David “Honeyboy” Edwards shines at blues concert in Grapevine celebrating Grammy nomination

by PegNews wire

Three cheers for Blue Shoe Project and let's cross our fingers.

GRAPEVINE — DMN freelancer Matt Weitz does his customary bang-up writing in his review of the Blue Shoe Project celebration Friday night at the Palace Theatre Arts Center in Grapevine of the Grammy nomination of its Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas for best traditional blues album.

The show included a performance by 17-year-old blues prodigy Marquise Knox of St. Louis, who has been closely associated with Colleyville-based Blue Shoe Project, who recorded the 2004 blues concert at Dallas' Majestic Theatre. But the headliner was David "Honeyboy" Edwards, whose performance Weitz describes thusly:

There might be a stitch in his step and rasp to his voice, but Mr. Edwards was completely in control of the stage from the moment he stepped upon it. His guitar was turned up, loud, and his supple slide-playing had all the power of another classicist, Blind Willie Johnson. ("Oh, I met him a time or two," Mr. Edwards said earlier of the player whose "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was Ground" was chosen for inclusion on the Voyager deep space probe. "Nice guy, very personable.")

Mr. Edwards played with strength and power throughout the show. He may have stood for the historical part of the evening's equation, but there was no sense of diminished capacity or honorable mention in his performance.

Posted by T.G.