100 YEARS OF BLUES is front-porch, down-home music with Bishop and Musselwhite trading licks and vocals on 12 rootsy, spirited songs, mixing nine originals with three reimagined classics. Although Bishop and Musselwhite have known each other since the early 1960s and recorded as guests with John Lee Hooker (and other friends), this is the first time that they ever teamed up to make a full record. According to Musselwhite, “This is us sitting down to play the music that we love and resonating together effortlessly because we’re 'coming from the same place.’” Charlie Musselwhite released his latest GRAMMY-nominated Alligator Records album, Mississippi Son, on June 3, 2022. He won two 2023 Living Blues Critics and Readers Awards, both for Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica). Musselwhite also won the 2023 Blues Music Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. This is the 34th Blues Music Award of his career.
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist Elvin Bishop and GRAMMY Award-winning music legend Charlie Musselwhite will perform at Ludlow Garage on Saturday, June 22!
The idea for 100 YEARS OF BLUES came about in 2017 when the two musicians laid down the original version of the song 100 Years Of Blues for Bishop’s Big Fun Trio album. They realized then that they had a special musical chemistry between them. In 2019, Bishop and Musselwhite played a series of stripped-down shows – along with their mutual friend, pianist/guitarist Bob Welsh – swapping songs and telling stories. The audience went wild, and Elvin and Charlie had so much fun they knew they had to capture the magic in the studio.
The album was recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios and Bishop’s Hog Heaven Studios in northern California. It was produced by Andersen and co-produced by Bishop, Musselwhite and Welsh. The laid-back, spontaneous nature of 100 YEARS OF BLUES highlights the heartfelt passion of each performance. Throughout the album, the interplay of guitar, vocals, harmonica and piano is virtually telepathic.
Bishop and Musselwhite have continued touring with their own bands and creating critically acclaimed, award-winning music, so this special performance featuring these two icons of the blues is not to be missed.
