Big Head Todd and the Monsters organized a tribute group in honor of blues icon Robert Johnson.
Blues music may be timeless, but when one of the genre’s most iconic artists turns 100, it’s still a cause for celebration.
Tonight, at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Big Head Blues Club celebrates the genre and commemorates what would have been the 100th birthday of blues music legend Robert Johnson with the Blues at the Crossroads: The Robert Johnson Centennial Concert tour.
Strathmore is just one of the stops on the national tour that coincides with the Feb. 1 release of Big Head Blues Club’s album, 100 Years of Robert Johnson.
Big Head Blues Club is an ensemble of prominent blues musicians who together perform renditions of Johnson’s iconic music for modern audiences.
The CD features 10 tracks of some of Johnson’s best-known songs, including “Come On In My Kitchen,” “Ramblin’ On My Mind” and “When You Gotta Good Friend.” Artists B.B. King, Charlie Musselwhite and Ruthie Foster are also featured on the record but are not part of the touring group.
“It was a magical part of my life,” said Todd Park Mohr, the lead vocalist and guitarist of Big Head Todd and the Monsters, who are featured on the record. “It only took three days in Memphis [to make the album]. There’s just an overwhelming musical feeling in that place.”
The idea for the celebration and for the Big Head Blues Club began in 2009, and the project was championed by the Colorado-based Big Head Todd and the Monsters. The group rose to fame in 1993 with its platinum album Sister Sweetly, which features hits such as “Bittersweet” and “Broken Hearted Savior.” The group released its newest album of originals, Rocksteady, last June.
While it has a modern rock sound, the group attributes the blues genre as a major influence. Therefore, the Robert Johnson project was a natural step.
“Blues was the first music I loved as a youngster, and we started off as a blues band,” Mohr said.
For all the performers, paying tribute to Johnson on his 100th anniversary year was a logical move. Johnson is a profound influence on many of music’s biggest bands, and is credited with influencing Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. Rolling Stone named him the fifth greatest guitarist of all time, and he was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its induction ceremony in 1986 as an “early influence.”
“He was a sick guitar player, singer and performer,” Mohr said. “His songs are incredible as far as composition.”
While Johnson’s guitar playing and lyrics are considered by many to be genius, part of his allure is the mystery of his poorly documented life. Johnson recorded 29 songs — his entire repertoire — between 1936 and 1937.
According to popular myth, Johnson made a deal with the devil at the junction of U.S. Highways 61 and 49 that in exchange for his soul, he would become one of the world’s greatest blues artists. In 1938, just as the 27-year-old’s career began to take off, the jealous husband of his lover poisoned him.
The Blues at the Crossroads concert comes to Strathmore as part of the venue’s year-long Guitar Festival.
All performers tonight will strictly cover songs by Johnson; no original works are included. Instead, the show consists of collaborations, solo acts and a group jam session.
Though of diverse backgrounds and ages, the Big Head Blues Club features musicians who come together to create modern versions of Johnson’s songs while maintaining the core spirit of the genre.
“I did a show three months ago and a guy comes up to me afterwards and says, ‘I just got turned onto you guys through a friend and loved every minute of the show,'” said Cedric Burnside, one of the Big Head Blues Club’s performers, about the atmosphere of his shows. “Get ready to have some fun. If you’re wearing any glasses or hats, make sure they have straps because they’re going to get blown away.”
The grandson of R.L. Burnside, an iconic blues musician, Cedric Burnside grew up surrounded by the blues and began touring at the age of 13.
“I always say, I was a blues baby, a blues kid and a blues man,” Burnside said.
His bandmate Lightnin’ Malcolm is one of the younger performers in the group and embraced the opportunity to pay tribute to one of his musical idols.
“I’m really proud because I love Robert Johnson’s music, and it’s celebrating Robert Johnson’s music,” Malcolm said.
Also in the group is 79-year-old Hubert Sumlin, who Rolling Stone listed 65th on its greatest guitarists list.
But Sumlin is not the oldest member of the Big Head Blues Club — that honor goes to David “Honeyboy” Edwards, 95, the “second oldest Delta blues player who continues to tour in the United States,” according to the concert’s press release. Last year, Edwards received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
“To me, the blues is the story of life, the world, the stories and rhythm of life,” Edwards said. “There’s truth in the blues. It’s a little too strong for some people. When they grow up and get mature, it will mean something to them. It’s the foundation of music.”
Blues at the Crossroads: Robert Johnson Centennial Concert is tonight at the Music Center at Strathmore. Doors are 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $45.
kbulav@umdbk.com
