Downtown Springfield, Inc. and the Illinois Central Blues Club announce The 5th Annual Old Capitol Blues & BBQ presented by Miller Lite.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – This year’s Old Capitol Blues and Barbecues music lineup should please the tastes buds of all kinds of blues fans. Some rock, Chicago-style, gospel, jump, and country blues are all on tap for Old Capitol Blues & BBQs on Saturday, August 23, on Fifth and Washington Streets, downtown Springfield.

Festivities get underway at noon with a baby-back rib cook-off and continue through the evening until midnight. Admission is $5 with children 12 and under free. Twenty BBQ vendors will serve dishes such as smoked chicken, pulled pork, pork chops, ribs, brats, beef brisket, Creole pan BBQ shrimp, chicken wings, catfish nuggets, kabobs, potato salad, slaw, chips, fries and fruit parfait — for prices ranging from $1-$6. Miller beer and Coca-cola products will be available to quench any thirst.

Appearing on the Neuhoff Media Stage (4 PM until midnight)

Calvin Cooke – 8 PM
The Old Capitol Blues and Barbecues is proud to feature the "B.B. King of gospel steel guitar" as the headline attraction of the 2008 event. Detroit, Michigan’s Calvin Cooke is one of the most influential musicians in the House of God church, an African American Holiness-Pentecostal church in which the electric steel guitar has been an important part of worship services since the late 1930's. The music was almost unknown outside of the church membership until the 1990’s. The sacred steel style of blues gospel has since been popularized by acts like Robert Randolph’s Family Band and the Lee Boys. When introducing Calvin on the set of Austin City Limits, Robert Randolph acknowledged the debt that he and subsequent sacred steel players owe to Cooke. Cooke has served for more than three decades as a principal steel guitarist at the church's annual 10-day national General Assembly in Nashville.
He is one of the few "sacred steel" guitarists who regularly combines singing with their guitar work. An innovator on the 10-string pedal-steel, which he plays in a unique tuning that came to him in a vision, Cooke also features stunning lap-steel work in his presentations. He is accompanied by his wife Grace, an accomplished and powerful lead singer in the gospel tradition. The rhythm section provides a heavy and infectious groove that does not allow the listener to be unmoved. Calvin Cooke’ Sacred Steel Ensemble is the answer to the question; what would Mavis Staples sound like accompanied by Elmore James, Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Byrd?

Howard and the White Boys 10 PM
If you frequent Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago it is possible that you have seen a Howard and the White Boys performance. It’s even possible that you saw the legend, Buddy Guy, sitting in with the band. It seems that Buddy took the band under his wing and stamped his seal of approval on the band’s sound. After forming in DeKalb in 1988, Howard and the White Boys have traveled the world spreading the blues gospel as headliners and as the opening act for Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison and BB King. This year the band released its 6th CD, Made in Chicago. The cd is a mix of originals and obscure covers, Howard and the White Boys deliver a powerful twin guitar attack of high energy Chicago blues.

Tarbox Ramblers 6 PM
It’s the proper thing for a band to pay tribute to the legends and the ghosts of the blues but Boston’s Tarbox Ramblers don’t just give their due. No, the Tarbox Ramblers sneak into the graveyards late at night and resurrect the spirits of the blues long since past. Before the blues filled stadiums and was the soundtrack for beer commercials, the blues was played by itinerant musicians on dime store guitars for anyone who could stand to share the pain. It is this primitive and soulful rhythmic, country blues that is the trademark of the Tarbox Ramblers. Eighteenth century rock and roll!! Don’t miss this perfect blend of country, folk and primitive rhythm and blues.

Dave Herrero featuring Felix Reyes (of Felix and the Cats) 4 PM
Austin’s loss is Chicago’s good fortune. After establishing himself as one of Austin’s blues guitarists to be watched and touring the world with Houston’s R&B/soul legend Archie Bell and the Drells, Dave Herrero moved to Chicago. In Chicago Dave does production work with his brother that includes producing musicial “beats” for Oprah Winfrey. Even though his day job keeps him musically focused on the twenty-first century, Dave’s “evening” music draws from Muddy Waters and Albert King. His latest cd release From Austin to Chicago was recorded in Austin at the same studio that churned out Nick Curran’s solo cds.
Joining Dave at the OCBB will be Chicagoan (a Dallas native) Felix Reyes of Felix and the Cats. Known to many as Uncle Fe, Felix has had a long career in the blues scene. He wrote the title track for Susan Tedeschi’s second cd release Wait For Me and was instrumental in getting the late Sean Costello’s career off the ground. You’ll want to get there early for this special “double feature” of the Windy City’s best Texas Blues!

Appearing on the ICBC Stage
The Illinois Central Blues Club is conducting our Second Blues Challenge during the Old Capitol Blues & Barbeque, August 23, 2008 beginning at noon. The winner of the challenge will receive $1,000 in travel monies to represent the Club at the Blues Foundation International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN during the first weekend in February 2009.

WSEC-TV/PBS Springfield presents the WSEC Kid’s Stage featuring character visits from Curious George, activities, and games for children from Noon to 4 p.m. SpringfieldMoms.org will also be on-site to provide craft activities and a family service area. Other amusements include a pitching booth, cork gun shooting range, face painting, balloon art, and a new laser tag game.

This event is coordinated by Downtown Springfield, Inc. and the Illinois Central Blues Club, and sponsored by Miller Lite, Regions Bank, Ameren, WSEC-TV, Illinois Times and Neuhoff Media Springfield. This program is partially supported by grants from the Springfield Area Arts Council and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Event-goers may park in the following approved parking facilities: lot behind the Myers Building; Lot at Second & Washington streets; garage at 4th and Washington streets; garage below the Old State Capitol; garage at 7th and Monroe streets; and garage at 7th and Washington streets.

For more information on Old Capitol Blues & BBQs, please contact Downtown Springfield, Inc. at (217) 544-1723 or www.downtownspringfield.org.

Downtown Springfield, Inc. a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit Illinois Main Street organization, works to preserve our historic heritage and build economic & cultural vitality in our downtown districts. Our goal is to make downtown Springfield an ideal place to shop, work, visit, invest, and live.