FESTIVALS & CONCERTS

On October 5, 2002 Blue Suit Productions presented Screamin' & Cryin' About The Blues, an educational conference on the blues, at the Macomber Building, 1501 Monroe Street, Toledo, Ohio.

Screamin' & Cryin' About The Blues is a single day conference that featured speakers, blues films and workshops for musicians during the afternoon of October 5th, a blues photography exhibition and, in the evening, an awesome concert.  There were also be exhibitors and vendors throughout the conference.

The keynote speaker for Screamin' & Cryin' About The Blues was Jim O'Neal, founder of Living Blues magazine and Rooster Blues Records.  The concert featured Eddie Kirkland, Big Joe Duskin, "Snaker" Dave Ray , Jason Ringenberg and sacred steel guitar master Calvin Cooke.  Ray, Eddie Burns and Robert Jones  presented the afternoon workshops; Burns also told great stories of his life in the Detroit blues scene in the 1940s & 1950s.  Photographs by Leni Sinclair, our own John Gibbs Rockwood and Robert Barclay were exhibited. Author Jim Gallert spoke on jump blues in Detroit and other history of Motor City blues. The blues films were Alan Lomax's The Land Where The Blues Began and Robert Stone's Sacred Steel.

Here's the schedule of events at the conference

Eddie Kirkland with Fuzzy Samuels on bass closing out the concert at Screamin' & Cryin' About The Blues

Calvin Cooke showing his Melobar lap steel guitar after his performance

The 6th Frozen Alligator Cajun Bayou Heritage Festival was held on February 9, 2002 at the Ohio Theatre in Toledo.  This year's fest will featured the first return to Toledo by Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas since the initial Frozen Alligator Fesival in 1995 and the first ever northern appearance by Donna Angelle and her Zydeco Posse.   A fantastic turnout ate all the food, drank all the beer and danced all night.

complete press release and info here

if you'd like to see photos from previous Frozen Alligator Cajun Bayou Heritage Festivals just click here

and there are photos from various Rock Rhythm & Blues Festivals just here

if you'd like to see some of our classic Concert Posters just click here