Get ready for Grammy winning blues & smokin’ ribs – Sat. Oct. 1
September 14, 2011 by Larry
Filed under Music, Our Events
As the summer is winding down and fall festivities begin, make sure you’ve got one of Roanoke’s Best Festivals marked on your calendar. The fifth annual SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival will take place on October 1, 2011 in Elmwood Park
downtown Roanoke.
This year we’ve got an award winning musical line up in store. Three time Grammy winner, Delbert McClinton is back to headline this rockin’ blues festival and he’s not coming alone! As members of Texas R&B/country Delbert McClinton’s band, the musicians of Dick50––Steve Mackey, Kevin McKendree, Rob McNelley, Lynn Williams will be sharing the stage with the soul legend. SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival is thrilled that we were included in one of the few U.S. shows that Bernard Allison has scheduled this year. Bernard Allison totes the same smokin’ six string shooter that his late father Luther Allison assaulted the blues with. And he is blessed with his father’s soulful voice, spiritual devotion, and a musical freedom which experiments with the blues.
As if thes
e tremendous national acts weren’t enough, a local legend, The Fat Daddy Band will grace the stage at BLB. Since 1995, The Fat Daddy Band has been delivering what many call exceptional Blue Ridge blues to the Roanoke Valley and beyond. This band’s success has allowed them to open for headliners such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Train, Susan Tedeschi, and the legendary Nighthawks! To start this day of fantastic blues music, from early funk, blues, rock and soul, Skinny Velvet will be sure to get you on your feet and groovin’ to the smooth sounds of your favorite blues tunes. Who is Skinny Velvet? That’s a great question that is not easily answered. As a man, Skinny is an enigma….a dark, southern, musical mystery. As a band, Skinny Velvet is the brainchild of four of the Carolina’s most talented and determined troubadours! Skinny Velvet was conceived from several of North Carolina’s finest groups. These boys have toured the U.S. in their well respected bands for years and now come together 
to make one of the strongest line-ups around!
The music is not the only award winning aspect of this festival- what goes hand in hand with blues music? Mouth watering ribs- not only mouth watering but award winning! That’s right; we’ve got your favorite rib vendors back again to battle it out for the bragging rights of best rack in town! It’s not just the familiar veterans such as Martin’s Downtown Grill, Blue 5, Thelma’s Chicken & Waffles and Bastians.; there are some rookie competitors stepping up this year! And for those of you with a competitive edge yourself; be sure to sign up for the popular 
Martin’s Rib Eating contest. This festival is sure to leave you with a full stomach and a satisfied soul!
The 5th annual SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival kicks off at 2:00pm on Saturday, October 1. Music begins at 2:15pm with the winner of the Blue Ridge Blues Society competition, Skinny Velvet. And in case you’re wondering how you are going to be able to catch the game and enjoy all this event has to offer- we thought of that too! We will have a game day area with a big screen showing college football as well as all your favorite tailgate games brought to you by Tailgaters United! Tickets are $24.00 in advance and if you’re a SunTrust customer, it’s cheaper than that! Tickets are available at all local SunTrust branch locations as well as online at 
www.BigLickBlues.org
You’ve got to love the “new” Embers!
The Embers kick off the '10 Kroger Cabin Fever Series - Jan. 22, 2010
For decades The Embers have been making music by playing a mix of rhythm and blues and heart and soul. Rhythm and Blues became the foundation and essence of SOUL music and the Motown sound, but in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Alabama, the name that applies is “Beach Music.” Some believe that Beach Music is simply lyrics that are easy to sing with simple melodies and pretty harmonies that accompany them. Bobby Tomlinson, drummer and leader of the band, believes that Beach Music is music with a memory.
To say “The Embers play Beach Music” is an understatement. After eighteen albums and numerous single releases, THE EMBERS are one of the most popular and active groups in the country. THE EMBERS boast an average of two hundred fifty dates per year all ranging from Toronto to Florida and westward to California, Hawaii and most recently South Korea. Over the years they’ve played for presidents and princes, students and bankers, at the beach and in the city, on record and in concert, for our armed forces and audiences all around the world.
A musical marvel, the EMBERS have survived disco, punk, new wave, and hip-hop and continue to take the stage as one of the most entertaining bands ever to perform. Named North Carolina’s Official Musical Ambassadors, they were inducted into the South Carolina Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. They’ve opened for the Rolling Stones, done commercials for Budweiser, performed for the Olympics, President Clinton’s inaugurational ball and created the soundtrack for endless summers. THE EMBERS were involved in a video commercial for the Sands Hotel in Atlantic City where their captivating premier performance resulted in a return engagement for a sold out New Year’s Eve show. Pepsi released a commercial performed by The Embers to the title tune Beach Music from their Beach Music, Super Collaboration Album. In December of 2007 and 2008, The Embers were invited to perform their Christmas program for our troops and their families at various military camps and bases throughout South Korea.
The Embers at BB&T's Party in the Park - July 2, 2009
The EMBERS Beach Music, Super Collaboration (2004) is an album of internationally known recording artists that has received international critical acclaim. This album evokes the best of memories and emotions for anyone who has been touched by the magic of Beach Music and introduces newcomers to the same passion that has made these enchanting melodies one of the greatest music phenomena of all time. Their most recent album, The Show Must Go On was released in early 2008 and was produced by Charles Wallert (George Benson, O.C. Smith, The Main Ingredient, Dionne Warwick, etc.) with compositions by Wallert, (”Brenda”) and multi-Grammy nominee Jimmy George (”I’ll Always Love You”, “Just To See Her”) and the Steals Brothers (”Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”), among others. The first single release, “The Last Time I’m Saying Goodbye”, from the album The Show Must Go On, debuted at number 4 on the UK’s Soulwalking charts.
THE EMBERS of today consist of: Bobby Tomlinson (Leader/Drummer), Wayne Free (Lead Vocalist/Trombone), Stephen Pachuta (Trumpet), David Dixon (Guitar), John Ray (Bass) Matt Kosma (Saxophone), and Rick Sanders (Piano). THE EMBERS are truly one of the finest entertainment experiences of our lifetime.
If you’ve seen their show once, you’ve undoubtedly come back for more. And the best way to see them again soon is at the 2010 Kroger Cabin Fever Series kickoff on Jan. 22, 2010
For complete details and tickets go to the Kroger Cabin Fever Series web site.
