| Some
Soul Blows Through Town |
By
Shannon
April and May are typically tornado months for
the Midwest. I witnessed a tornado of sorts barrel
through town on Thursday, April 29 at BB's and
Saturday, May 1 at the Grand Emporium. Curtis
Salgado and his band (from Oregon) were here promoting
their latest release on the Shanachie record label
entitled "Strong Suspicion". This musical
whirlwind was pulsating with sounds of soul, R&B,
gospel, and down right dirty take me back to old
school blues. I was totally overwhelmed with the
musical talent that Curtis and his band possess.
It's no wonder though. This cat has been around
for a few decades blowin' harp and melting people
with his powerful, intense vocal ability. Curtis
was nice enough to give stlblues.net a brief commentary
on his career and how he got started. He explained
that early on, he was singing and touring with
Robert Cray's blues band. Though this didn't give
him national attention, it did open the door for
him to start his own band, "In Yo Face",
and then from there he joined the world-renowned
band--Roomful of Blues. That also led to the making
of the Stilettos, a regionally recognized band
(at the time) in the northwest.
In 1995, Curtis was touring the globe with rock
superstar Santana. Perhaps the most interesting
thing that Salgado explained to me was the first
time he ever met John Belushi-one of his late
idols. He was playing a club in Chicago and this
guy walks up to him and describes how he enjoyed
Curtis's stage presence and style. Little did
Curtis know that Mr. Belushi was in town filming
the movie "Animal House" and would later
mimic his blues brother character "Jake"
after him. He would also get credit on the album
"Briefcase Full of Blues" from Belushi
for his strong inspiration and performance technique.
There are presently five albums that Salgado has
put out. You can find information on most of these
compilations at www.intrepidartists.com.
I own "Strong Suspicion" and "Soul
Activated", both of which I fell in love
with immediately. Though its not down right blues
material, the music is a nice mixture of soul,
funk, R&B--whatever it is--its working!
The band I encountered was a staff of fine musicians--Jacob
Wolf strumming guitar, Don Worth beating on the
drums, Ben Jones pounding bass, and Brian Ward
on the keyboard. All this talent along with Curtis's
encapsulating harp playing and peel the paint
off the walls vocal skills are a match made in
funk heaven! I enjoyed this group so much that
I couldn't wait to see them again. I was personally
invited to join the band in Kansas City, Mo at
the Grand Emporium on Saturday, May 1. It was
the annual Blues Cruise Reunion Party and I had
an absolute ball. I didn't have to pay a cover,
got free "band" food, and met about
500 happy, drunk blues fans. I felt right at home!
Curtis and the guys couldn't have been more hospitable
and accepting of stlblues.net and the work we
do to support the music. I was truly honored!
I urge you to get out there and catch this guy-even
once-that's all it will take for you to dig it.
You can learn more at www.curtissalgado.com
with links to dates, merchandise, and personal
music history.
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