Who Knew She Was a Fangirl...

 A few months ago I mentioned to Cathy that the North Mississippi Hill County Blues Festival had released the line up for their 20th anniversary concert and there were several of our favorites playing, the tickets were cheap and I thought we should go. One of the favorites playing was the blues guitarist Elvin Bishop.  

We have a few of Elvin's albums, some stuff dating to the 60s and several recently released that show him still in fine form at 82 years old. We like this music but I guess I never realized Cathy was such an Elvin Bishop fangirl. How she knew which side of the stage he would be sitting on I'll never know because when the show started we were right in front. 

Playing with Elvin was the famous harp and guitar player Charlie Musselwhite. Charlie is reportedly the inspiration for Dan Ackroyd's Elwood Blues character in the movie the Blues Brothers. Charlie and Elvin along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield are given credit for bringing Chicago Blues and the older players responsible for it to the forefront of 1960 rock music. 

These men are legends and can still play. 

We had a very good time at the picnic. I don't know the attendance figures but I doubt much more than 300 people in front of the stage at any time and there were no lines for anything. There could not have been much over 1000 all together in the campground or sitting in the shade canopies.  People were friendly and the grounds clean. It's a cheap festival and though Elvin and Charlie are timeless players who have left a mark on history most of the players are of the particular kind of local to the hill country blues tracing it's roots to musicians like the late greats Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. Many of the performers are shoots off these family trees carrying on the traditions.   

One more photo of Elvin in case there are other fangirls out there.