Hey hey it’s the first of May – it’s the first of the outdoor – ooooh, nevermind. I remember hearing that little ditty my sophomore year in college and for whatever reason, I think of it every May Day. Isn’t it amazing what sticks in your memory – never mind remembering the really important stuff – but hey a dirty ditty and my mind will probably recall this when I’m 100, along with the hot looking guy who told it to me. The best part of a memory is that he will never age and will always be that 21 year old Senior who made me laugh.
Well, we’re exactly 4 newsletters away from the festival! That’s right – we’re seven weeks away from June 18th and a festival I think will surprise everyone. I’ve heard a few grumbles about our lineup and I don’t think you realize the caliber of artists we have coming! Are they well known? At the BMAs (Blues Music Awards) – very much so. The same awards that have honored legends like Muddy Waters, BB King, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy are now honoring the artists that will be playing the 4th Annual Flagstaff Blues and Brews.
I’m going to highlight 3 of our bands today. MonkeyJunk is a blues band from Canada. They bring an accessible and refreshing blend of swamp-rock roots and blues to the table, and in the relatively short time they’ve been performing and recording together, the members of MonkeyJunk have won a collective 20 Maple Blues Awards, two Canadian Independent Music Awards, a Blues Music Award (USA), and have been nominated twice for a JUNO Award, taking home the coveted hardware in 2012. I am so excited to have this band and I think once you hear them, you’ll become a fan!!
Danielle Nicole Band will come on stage after MonkeyJunk and as an International Blues Competition winner and a 2014 Blues Music Award winner, you can tell this lady has been performing and playing the blues since she was 12. Her powerful bluesy voice will impress you from the second she takes the stage. She is an amazing performer her latest album Wolf Den brings a New Orleans flavored, blues-soul based feel to the festival.
Okay, we did a bring back in year four. Anyone who attended the first year of the Flagstaff Blues and Brews will remember this man and his band. It’s hard to forget a 6’5” man who dances across the stage, but as has been noted in every review – his talent is much larger than his frame. His energy knocked everyone’s socks off and his style had the entire audience going wild. This artist has been the most requested as a bring back since we started. And since he played in 2013, he’s had quite the breakout. Rayford joined The Mannish Boys, where he sang lead vocals on nine of the songs on their album, Double Dynamite, that won the Best Traditional Blues Album title in May 2013 at the Blues Music Awards. Rayford made his stage debut starring in the Tony Award nominated musical, It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues. In 2015, Sugaray was nominated for 2 Blues Music Awards and this year he’s nominated for 4! We’ll be watching on May 5th to see how many statutes this fabulous man takes home.
When I tell people they have a chance to see a legend in the making – Sugaray Rayford is the man I’m talking about. I went through all the press that’s been written about him and in nearly every interview, they talk about the “IT” factor, and how Sugaray Rayford has it in spades. He’s as nice as he is talented, and to us, he’s family and we’re so excited to have him back to the Fourth Annual Flagstaff Blues and Brews!
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