Live Performances → King Biscuit Blues Fest…..What a Amazing Festival!
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It was an amazing experience to be in West Helena, Arkansas to shoot 2013 King Biscuit Blues Festival. The festival staff does a remarkable job bringing the best in the business to this 3 day, 6 stage festival. Highlights for me were I guess the highlights for many. It was nice to see Robert Cray after not having seen him for a few years. I really enjoyed Greg Allman’s set which was filled with a nice mix of new tunes along with some of his well-worn songs. Another highlight for me was Joe Louis Walker, who played on the Lockwood-Stackhouse stage. I saw him many years ago, opening for Robert Cray in Indianapolis and I thought his performance at the KBBF was outstanding. There were a few musicians I had little knowledge of prior to the festival, including singer-songwriter Paul Thorn, who turned in one of the better performances in a festival full of them. If you get the opportunity to visit this area, please leave time to attend the King Biscuit Blues Fest, you’ll be glad you did!
I did a fun shoot with blues guitarist/singer Howl ‘n’ Madd Perry for Living Blues magazine while I was there. I hooked up with Perry and his musician daughter Shy Perry for an afternoon shoot at the Shack Up Inn next to the Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale. A unique experience if you get a chance to stay here and a great place to do a shoot. I photographed him again the following day during the band’s performance at the KBBF, images from both shoots appears in Living Blues #228. Photo©2013 Mark Sheldon
As mentioned, it was great see & hear Joe Louis Walker after so many years, this was one of my favorite performances of the festival. Photo©2013 Mark Sheldon
Though I’ve seen and photographed the legendary James Cotton many times, it’s always great to get another opportunity to see this Mississippi Bluesman live. At 78 years of age, he can still play his ass off. This was more or less a home-coming for Cotton as he lived in West Helena as a youngster.
Playing with too many folks to list here, he spent time with Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and even toured with Janis Joplin in the 60s before forming the James Cotton Blues Band in 1967. This is an image of Cotton during his Friday night performance on the Main Stage. Photo©2013 Mark Sheldon
More to come on my entire trip which included Memphis, Clarksdale and other towns along the way in Mississippi.