_Blues Legends_ Concert at Brookhaven Lab Features David _Honeyboy_ Edwards and Hubert Sumlin, May 22
April 8, 2004
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Upton, NY - A concert featuring two blues legends - David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Hubert Sumlin - will be held at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Saturday, May 22, at 8 p.m. Long Island blues artists Doug "Harmonica" McLean and Kerry Kearney will perform with these two giants of the blues. Sponsored by the BNL Music Club and the Long Island Blues Society, the concert will be open to the public. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.
Performing for 75 years, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, at age 89, is one of the few living original practitioners of the acoustic Delta blues-style guitar. Born in Shaw, Mississippi, Edwards taught himself to play guitar, and, by age 14, he was playing Delta blues clubs with Big Joe Williams. He also performed with Charlie Patton, Big Walter Horton, Robert Johnson and other well-known blues artists. Edwards has toured Europe and performed at such venues as the Smithsonian_s Festival of American Folklife, the Chicago Blues Festival, and the San Francisco Blues Festival.
Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1931, Hubert Sumlin also learned to play guitar on his own. He left home at 17 to perform in clubs with his childhood friend James Cotton. In 1954, he joined the famous blues band, "Howlin_ Wolf," and he remained the band_s guitarist for 25 years. Sumlin_s style, sometimes called "warped" or "wicked," has influenced electric blues and rock guitarists. Stevie Ray Vaughan said, "Hubert is the heaviest, most original guitar player I_ve ever heard."
The Doug "Harmonica" McLean Blues Band will be backing Sumlin on stage. McLean has played the Long Island blues scene since the 1970s when he teamed with another blues innovator, Louisiana Red. A master of all styles of mouth harp, McLean has performed at Brookhaven Lab several times.
Kerry Kearney will be on hand to play with Edwards. Kearney has recently performed in two sold-out performances at Brookhaven Lab. Whether performing at Brookhaven, at the Riverhead Blues Festival, or at a small club, Kearney is always greeted with great enthusiasm for his unique slide guitar blues.
Tickets for the concert cost $20 each when purchased in advance, and $25 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at the Brookhaven Employees Recreation Association Sales Office on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; at the Bluepoint Brewery (631) 475-6944; Mr. Beery_s (516) 731-5979; Sound Beach Music (631) 476-3850; or Eastport Luncheonette (631) 325-8887. For more information, call (631) 344-3846.
The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.
2004-10158 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
