LEGENDARY RHYTHM AND BLUES REVUE COMES TO THE SPRINGS

After many years of sailing the high seas each January for a full week of performances featuring the top blues bands in the country, the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue is bringing the show inland. Hosted by one of the mainstays of the cruise each year, the Tommy Castro Band, the tour also features Ronnie Baker Brooks, Deanna Bogart and Magic Dick. Local music promoters George & Amy Whitesell, whose A Music Company Inc. has been bringing blues shows to the area, have the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue scheduled for Sunday, April 29 at Bigg City Event Center @ Mr. Biggs, 5825 Mark Dabling Road, Colorado Springs.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and show timewill be 7 p.m. A VIP ticket, available for $40, includes a meet and greet with the artists from 5 to 6 p.m., food and drinks, and priority seating. A portion of the VIP ticket will benefit Steve Bigari's local non-profit America's Family, whose goal is to help individuals break the cycle of poverty through education and relationships. More information about America's Family can be obtained through their website www.amfol.com . "It is important to give back to the community in which you live and that is why we chose a non-profit to benefit from the VIP ticket sales," says Amy Whitesell. General admission is $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show.

Tickets may be purchased on line at www.AMusicCompanyInc.com or in Colorado Springs at Music Exchange, 305 E. Pikes Peak; Earth Pig Music, 1953 W. Uintah and Music Central, 2210 Academy Place. For more information, please call 576-5945.

" This is an exceptional opportunity to see four great acts individually & together on stage and closing with an electrifying jam session," says Amy Whitesell of A Music Company Inc. "W e are excited to bring them to Colorado Springs."

Tommy Castro is one of the most popular and creative artists to emerge in recent years. On his newest CD, Painkiller, Castro teamed up with producer John Porter, renowned for his work with a Who's Who list of artists such as Los Lonely Boys, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Santana, B.B. King, Elvis Costello and Buddy Guy.

Since he started the Tommy Castro Band sixteen years ago, Tommy's career has been marked by one triumph after another. He's gone from performing at a tiny San Francisco saloon to opening act on B.B. King's national tours and international acclaim as one of the most compelling artists on the scene. Tommy Castro was voted Blues Artist of the Year 2006 by the readers of BluesWax, the largest subscribed blues publication in the world. Castro took the honor with a record number of first place votes. In expressing his gratitude to all the blues fans that voted for him, Castro said, "I like these kinds of awards best because it is folks that support the music, the average Blues fan that is giving me the thumbs up. That makes me feel great! It's great when industry people recognize me, but when it comes down to it, it's the people who listen to the music that I have spent my life making that really matters. Thank you!"

As the son of blues legend Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks grew up steeped in American music tradition. " I grew up among the best of the best," Brooks says. "Every time I play, I feel like I've got to do it with the authenticity and passion that I saw in guys like Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and my father. But I also have to put my twist on it. None of those guys repeated what came before them."

Brooks' twist involves enlivening blues-rock with deep souland modern hip-hop vocals and funk rhythms. Brooks takes roots sounds and transforms them into something that spans the ages. He draws on the choppy, hip-shaking rhythms of funk, the emotional truth of soul and the forcefulness of rock to bring a distinctive dimension to his groundbreaking sound.

"I wanted to do something that would bring young people to the blues, and then give them the real hardcore thing at the same time," Brooks says. "When I grew up, all my friends listened to rapand funk, and I listened to the blues. So I heard their music and they heard mine. I think we both saw some connection between them. I like that line in the movie "Hustleand Flow" when they say this new rap song ain't nothing but 'Backdoor Man' written for modern streets. It's a hip-hop world right now, but I want to bring a little blues to the party."

Deanna Bogart's recording career has come full circle. Blind Pig Records was privileged to release her debut recording "Out To Get You" in 1990 and we are delighted that she chose the label for her latest effort "Real Time". Down Beat magazine describes Deanna Bogart as "an extravagant entertainer," and entertain is what Bogart does best. The Maryland-based blues and boogie pianist/saxophonist combines the energy of boogie woogie with contemporary blues, jazz, R&B and country. "The goal when we play live," says Bogart, " is to create a fusion of all these different musical styles with the blues and boogie genuinely at the core."

Magic Dick met J. Geils and Danny Klein in his sophomore year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, and became a founding member of the J. Geils Blues Band in 1968. By 1969 the band had moved to Boston and joined forces with Peter Wolf, Stephen Jo Bladd and Seth Justman. In 1970 the J. Geils Band recorded their first of nine albums for Atlantic Records and toured incessantly, jamming with many of the blues greats including Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and James Cotton.

To add just a little more excitement to the show, local musician Brent Hawpe will get the opportunity to play guitar and jam with everyone. " For the past few years I have been getting high school students who are talented musicians up on stage with national acts. Now that is an experience that will always be remembered," says Amy Whitesell. Brent is 15 years old, plays guitar and drums, and is a student at the Colorado Springs School. Brent plays drums with the bands Brickyard and Dangerous Mood. He recently started in a jazz trio of Brad Bietry's. And, if that were not enough he also plays with Michael Hanson's Young Concert Artists. Otis Taylor came to the Colorado Springs School in March and he needed a drummer to accompany him. Brent was asked to play. Brent is a musician at heart and lives and breathes the blues. Parents Rollen and Bev Hawpe are extremely involved with Brent's music and encourage him to keep pursuing his dreams. " Brent would like to attend the acclaimed Berklee School of Music in Boston, after high school and I have no doubt that he will be accepted," says Amy Whitesell.