Elvis T. Busboy and The Blues Butchers, a Dallas cover act, are the ostensible headliners at the Blue Shoe Project’s free festival Saturday, but the real highlight will be Marquise “Big Daddy” Knox from St. Louis. Knox is just 17 years old, but sings with a deep, mature-beyond-its-years, drawling delivery reminiscent of a certain blues legend who died a decade before he was born. Knox plays electric guitar and harp with taste and restraint seldom heard among any of his bluesmen peers, let alone players his age. He'll also be leading a blues workshop for children at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Other performers include Tutu Jones and Gerry Moss.
The fest runs from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Village at Colleyville. VIP passes are available for a $100 tax-deductible contribution to the Blue Shoe Project, which educates youngsters on the importance of blues to American music. Last year, the project put out Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen – Live in Dallas, which won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
It’s a family-friendly event, so be discreet if you must partake in champagne and reefer. --Jesse Hughey
