Port City Blues Society will host a special concert appearance by three-time Grammy Award winner Bobby Rush, and his band.
This special edition of the Midtown Blues concert series will be held Feb. 15 at RJ’s Grill & Bar, at 128 S. Main St. Rush will perform in two shows. The doors will open for the first show at 5 p.m. and the second show at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $25. Tickets are being sold in advance. Call (870) 510-1910 to purchase tickets.
The Port City Blues Players will open the shows followed by Rush and his band. After each show, Rush will greet and visit with concert goers, according to a news release.
Following a tour and collaboration with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, for which Rush was recently nominated for an eighth Grammy Award, Rush will be bringing his legendary show to downtown Pine Bluff for his friends and fans in the area.
Rush credits Pine Bluff as the place that launched his musical career in the late 1940s. In 2019, a portion of Third Avenue was dedicated “Bobby Rush Way” in celebration of his musical accomplishments and his connection to the community. In the same year, Rush was named an honorary lifetime member of Port City Blues Society, an organization based in Pine Bluff and affiliated with The Blues Foundation, according to the release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Rush, known as the “King of the Chitlin’ Circuit,” has had a career spanning over seven decades. He has received numerous accolades, including multiple Blues Music Awards. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2006. The Arkansas House of Representatives recently passed a resolution honoring his contributions to music, according to the release.
Born Emmett Ellis Jr., Rush moved with his family to the Pine Bluff area around 1947. He started performing in local juke joints like Nappy’s and Jitterbugs as a teenager, wearing a fake mustache to appear old enough to gain entry.
It was in Pine Bluff that Rush first met and became friends with other notable blues artists, including slide guitarist Elmore James, Boyd Gilmore and pianist Johnny “Big Moose” Walker, among others.
After moving to Chicago in the early 1950s, Rush worked with legends such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Albert King. By the early 1970s, he had his first Billboard R&B hit with the song “Chicken Heads,” which reached No. 34. Rush later made his first full album, Rush Hour, in 1979 with another hit, “I Wanna Do the Do,” according to the release.
Rush has recorded dozens of albums and has built both a national and international fan base. He received his first major recognition after the release of Raw, his 22nd album, when he received the Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year award at the Blues Music Awards in 2007. His album “Hoochie Momma” received a Grammy nomination in the blues category in 2001. In 2006, Rush was inducted into The Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame. His album “Porcupine Meat” was released in 2016 and won a Grammy the following year, according to the release.
Rush’s Pine Bluff concert Feb. 15 is being sponsored by Midtown Tire and Auto, ExplorePineBluff.com and the Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission.
Port City Blues Society, which promotes the concerts, is an affiliated member of The Blues Foundation. It seeks to preserve and promote blues music, the culture of Delta blues, and educate the public about the history of the blues in the region. The society also hosts a free blues jam every at RJ’s Grill & Bar from 8- 11 p.m. Wednesdays.
For more information about Port City Blues Society, visit pc-blues.com or facebook.com/PCBluesSociety.