Friday Night Blues...

And I'm not talking feeling blue, I'm talking about feeling the Blues! We're both off Saturday, so we decided to find some music Friday night. After checking the internet, we printed up a map and headed off to the Virginia Highlands area. There's a club there named "Blind Willie's" and it's rated in the top 5 jazz and blues clubs in Atlanta.

We got there around 9:30 and here's a plus... lots of parking, just across the street from the club, with a parking lot attendant! Walked over to the club and it was just starting to fill up. We got good, no, great seats right up front. So far, everything was going well. It didn't take long and we were settled in, Sheri with her Martini, and me with my Corona. The crowd was a good mix of people, very comfortable.

The house band, "The Shadows" started up just after 10. I didn't get the names of the members, except for the guitar player, Rick Callahan. He has a good blues style, with a touch of rock. The leader was the harmonica guy, and I liked his style. Clean, not with alot of extra notes. Well defined tone. He also blew a mean Sax. Even getting it to growl at times, nice!

There were two guests. The first one, Sweet Betty, sang a mean blues, really mean! A great stage presence, I do think that everyone in the room felt she was singing right to them. The dancers were all up and loving the music.

The second guest was the legendary Tommy Brown. He's been around Atlanta all his life, touring across the world too. Starting out in the 40's, he's influenced great such as James Brown, Billy Wright, and Little Richard. In the 1950's, Mr. Brown received a BMI award for his #1 R&B hit "Weepin and Cryin". Check out his website if you get a chance. He was great on stage. He's still got some slick dance moves too! The room was rocking, dancing, having a great time. He brought the house down when he did "I'm gonna kill the Ice cream man". He came onstage around 1am, and was clearly the highlight of the night.

All in all, Blind Willy's was a good time. Great blues, lively crowd, and the surroundings made you feel like you were hearing the blues as you could have back in the 40's and 50's. And that alone is a treat.

Thank you, Blind Willie's, we'll be back sometime, for sure.
Peace