Events

This event, now in its fourth year, combines a blues festival, a real ale festival and a family fun day, raising funds for charities, including The Neurofibromatosis Association (NfA). It is located open-air in The Bury, at the heart of the beautiful old town of Odiham, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The music starts at 12 noon and finishes at 6 pm. Entry is free and there’s plenty of parking.

As in previous years, the emphasis of this successful event will be on acoustic blues. This year’s performers include:

Ben Payton, from Jackson, Mississippi, USA, has been living the blues most of his life. Now in his sixties, he’s a “real deal” bluesman of the old school, singing and playing traditional material and his own songs on acoustic guitar. Ben’s appearance at Odiham will be part of his first tour in the UK. Ben Payton was born in tiny Coila, Mississippi, in the hill country just east of the Delta. His early musical influences included his grandmother Mabel Johnson’s gospel piano playing and his Uncle Joe Birch’s blues guitar.

Ben Payton's voice resonates with a passion for life and his skills as a guitarist evoke the tradition of the original Delta blues greats such as Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Charley Patton, and Son House. Yet Payton has a style all his own. Visit Ben’s website www.benpayton.com

Featuring the mellow soulful voice of Phil Mills, with his jazzy finger-style or bluesy slide guitars and showcase harmonicas, backed up by the solid 12-year partnership of rhythm section Schultz (on a 2-drum kit) and Teej (acoustic double bass), Red Jackson have developed a laid-back but passionate approach to the blues.

They perform a mix of blues styles: from the slow, haunting blues of the Mississippi delta to the rolling beat of Chicago, picking up street grooves from New Orleans, Texan boogie and a touch of hill-country ragtime along the way. This is the blues of the '40s and '50s, the blues of Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, T-Bone Walker and Big Bill Broonzy to name just a few.

The story doesn't end there though, they allow many other influences in to create their sound: soul, jazz, funk, latin, rockabilly all lend their unique colour to a more contemporary interpretation of the blues. Website www.redjackson.com

Also from The USA, Reverend Robert is a master of pre-war blues. He has delved deep into the styles of Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and other Delta blues giants. In 2004 he took first place at The National Slide Guitar Festival in North Carolina, USA. The Reverend is known for his true conviction and powerful delivery. Visit his website www.revrobert.com

Lewis Cohen is a phenomenal British bluesman; a rising star among the younger generation of acoustic blues players. His powerful vocals and exquisite slide guitar technique, combined with a repertoire of (sometimes obscure) numbers from the 1920s and 1930s, make him a lively and soulful performer. Visit his website www.lewiscohenblues.com

Bob Long is a British blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player specializing in "the old stuff". Most of what he plays is his interpretations of pre-world war II blues, jug band and ragtime material particularly music from the Mississippi Delta where he is a frequent visitor. He has performed at The Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, The Tommy Johnson Blues Festival in Crystal Springs and the legendary Ground Zero Blues Club. When at home, Bob hosts a monthly acoustic blues jam in Southampton. Visit his website www.bobalong.co.uk

Contact Information

Enquiries (music) Bob Long, long.boblong@gmail.com