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Big
George Brock (musician), Carol Boss (artist) and
bus |
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Bus
(side view) |
Clarksdale, MS (7/29/09) -- 50 years after St. Louis-based
bluesman Big George Brock left a cotton plantation in the Mississippi
Delta, the stage is set for a big return via an old-school 'blues
bus.'
"I may be 77-years-old, but I ain't dead yet," joked Brock. "I've got
Big George fans older than I am here in St. Louis, so I'm taking some
of them back home with me. We're going to have a wang dang doodle down
there in Mississippi."
As part of his blues homecoming
celebration, Brock is bringing his new blues bus down
to the old Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale, Mississippi
-- just south of Memphis. He'll be performing a concert there on Saturday, August 8th (10pm) during
Clarksdale's Sunflower River Blues Festival weekend.
"It's a big blues weekend in the Delta, so you know Big George just has to be part of it," according to Brock's manager and owner of Clarksdale's Cat Head blues store, Roger Stolle. "Big George grew up
just outside of town here, where he worked on cotton plantations,
fought in local boxing matches and learned to play the blues from guys
like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He loves to come home and play for
visiting tourists and his local fans."
The eternal showman, Brock has never stopped looking for ways to
entertain his fans and spread the word about upcoming performances.
Three years ago, after he retired his last tour bus, he started
renting one as needed. Then, in May, he came across "a deal he
couldn't pass up," vowing to buy it and make it "extra special" this
time.
"One of my fans here in St. Louis said she'd paint it for me," Brock
explained. "I want folks to see that bus, turn around and follow me
down the highway to Mississippi. We'll give them a real blues show
down there -- not rock or rap -- just pure and natural blues."
Brock's artist-fan is Carol Boss. She's spent much of the past month
painting the new bus based on photos by another avowed Brock fan,
Joseph Rosen.
"Big George is a really big guy with a really big personality and
stage presence," said Boss, who also operates a small design firm in
St. Louis. "I just jumped at the chance to try and paint something as
big as he is. When I drove it by his house the other day, he was all
smiles, and I have to say, it turned a few heads on the drive over."
Boss cites the support of friends, family and C.R.E.W. Construction of
St. Louis for helping to complete the big, bus undertaking.
"After they heard about the project, everyone volunteered to help
out," recalled Boss. "It's not every day that you get to paint a bus
for a musician from the Muddy Waters generation. It was a true team
effort and a lot of fun."
Five-time Blues Music Award nominee Brock is recognized by fans as one
of the last links to a bygone era in blues. In addition to Muddy
Waters and Howlin' Wolf, Brock has enjoyed opportunities to perform
with other music icons from Jimmy Reed and Albert King to Steven
Seagal and Watermelon Slim. He's also toured overseas to England,
Italy, Switzerland and France. Still, his favorite trip to take is to
his native homeland -- Mississippi.
Brock's new blues bus hits the highway for the first time next month
for his homecoming performance at Hopson Commissary on August 8th
(10pm). He'll also perform at the Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art
store on that Sunday, August 9th (noon).
To book a reservation on his "Delta Blues Bus Tour," contact Big
George Brock at 314-531-9207. View Brock's upcoming concert schedule
at www.cathead.biz. Visit Carol Boss Art at www.carolbossart.com. |
