Vol. 4, No. 9, September 2007
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Blues and More
A stellar blues lineup kicks off a festive September
Don’t get down because the summer season is ending. In September, being blue is a good thing as Bubba Mac presents the 2007 Mid Atlantic Blues & Music Festival.
This festival will rock you like no other. On Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30 at Bernie Robbins Stadium in Atlantic City, the festival will feature a diverse lineup of music, including New Orleans brass bands, Chicago blues, jazz, R&B and more. The festival is a partnership between Bubba Mac Enterprises and the United Way of Atlantic County and Delaware Valley.
Check out the lineup. On Saturday, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials take the stage. Known as the “King of the Slide,” Lil’ Ed Williams is one of the last authentic Chicago bluesmen.
The Detroit Women are sure to captivate the audience with styles that include R&B, swing, Chicago shuffle and Texas romp.
Eddie Shaw, playing with the Wolf Gang, is one of the most respected blues musicians alive today, and is sure to thrill the audience with his alto saxophones and harmonica.
Other performers include Hubert Sumlin, “Steady Rollin” Bob Margolin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, George “Mojo” Buford, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, the Dirty Dozen Brass, Tab Benoit, Bobby Rush, and of course, the Bubba Mac Blues Band.
Sunday is being called “Children of Legends Day,” as almost every performer has a parent that is a musical legend. Terri Showers begins the day’s festivities, followed by Rooster and the Chicken Hawks. Next up, Big Bill Morganfield affirms that the blues is indeed in his blood. His baritone voice is a gift from his father, McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters.
Also performing on Sunday is Grammy nominee John Lee Hooker Jr. He describes his sound as two parts R&B, one part jazz and down home blues. Bernard Allison specializes in playing rippin’ 12 bar blues guitar, along with soul, funk, R&B songs and rock thrown into the mix.
The Sunday program is rounded out by Grammy-nominated soul and blues singer Shemekia Copeland, Chicago guitar hero Ronnie Baker Brooks and Louisiana swamp blues specialist Kenny Neal.
Herb “Bubba” Birch, head of Bubba Mac Enterprises and leader of the Bubba Mac Blues Band, got the idea for the festival while hosting national touring acts a few years ago at his Bubba Mac Shack in Somers Point. “We would have four or five bands in a week, all of the same caliber as we plan for the festival,” Birch says. “Also, we have played in similar blues festivals. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to have the Bubba Mac Shack and the blues festival all in one, and it was helped along by the availability of the perfect venue in Bernie Robbins Stadium. It is sizing up to be quite a success.”
He adds that it is a perfect opportunity to raise money for the United Way, which will get a large percentage of the proceeds. An after-party is planned for Saturday night at the House of Blues. According to Birch, it will be a New Orleans-themed jam with the Radiators as the lead band. Everyone who bought tickets to the festival gets in free, and it also will be open to the public.
Performers and show schedule are subject to change. Show times begin at 11 a.m. each day. Gates open at 9 a.m. Advance tickets are $30 per day or $55 for the weekend. Day-of tickets are $35 per day or $70 for the weekend. For more information, visit www.bubbamac.com. Tickets can also be purchased at www.mycommunitymatters.org.
Another must for the month is the Marine Mammal Stranding Center 11th Annual Golf Tournament at the Vineyards Golf Course at the Renault Winery on Friday, September 14. Registration begins at 11 a.m., and the shotgun start, scramble format begins at 12:30 p.m. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the stranding center, which is a nonprofit organization that has responded to more than 3,200 whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles stranded on New Jersey beaches over the past 29 years.
The $145-per-person tournament fee includes registration, greens fees, golf cart, box lunch, awards reception, door prizes and a welcome goodie bag. For more information, call 609-266-0538 or visit www.mmsc.org.
Attracting the region’s top professional and amateur surfers, the Atlantic City Pro-Am Surf Contest Series returns to Atlantic City on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23 (alternate no-wave dates are September 29 and 30).
The Pro-Am Surf Series is free and open to the public. The contest is divided into two divisions: shortboard and longboard, each open to 32 surfers competing in four-person heats 20 minutes in length. The final will be 30 minutes in length. For more information, call 609-484-1267.
The Second Annual Atlantic City Arts, Books & Culture Festival, presented by the Atlantic City Free Public Library and Main Street Atlantic City, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 29 at the Center City Park, located on Atlantic Avenue between North Carolina and South Carolina avenues.
The festival is a celebration of the community’s diversity and will feature the arts, books, music and dance of many cultures. African, Polynesian, Greek and Latin music and dance groups are slated to perform.
For more information, visit www.atlanticcityfestival.org.
