The Blues By Budweiser concert series will feature the Arkadelics at 8 p.m. May 3 at RJ’s Grill & Bar, 128 S. Main St. The doors will open at 7 p.m.
Port City Blues Society members are admitted free and admission is $5 for others. The concert series is being sponsored by MK Distributors.
The Arkadelics started out in 2022 as a project by Wightman Harris and his wife, Karen.
“Harris broke into the music business with a splash as agent and manager for the late great bluesman Michael Burks,” according to a news release. “Giving up road management after securing Burks legacy, Harris discovered he had absorbed much of Burks’ music through attending hundreds of shows. The bass patterns were ingrained in him, thus he decided to begin to perform with various entities.”
With his wife, Karen, who provides vocals, they began performing their brand of music. The two joined forces with South Arkansas veteran vocalist and musician, Bob Wagnon, from Fordyce to perform blues, R&B and more traditional Americana roots along with original songs.
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“Wagnon’s strong vocals coupled with Karen Harris’s vocal prowess, provided the basis to wrap instrumentation around,” according to the release.
Guitarist Dan Sokoloski was then added to the group as a lead guitarist. Sokoloski had been in the Central Arkansas scene for many years with a longstanding stint with the Gil Franklin Band. Lance Womack, drummer, also joined the group.
He and Harris both hail from Camden and first teamed up with Burks performing in venues in Europe and across the United States.
The Arkadelics have played at numerous festivals including Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Festival, Newport’s Delta Arts Festival, and Strawberry Jam. The band has made a home performing regularly at clubs and venues such as the Hibernia Irish Tavern in Little Rock, the River Bottom Winery in Roland, the Four Quarter Bar in North Little Rock and others where they continue to deliver their brand of music.
The Arkadelics look forward to sharing their music in their second appearance at the Blues By Budweiser Concert Series.
Port City Blues Society, which promotes the blues series, is an affiliated member of The Blues Foundation. The society seeks to preserve and promote blues music and the culture of Delta blues, and educate the public about the history of the blues in the region.
Port City Blues Society also hosts a free blues jam from 8-11 p.m. Wednesdays at RJ’s Grill & Bar. Details: pc-blues.com or facebook.com/PCBluesSociety.