backup american blues news: BLUES BALL 2009 by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

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Accept no imitations, this is it.

This week I donned the suit, tie and the faithful Biltmore eleganza homburg to face a cold, clear wintry Memphis night and take part in the city's best party of the year, the largest annual ball in the United States, the BLUES BALL which is held at the Gibson guitar factory one block south of Beale Street. After dropping off my car with the valet, we quickly headed inside to escape the cold and join the revelers to enjoy some great food and music. After checking the old overcoat at the door we settled in to some light wine consumption and mingling with loads of old friends inside of this huge facility.

Gibson Guitars decked the halls

Outside the front doors

Two huge murals of Elvis by LeRoy Neiman are about 60 feet tall

Here's why they have this very well attended $200 a ticket party every year:

"The Memphis Charitable Foundation is not your typical nonprofit entity. Lighting the Hernando DeSoto Bridge; dropping a giant shovel from a helicopter for the groundbreaking ceremony of The Pyramid Arena; and organizing a parade of Harleys, howitzers, and floats to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death are just three of the many unique events orchestrated by the founder and general chairman, Pat Kerr Tigrett, of The Blues Ball, the largest annual ball in the nation, and The Jingle Bell Ball, " America's premiere holiday party for children" (CNN). These events have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and priceless awareness for local charities. The events and charities championed by the Memphis Charitable Foundation are intended to support Memphis music and musicians as well as children's charities.

Jingle Bell Ball
"the premier children's holiday party in the nation"
-CNN-

Memphis Charitable Foundation beneficiaries have included LeBonheur Children's Medical Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital The Smithsonian Rock 'n Soul Museum, The International Children's Heart Foundation, Variety Children's Charities, Porter-Leath Children's Center/PaLs, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), The Isaac Hayes Scholarship/Manasas High School, Maternal Welfare League, Make-A-Wish Foundation, NARAS/MusiCares, and Madonna Learning Center, in addition to providing funding to Memphis musicians and area music scholarships."

Here's their address if you would like to contribute:

200 Wagner Place
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 527-5683
Fax: (901) 526-3578
Email: memphischaritable.org

A link to their site:

http://www.memphischaritable.org/altindex.php

Pat Kerr Tigrett, Blues Ball Founder and General Chairman

"We always sell The Blues Ball out the first day, 2,500 seats," Pat Kerr Tigrett, founder and general chairman, said. "The secret is the extraordinary musicians. Despite the name, the focus at The Blues Ball is on all kinds of Memphis Music, from rock to gospel," she said. Each year the artists that shaped the Memphis Sound attend and perform at The Blues Ball. Legendary B.B. King, Soul Man Isaac Hayes, wild man Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Blue Bland, Reverend Al Green, Eddie Floyd, Jason D. Williams, Ruby Wilson, The BarKays, and the late Carl Perkins and Rufus Thomas have been just a few of the legends to play the Ball."

This year, Pat Kerr Tigrett received the Emmisary of Memphis Music Award from the Memphis Music Commission. My friend and bandleader of 20 years, Reba Russell, also received the award as did Ruby Wilson and Di Anne Price(pictured below). Here's the full list of recipients:

Joyce Cobb Jackie Johnson

Susan Marshall

Judy Peiser

Di Anne Price

Reba Russell

Linn Sitler

Pat Kerr Tigrett

Deanie Parker

Ruby Wilson

Santa used motorcycles this evening and gave the reindeer a night off
I drank with Blitzen at the bar

Event sponsors

Elegant party goers hit the enormous ballrooms

A painting of Steve Cropper at the silent auction

Steve Cropper

Steve was the Memphis Sound Award winner for 2009 and as many of you know he was a great part of what made STAX records and Booker T. & the M.G.'s sound so damn good. My partner in the Memphis Sheiks, Delta Joe Sanders ended up with Steve's 1968 rosewood Fender Telecaster that is now such a rare guitar. It was one of one or two that ever made it for sale in Memphis and the neck was broken by Steve one night at a gig. I wonder where that guitar is today.

A painting of B.B. King at the silent auction

Engineer, producer, studio owner, Knox Phillips
his father was the late Sam Phillips, owner of SUN Studios

"No event has ever fully embraced or publicly acknowledged

the spirit and achievements of what Memphis music represents

in Memphis and around the world until

the arrival of The Blues Ball 10 years ago.

Pat Kerr Tigrett's creation is the institutional definition of the truly good citizen."

Knox Phillips

Phillips Recording

Cool painted Gibson guitar bodies at the silent auction

My old friend Big Ed Kjellin and his wife, Connie

Preston Shannon accepts his award

Elvis' close friend, dj and emcee George Klein and Preston Shannon

2009 Pyramid Award Winner Preston Shannon

Blues man Preston Shannon

George Klein, G.K., was known as radio's "Gee-Ker in your speaker"
and hosted Talent Party on Saturday afternoons on WHBQ television for years

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
the late James Luther Dickinson

Bassist, friend, and band mate, Laura Hughes lights up the ballroom

Red, white and blue pianos from Baldwin, one of Gibson's many brands

It was one hell of a lineup of great music all night long:

The Queens of Zion (3 cool reggae singing chicks)
15 year old Will Tucker
hip-hop star Al Kapone
my friend Preston Shannon
STAX singer/songwriter William Bell
wild-man piano player Jason D. Williams (who reminds me of a young Jerry Lee Lewis)

Di Anne Price

Ruby Wilson

My friends Ruby Wilson and Di Anne Price appeared in the piano bar. Ruby had a serious stroke last year after an out of town performance and she has healed remarkably well after lots of hard work at physical therapy. For years she was a mainstay at Beale Street's B.B. King's club and it is wonderful to see her back up and singing again. I will never forget her soulful, stirring voice, filling the Antioch Baptist Church the day of the funeral of my mentor, Earl Forest.

The Queens of Zion

Al Kapone

William Bell

Jason D. Williams

Will Tucker

Di Anne Price

We met lots of friends at the party and I had to take their pictures and share them with you here at the American Blues News as you don't get to see so many luminaries in one place very often.