Blues to the Point
Former
Jimmy Buffet bandmate
headlines Blues at the Point Festival
By
Konnie McCollum
Contributing Writer
CARROLLTON, Ky. (September 2006) – After a one-year
hiatus, a popular blues festival will return to the Carrollton area
thanks to two local musicians and the Carroll County Tourism Commission.
The Carrollton Blues to the Point Festival will return to Point Park
on Sept. 8-9 and will feature nine local, regional and nationally known
acts.
Clayton Dermon and Mark Davis, local musicians who were asked to help
resume the festival, said the tourism office received many asking for
the return of the event.
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Photo
provided Greg
“Fingers” Taylor will be |
Dermon said started recruiting musicians, volunteers and
vendors for the festival in May. Normally, well-known musicians can
be booked as far as a year in advance. Despite the late start, however,
they used their connections in music circles and put together a strong
lineup for the two-day event. Headlining the event is Greg “Fingers”
Taylor, a harmonica player who was a member of Jimmy Buffet’s Coral
Reefer Band for more than 30 years.
In an August telephone interview, Taylor said, “I am really looking
forward to coming to Carrollton. We have put together a fun, high-energy
act that will thrill the audience.”
He will be playing with Tim Krekel, who also played with Jimmy Buffet
during the 1980s.
Taylor met Buffet in 1970 while they were college students at the University
of Mississippi. He said Buffet was playing a gig and invited him to
play along. “We hit it off great,” he said. In 1974, he started
touring as part of the Coral Reefers band that backs up Buffet. Before
that, he worked on Buffet’s first three albums.
He said that by 2001 it was “time for me to do something different.”
He and Buffet parted ways. Since then, Taylor has been freelancing with
other bands. He sings a bit and plays the keyboard in addition to his
harmonica playing. He said he gets his inspiration for his harmonica
playing from the old time blues music.
Recently, Taylor rejoined Buffet on stage at Riverbend Music Center
on the riverfront in Cincinnati. Over the summer, he played on three
cuts of Buffet’s latest recording. He said they have been in touch
and are working out some things.
“We are communicating and looking at possibilities,” he said.
One of those possibilities includes Taylor working at a new Las Vegas
hotel that Buffet is building.
Taylor got his nickname “Fingers” while in high school. He
said he had a band called the Buttermilk Blues and decided to give everyone
in the band a bluesy nickname. Being the keyboard player, he thought
“Fingers” sounded appropriate. He later switched to the harp,
but by that time the nickname had stuck.
|
Blues
to the Point Schedule
Sept. 8-9 at Point Park
Saturday-Main
Stage • Information: 1-800-325-4290 or visit: bluestothepoint.net |
In addition to Taylor, the rest of the Blues to the Point
lineup is also impressive. Krekel will play at 8 p.m. Saturday, just
before Taylor, and then will accompany Taylor during his performance.
At 6 p.m., the Alabama Blues Brothers, a tribute act, will take center
stage.
Other Saturday evening performers include Sonny Moorman, a Cincinnati
blues man; Madison favorite The Jimmy Davis band; and Coupe De Ville.
Friday night performances include Graham, Shelton & Smith, which
include local Carrollton musicians; Frostbite, coming from northern
Ohio; and Louisville’s Lamont Gillespie and 100 Proof.
An acoustic stage will also be set up during the festival. Featured
musicians include Roy Gentry, Sandy Pickett, Tyrone Cotton, The “Good
Sunday” Band, Velveeta Jones and Darryl Hewitt & Southbound
(Unplugged).
Pickett, who resides in southern Indiana, has been compared to the likes
of Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt and Michelle Shocked. She is a well
rounded performer, Dermon said.
Cotton is a seasoned performer with his polished, blues-based sound.
This singer, songwriter and guitarist has a new approach to traditional
music styles that audiences love.
Dermon said newer features of the festival will make it more family
friendly than before. “We want parents to come out and bring their
children” he said. He believes the ticket prices will also be more
attractive to festival goers.
He also said that Madison Ribberfest officials, including Madison Area
Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Linda Lytle and Blues
Bash co-chairman John Walburn were extremely helpful. “We got some
great advice from them,” he said.
Advance tickets are available at the Carrollton tourism office on Highland
Avenue, and at three local businesses: Carrollton Inn, Floyd’s
Jewelry and Cutting Edge.