music Blues Fest returns to educate, entertain by Amanda Retallack Get ready to sing the blues, East Texas. The sixth annual T-Bone Walker Blues Fest kicks off Friday and continues Saturday, the weekend of June 17 & 18, at Music City Texas Theater in Linden. Presented by Metro PCS and key sponsors such as Don Henley, MidSouth Engine & Machine, Linden Economic Development Corporations and Good Shepherd Medical Center, this festival will feature some big names in blues. It’s also a fundraiser for two Linden non-profit corporations: Music City Texas Theater and the Fairview Community Center, which offers free literacy and computer training to the community. Russ Wright, executive director of Linden Economic Development Corporations, said the T-Bone Walker Blues Fest was started not only to boost Linden’s economy and draw people to the small town of 2,200, but to provide an entertaining and educational experience for the place known for its rich musical heritage. “I’m just blown away with how many musical talents East Texas has produced,” he noted. “So many giants in the music industry are from the area — Don Henley, Tracy Lawrence, Johnny Mathis, Jim Reeves, Tex Ritter …” As he continued listing accomplished country and blues stars with the enthusiasm and awe of a star struck child, he paused for dramatic effect. He was saving the best for last. “And, of course,” he smiled, “we had T-Bone Walker.” Aaron Thibadeaux Walker. Most just knew him as T-Bone. He was a critically acclaimed blues guitarist and singer/songwriter who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the electric blues sound. In September 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at #47 in their list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” He was just that awesome. “He was the Daddy of the Blues,” Wright said. “Our festival is a great way to pay homage to such a legend.” The event will bring in 13 top blues artists from across the nation and will be headlined by its first international blues artist. The headliners are ready to play their hearts out for the crowd that, Wright believes, will top last year’s attendance of 4,000 for the two-day event. “Attendance has grown every year,” he said. “We have two stages running simultaneously — an indoor and an outdoor stage — so there’s always something happening. With the lineup we have this year, we’re sure to top last year’s event.”
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