A Bigger, Better Sunshine Blues Festival

By Skip Sheffield

The Sunshine Blues Festival came back bigger and better for its second annual edition Saturday, Jan. 18 at Mizner Park Amphitheater.

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks and their Tedeschi Trucks Band were the headliners once again, and this time some truly legendary musicians accepted the invitation.

To anyone who has ever played bass, Stanley Clarke is an idol. For his first time in Boca Raton he proved what can be accomplished on four strings.

Oklahoma-born Leon Russell was known first as a Los Angeles session musician and songwriter of such gems as “Delta Lady,” “Superstar” and “A Song for You.” “Delta Lady” became a big hit for Joe Cocker, who joined Russell for a “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” world tour in 1970. Russell’s musical chops are as strong as ever, as is his twangy singing voice.

JJ Grey hails from Jacksonville, Florida where he fronts a popular “swamp rock” group call Mofro. For his Boca Raton debut Grey went solo. His loyal fans knew all the words to his songs and sang along.

Hot Tuna is a duo comprised of bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, who were core members of the Grateful Dead. Hot Tuna also went acoustic for an intimate set.

Galactic is a big funk band from New Orleans with horns, two keyboards and a new singer named Maggie, who wowed the crowd.

The finale was the Tedeschi Trucks Band, complete with Hammond organ and three backup singers. Lead singer Susan Tedeschi fronted her own band before she met guitarist Derek Trucks, who is now her husband. Trucks began jamming with his Uncle Butch Trucks’ Band, the Allman Brothers, when he was a young teenager. He has developed into a world-class musician (he has toured with Eric Clapton) and a master of the Gibson SG guitar, both finger-picked and with glass slide.

Several of the musicians, including Louisiana favorite son Tab Benoit, migrated over to the Funky Biscuit for a lively post-concert jam. For one outstanding weekend, the blues was king in Boca Raton.