New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Activities Council of Thomson announces the lineup of musicians for the 28th Annual
Blind Willie McTell
Music Festival, Saturday
September 24, 2022, in Thomson, Georgia. Headlining this year will be
Texas native Jimmie Vaughan, who, along with his late brother Stevie Ray, is essential listening for anyone interested in modern electric blues music. Along with Vaughn, the roster includes The
Texas Gentlemen, Joachim Cooder, Chatham County Line, Cordovas, and Parts and Labor.
Jimmie Vaughan, based in Austin, has built an entire career on sticking with the blues. He was a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, formed with harpist Kim Wilson in the late 70's. He's recorded numerous albums as the bandleader with the latest being released in 2021. It's called Jimmie Vaughan - The Jimmie Vaughan Story, a 5 CD compilation of his best recorded output. Vaughn has won four Grammy's and was named Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year at the 2020 Blues
Music Awards. He'll play McTell Fest with a full band including horns.
The
Texas Gentlemen, will also be on the roster this September. These musicians got started playing together in the studio and have logged thousands of studio hours, recording with and backing artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Joe Ely along with newer artists
Leon Bridges and Shakey Graves. Their influences are many…there are elements of funk, soul, country, r&b, southern rock, and gospel. Floor It, their latest release, is an excellent example of all of those elements rolled into one. They are currently working with Chris Robinson of the
Black Crowes, who is producing their upcoming 2023 release on New West Records.
From
Santa Monica, Joachim Cooder, son of famed guitarist and musicologist Ry Cooder, is a percussionist, drummer and pianist and will be on our stage, fronting his trio. Do a search of his recording credits and you'll see an amazing list of music projects he has participated in over the years. Cooder's eclectic solo material is his own take on the influences he's been exposed to all his life and he's out touring behind his second release, Over That Road I'm Bound, his interpretation of the songs of Uncle Dave Macon. The recording features Cooder on an electric mbira, a variation on the African thumb piano, another first for McTell Fest!
Chatham County Line from Raleigh NC will be making their second appearance at the festival. Fast forward to 2022 and they've issued eight studio albums of original material, have a sound all their own and a live show to match. The acoustic instrumentation they employ occasionally pigeonholes the band in the bluegrass genre, but their sound is completely original, unique, hard driving, and all their own.
Cordovas from Nashville are favorites on the festival circuit. Their 2nd release on ATO Records, Destiny Hotel, is a great place to start if you have not heard them. A band with one foot in the present and another in the past, Cordovas embrace the sound of classic Americana and country-rock, with the Band, the Grateful Dead, and the
Allman Brothers Band as key influences, along with plenty of close harmonies and dueling guitar work.
Rounding out the roster is Macon, Georgia's Parts and Labor. They are a 6-piece band, creating great middle Georgia buzz, doing original tunes and influenced heavily by the sounds of the South.
In addition to Saturday's lineup, the Thomson-McDuffie CVB will be hosting a FREE Kick off Concert in downtown Thomson on Friday
September 24, 2021 featuring Atlanta's Blair Crimmins and the Hookers. The show will be held on Railroad Street outside of the Thomson Depot from 7-10 pm.
Tickets will be on sale July 1, 2022 at www.blindwillie.com. Prices are $40 advance, and $50 on the day of. There is no charge for children, ages 12 and under. Gates open at 11 a.m., music begins at noon
The Activities Council of Thomson (ACT) are a non-profit organization founded in 1974 to foster education, appreciation and promotion of American arts, particularly those that draw from Southern history, culture and the American experience. For more information visit our Facebook page or our website at www.blindwillie.com.
