MAY 2,2007: "THE FIRST ANNUAL STONE SOUL PICNIC MUSIC FESTIVAL" Hello Blues and Southern Soul fans.I was sitting here reflecting back on my childhood when my aunts,uncles,cousins and other friends of the family would all return home to Mississippi and attend the annual outdoor Blues Festivals held in the Mississippi Delta.Back then the outdoor shows were plentiful and the lineups would include such legends like Tyrone Davis,Johnnie Taylor,Z.Z. Hill,Bobby Blue Bland,Latimore,Little Milton and Denise Lasalle just to name a few.I was too young to attend these shows but I can remember all the excitement and fun that was generated around town.These were simplier and better times I guess you could call them the good old days.Fast forward some twenty plus years and the outdoor Blues festivals are far and few,a lot of that can be contributed to the emergence of the Casinos,the closing of the good old fashioned juke joints and the recent deaths of the blues legends that made these festivals really come to life.I was so happy to attend a recent outdoor blues festival here in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.The event was themed "THE FIRST ANNUAL STONE SOUL PICNIC MUSIC FESTIVAL" and Greenville,Mississippi played host to this Blues and Southern Soul gathering.The lineup was a who's who in the blues and southern soul industry and it included Betty Padgett,Nathaniel Kimble,Billy Soul Bonds,Bobby Blue Bland,J. Blackfoot,Sir Charles,Shirley Brown and Bobby Rush.The promoters estimated it was a crowd of about 3,500 fans on hand but it appeared to be closer to 5,000 if you were to ask me.There were plenty of vendors on hand and the air was filled with the smell of bar-b-q,fried fish,hot wings and other down home southern style food to enjoy(damn I'm hungry just talking about it).The promoters allowed the fans to bring their coolers so you know it was plenty of cold beer and alcohol on hand to get this blues and southern soul event crunk(I guess thats how the young folks use that phrase).I was joined by fellow Dawg Pound member "Chill Will" and there were other familar faces present."The Kitty,Kitty Club","The Arkansas Divas" and a few more of my coworkers including Lillian McGee who was one of the vendors on hand and man her hot wings were simply Da Bomb!It was a beautiful sunny day but I can't lie it was hot as fish grease.I've set the scene so good people sit back and let me take you on this blues and southern soul ride. This won't be a typical drawn out Big K9 concert review.I wasn't working this show like I normally do because I was having too much fun(I think its time for me to hire a staff to help cover these shows lol).I have to be honest never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be so well recognized and received at these blues and southern soul events but it happened at this show.There were several fans who all recognized me from my concert reviews and photos and I spent more time socializing at this show than in recent memory.I want to take this time to thank all the fans who really appreciate the fruits of my labor and this show of support and love is why I continue to bring you the fans so much news,photos and other info about this genre of music.I am glad to be a positive face and voice for this industry and I'm so glad that I continue to remain humble with all this newfound recognition. The first artist to hit the stage was the lovely diva,Betty Padgett.She was well received by the crowd and she didn't disappoint.Along with her backup singer,Dottie a.k.a. Lady D she got the show started with a bang.She received her biggest ovation when she performed her smash hit "Never Coming Home".She has instantly become one of my favorite female artist.My homeboy Nathaniel Kimble was up next and I was waiting to see if he was going to have a letdown from the last time I saw him perform because the last show that I saw him perform was in my opinion his best.I'm happy to report that he didn't disappoint.Greenville is his own backyard and the hometown folks showed him much love."Can U Bagg It Up" naturally got the biggest ovation but "You Are The One" was the highlight of his performance for me.He is progressing very well as an artist and I look forward to seeing him again real soon.Billy Soul Bonds was the next performer and he had the women excited with his bang-bang sock it to me dance moves.He performed several of his songs with "Scat,Cat Here Kitty Kitty" receiving the loudest ovation but it was his classic hit "Baby I've Been Missing You" that I enjoyed the most.He put a lot of energy into his performance and the crowd was very appreciative.I was very excited about the next performer.Blues legend Bobby Blue Bland hit the stage and everyone rose to their feet and I thought that was the ultimate respect that an artist can garner.I watched his entire performance with an attentive ear.With the recent deaths of some of our beloved legends I wanted to cherish this performance.He song all my favorite Bobby Blue Bland hits including "Members Only","Stormy Monday" and my personal favorite "You Got To Hurt Before You Heal".It was a magnificent performance and the crowd poured out a lot of love and appreciation for this living legend.I hope and pray that he will be around for a lot of years and that I will be able to share plenty more of his performances with you.Greenville,Mississippi native,J. Blackfoot was on next and he received much love from his hometown.He has always been one of my favorite artist and its simply a joy to watch him perform.Of course "Taxi" received the most fanfare but it was the sight of The Queen,Ann Hines that I really enjoyed the most.Their duet "Just One Lifetime" ranks as one of the top duets in southern soul history.They haven't performed together in recent shows(about a year and half to be exact) so to see them reunited and performing together was truly special.For his last song he was joined on stage by Sir Charles and you can only imagine how the crowd reacted as they did a sample of their smash hit "I'm Just A Fool Part 2".After that performance special guest Reggie P was introduced and he received a nice ovation from the crowd.He performed from a music track his smash hit "Why Me" and this got the crowd on their feet.Sir Charles was the next performer and you know the crowd erupted as he hit the stage.The ladies all melted as he performed such classic hits as "Is There Anybody Lonely","Natural Woman", and "Drop That Thang".He received his biggest ovation on "Slow Roll It" as he was joined on stage by Reggie P and they excited the women with their seductive and vulgar slow roll it dance routine.For his final song he was joined on stage by J. Blackfoot and again they performed a sample of their duet "I'm Just A Fool For You Part 2".Up next was the soulful diva,Shirley Brown.She was helped on stage and I notice that she was walking very gently.I hope that she is doing ok physically.I can tell you now that there isn't anything wrong with her voice as she performed a few of her classic hits including "Respect","Poon Tang Man","Too Much Candy" and "Sleep With One Eye Open".Though limited with her physical motion on stage her voice still remain one of the best in the industry.The next performer was another living legend,Sue's boyfriend Bobby Rush hit the stage and after hours of being entertained the still large crowd gave him a thunderous ovation.By now a lot of the guys in attendace had made their way down by the stage and when his dancers came out I can't blame them one bit.I've seen his show numerous times and I believe his dancers are still the favorite with the fellas.He had the crowd singing,dancing and laughing with his performance."Night Fishing" was my favorite part of his performance.He remains one of the top performers in the industry.Several local artist closed this spectacular event with Mississippi Slim performance standing out the most.His version of "I was Checkin Out And She Was Checkin In" is still one of my personal favorites. The promoters for this event announced that this will be an annual event and myself along with thousands of other fans can't wait.I had so much fun at this event.I spent a lot of time talking with other fans and most of the artists who performed so I wasn't on the job like normal but I was still able to cover most of the show and I wanted to share it with all of you.Trust me fans its hardwork out here for real but I am on the job.I want to give a shout out to Nathaniel Kimble,J.Blackfoot,Ann Hines,Cyreio Hughes,Sir Charles,Bobby Rush and Reggie P who all took the time to converse and take some wonderful photos.To my fellow Dawg Pound member Chill Will I had a blast and now that you got a new truck I can ride shotgun to upcoming shows.Like always I did have a wonderful time at this event and I wanted to share it with you the greatest fans in the world.Take care and MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. Big K9
WELCOME 2 DA DAWG POUND! DA HOME OF BIG K9
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