Big City Rhythm & BluesMagazine toured with TheLegendary Rhythm & Blues

Revue (LRBR) beginning at Detroit’shome of the blues—Callahan’s fortheir very first Motor City appear-ance of this high octane bluesmachine that began on the high seasand now touring on land coast tocoast. At 6 pm over 50 patrons stoodin line anxious for the doors to openfor the sold-out show. The LRBRstars— Tommy Castro, DeannaBogart, Ronnie Baker Brooks, &Magic Dick each were showcasedwhich made for nonstop over thestop rhythm & blues at its best. Themulti-musically talented DeannaBogart who just picked up her sec-

ond BMA—Blues Music Award- Hornfor her hot sax licks kicked off theshow on piano & vocas; RonnieBaker Brooks knows how to workthe room and did not miss a guitarlick as he played behind the bar,ordered a shot of Courvoisier &sipped it down with a straw; MagicDick felt right at home with his ador-ing Motor City faithful, always thebest fans wanting more (and Detroitrecently had a double dose of MagicDick reunited with Jay Geils at theend of April - the two shows soldout in minutes); and Tommy Castroalso worked the room and broughtthe crowd to their feet with his fieryguitar and vocals. It turned into a bigjam with Etta James’ guitarist

Bobby Murray who learned fromthe “Master of the Telecaster” -Albert Collins. The next day Sugar& Junior met the LRBR crew atMotown’s Hitsville for a photo opand then showed them what’s left ofJohn Lee Hooker’s stompinggrounds—Hastings Street & TheApex Bar.

Junior finally braved a trip up toIndian River near the MackinawStraits to pick up his new silverdream—a 1970 Airstream Land Yachtthat once was used by MartySpaulding—411 Blues Club ownerand previous deejay who often inter-viewed blues star like Junior Wells,Luther Allison & Son Seal atKalamazoo’s Blues Fest. It was thefirst week in April and he found theRV blocked by 4 feet of solid ice!Triumphantly Junior returned with itin tow. A few days later Sugar &

Junior traveled to the Pocono forJunior’s early birthday celebrationwith the parents—Mother Owens &the good Doctor Eric Cassell. Thenext day they caught up with theLRBR bus parked in front of TheApollo. They surprised LarryJohnson who strolled by listening tohis headphones. It was another per-fect cover shot and off the LRBR leftfor their show at the Gramercywhere Sugar & Junior saw anotherspectacular show with sisterRebecca Owens. Afterwards NewYork blues musician, producer &songwriter Dave Fields treated themto a meal. On Saturday night Sugar& Junior kissed & thanked TeddyTaub for getting them in to the soldout Jimmy Vivino’s going awayparty at The Bowery.

It was back to the Motor City toprepare the Land Yacht for its firstJazzfest that should be on every-one’s must do list every year. It setsthe standard for all summer fests.Jazzfest had the largest attendancesince Katrina with all 12 stages back

Sirius XM’s Bill Wax conferring with the Queen of the blues Miss Koko Taylor, BMA’s 2009

Our new blues muse from the 9th ward,New Orleans, Lightning Lee.

Etta James is thanking her lucky stars thatshe is back, And she is! Jazzfest 2009.

Little Willie Littlefield “breaking a leg” at 2009 Ponderosa Stomp.

Samia and Shamara Butler with Silky Sol at Congo Square Stage, New Orleans Jazzfest, 2009.

60 Big City Blues • June-July 2009

All photos by Shirley Mae Owens unless otherwise credited.

Photo/Robert Jr Whitall)BLUESBIG CITY SUGAR MAE

And I Ain’t Lyin’!

up. During its 7 day run Sugar &Junior began and ended their day atthe towering Blues Tent whereRockin’ Tabby Thomas kicked thefest off as well as Mem Shannon onthe Acura Stage. Highlights of thefirst weekend included: SpencerBohren, Roy Rogers wsg MarciaBall,Tab Benoit, Joe Cocker, HenryGray & The Cats wsg Carol Fran,Lil’ Buck Sinegal, Texas JohnnyBrown, Pete Seeger, Ivan Neville &Dumpstaphunk, Irma Thomas,John Mooney, Johnny Winter,Sonny Landreth, Robert Cray, EttaJames, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Before the second weekend ofJazzfest, Sugar made it to Day 2 ofthe Ponderosa Stomp. Besides Jerry“Boogie” McCain, Little FreddieKing & Lazy Lester, Sugar enjoyedmeeting Little Willie Littlefield upin the HOB green room whenBonnie Raitt walked in with WandaJackson. Sugar’s second Jazzfestweekend highlights included: LittleFreddie King, Lil’ Ed & the BluesImperials, Solomon Burke whobrought along his Baton Rougebuddy—Clarence Fountain accom-panied with the Sam Butler Family,Washboard Chaz, J. Monque D.,

Walter “Wolfman” Washington,Marcia Ball, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Hill,Crocodile Gumboot Dancers ofSouth Africa, Sherman Robertson,Bryan Lee, Dr. John, Deacon John,Chris Thomas King, John Mayall,Kenny Neal, Cedric Burnside &Lightnin’ Malcolm, Eric Lindell,The Voice of the Wetlands—TabBenoit, Dr. John, Cyril Neville,Anders Osborne, Monk Boudreaux,Johnny Sansone & WaylonThibodeaux, Los Lobos, NeilYoung, The Neville Brothers andBuddy Guy!

Sugar also emceed after the festat the French Quarter’s Tipitina’s fora Backbeat Productions event onThursday, April 30 for the Big CityRhythm & Blues Orchestra featur-ing Little Freddie King, WackoWade, Ready Teddy, Julia Magness& Deak Harp opening up for TheWild Magnolias reuniting the twoBig Chiefs—Bo Dollis & MonkBoudeaux followed by CyrilNeville’s CD Release party-“BrandNew Blues” wsg Tab Benoit. And onSunday after the fest Charlie &Henri Musselwhite added theirnames to their VIP guest list for TheBlind Boys of Alabama wsg Charlie

Musselwhite at uptown Tipitina’s.Sugar left for Detroit and returned toMemphis for the BMA’s—BluesMusic Awards which to her recollec-tion was the by far the best one in along time. Highlights included see-ing Steven Seagal walk up and sur-prise Junior as he turned around toshake his hand, B.B. King, BonnieRaitt, Pinetop Perkins, Marcia Ball,Betty Lavette, The Mannish Boys,Kenny Neal, Otis Taylor, BillyGibson, Cedric Burnside &Lightnin’ Malcolm, Curtis Salgado,Eden Brent, Candye Kane, JanivaMagness & Watermelon Slim. Plusbig kudos to Bill Wax fromBluesville XM for his fabulousemcee work. And congrats to all thewinners & nominees! The followingevening was a seriously bluesyCalifornia groove throw down trans-planted right on Beale Street andwhat a show at The New Daisy forthe 4th Annual Delta & EclectoGroove All-Star Blues Revue! Juniorset up the Big City Rhythm & BluesMagazineTent in front while a lineformed for the doors to open to seefirst a harmonica film documentary“Pocket Full Of Soul.” Then themusic flowed all night long at thisstar studded West Coast bash withperformances by The HollywoodBlues Flames with Junior Watson& Johnny Dyer, Jason Ricci & NewBlood, Jackie Payne & SteveEdmondson, Lynwood Slim, J.T.

Lauritsen, The Soul of John Black,The Mannish Boys with BobbyJones, Finis Tasby, Candye Kaneand Los Fabulocos & Kid Ramos.

Check out www.bigcityblues-mag.com – Social & Pleasure Cluband you just may see Sugar & Juniorout on the road at upcoming festi-vals with their new silver dreamLand Yacht. Happy summer & festi-val season!

Love & happiness, Sugar Mae

61June-July 2009 • Big City Blues

Guitar Slim JR and Rockie Charles atthe fairgrounds with the Louisianablues.

John Lisi and Monk Boudreaux on the Louisiana Heritage Stage.

Little Freddie King and his Texas flower,Janis at the Blues Tent, NOJHF 2009.

The future is here! Sharon Jones of the Daptones rocked the Blues Tent, New Orleans.

Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream)dreaming of ice cream with CharlieMusselwhite at Tipitinas, 2009.

Guitarist Steven Seagal got a kick out of Junior's “lucky nuts.”