Music Legends The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Solomon Burke
Named As Headline Acts for Free Weekend
Event
CHOCTAW, Miss. (October 6, 2008) - Pearl River Resort, the Southeast's
premier luxury gaming and entertainment destination, will host the
first annual Blues at The Moon music festival presented by Ground
Zero Blues Club, at the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino on October
17 and 18. The festival comes in advance of the planned Ground Zero
Blues Club, an initiative being spearheaded by Academy Award-winning
actor and Blues enthusiast Morgan Freeman and scheduled to open at
The Golden Moon in 2009.
" The Blues at The Moon festival demonstrates Pearl River Resort's commitment
to Blues music as we move forward with plans for the new Ground Zero Blues Club," said
Freeman, who co-owns the original Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS. "The
club and the festival have the same goal: furthering the understanding of, and
appreciation for, Blues music of all genres to all generations."
The festival opens on the evening of October 17, featuring Blues sensation's
The Fabulous Thunderbirds as the headliners at 10:30 P.M. who will
perform their distinctive style of Blues music. Saturday's headline
act is the legendary Solomon Burke who has been recording innovative
blues for more than 50 years. Burke will perform at 10:30 P.M.
Other acts include Big Jack Johnson, Deborah Coleman, Eddie Cotton,
Jimmy Duck Holmes, Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Reverend Peyton's Big
Damn Band, Bobby Rush and Ruby Wilson. A full list of musicians and
scheduled performing times can be found at www.pearlriverresort.com.
" Mississippi is synonymous with Blues music so when we decided to host
a music festival, it was an obvious choice to celebrate the state's heritage
with Blues at The Moon," said Miko Beasley Denson, Chief of the Mississippi
Band of Choctaw Indians. "This festival - as well as the new Ground Zero
Blues Club - is going to make the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino an important
way station on the Mississippi Blues Trail."
Award-winning artist John Robinette, a Memphis-based artist who focuses
on Delta-inspired artwork, has created an original piece that will
serve as the official festival emblem available for purchase on both
T-Shirts and posters. And in the spirit of pairing great Blues with
great barbecue, a variety of barbecue and other Southern cuisine
will be readily available as well.
" Blues at The Schools"
On Friday, October 17 festival organizers will include special "Blues
at The Schools" lectures at Philadelphia City and Neshoba Central
elementary schools, as well as several schools located on the Choctaw
reservation. Led by Dr. Alfonso Sanders, head of the Fine Arts Department
at Mississippi Valley State University, and recording artist Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry,
the education sessions will help local students learn about the deep-seeded
roots that Blues music has in Mississippi. On the evening of Thursday,
October 16, Sanders and Perry will host a free open-to-the-public discussion
on Blues history at the Old Ellis Theatre in Philadelphia. The evening
also will be punctuated by a jam session with professional Blues musicians.
Benefit to Delta Blues Museum
To help support Blues education, Pearl River Resort will be donating
$2.00 for every person who attends the festival to the Delta Blues
Museum (up to $10,000). Located at the intersection of Highways 61
and 49 in Clarksdale, MS - the legendary "crossroads" of
the beginnings of Blues music - the museum is a place where visitors
find meaning, value, and perspective by exploring Blues history and
heritage.
" The Blues at The Moon music festival brings great acts, storied music
history and a touch of southern charm to The Golden Moon Hotel & Casino," added
Dale Hipsh, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Pearl River
Resort. "This is the first year of what we hope will become the biggest
music festival in the state of Mississippi. As good ambassadors to the state
and huge fans of Blues music, we are honored to be in the position to make a
charitable donation to an institution like the Delta Blues Museum that helps
keep Blues music a thriving art form."
For more information call (866) 44-PEARL or visit www.pearlriverresort.com.
About Pearl River Resort
Pearl River Resort, located in Choctaw, Mississippi,
is the Southern United States' first comprehensive
luxury gaming resort. The resort features the
Silver Star and Golden Moon, two exciting hotel/casinos
with nearly 4,500 slot machines, more than
100 table games, 1,074 hotel rooms, 16 restaurants,
European spa facilities, shopping and live
entertainment. Also featured is The Dancing
Rabbit Golf Club with two championship golf
courses and Geyser Falls Water Theme Park.
Pearl River Resort is a development of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw
Indians, a federally recognized, self-governing tribe with approximately
9,600 members living on or near reservation land. For more information,
go to www.pearlriverresort.com.
