Last Surviving Paramount Blues Recording Artist, Henry Townsend, Returns to

GRAFTON, WI (Grafton Blues Association) - Legendary blues recording artist Mr. Henry Townsend will be returning to Grafton, Wisconsin to perform at the inaugural Paramount Blues Festival on September 23, 2006. Mr. Townsend, 96, last recorded for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin around September of 1930.

Paramount Records, recorded one-fourth of all the blues material produced from 1929 to 1932, and is a highly prized label amongst blues collectors. Blues legends such as Skip James, Charley Patton, and Son House all recorded in the Grafton studio.

The inaugural Paramount Blues Festival, organized by the local Grafton Blues Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit group, will feature local and national blues acts and international Paramount historians including Gayle Dean Wardlow, author Alex van der Tuuk, Dr. David Evans, Joe Filisko, Hawkeye Herman, Steve Cohen, Greg Koch, Reverend Raven, Nora Jean Bruso, Bob Stroger and Albert Cummings. The festival, which runs from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., will include a performance by a "surprise" artist yet to be revealed to the public.

Townsend, of St. Louis, Missouri, will also be honored by the Village of Grafton during his visit with the first Walk of Fame stone in the new Paramount Plaza being constructed in downtown Grafton.

Grafton State Bank, and Alex van der Tuuk sponsor Mr. Townsend's appearance. For tickets to the Paramount Blues Festival visit www.graftonblues.org or for more information contact the Grafton Area Chamber of Commerce at 262-377-1650.