest!

Jr. & Diedra and Keith Ruff outside the Blues Music Awards in Tunica, Mississippi.

June-July 2008 • Big City Blues

Carlos Santana was back in New Orleans, andhe joined the "other" returnees, The Nevilles,for a very moving festival-ending set!

MR. James Cotton, The KING of the Blues Tent, was in fine form.

Jr. & Roger Connelly above Avalon Bay, Catalina Island, “What a wonderful, magicalplace for music! Come on Delta Groove! It's A No Brainer!”

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