BBC BLUES BONANZA

If soul and blues is your thing, you’ll absolutely not want to miss a new six-part series starting this weekend on BBC Radio Ulster.

Award-winning Belfast blues and soul queen Kaz Hawkins

(above) brings her own very special blend of music to the airwaves on Sunday evening at 6.30pm.

The larger than life singer, whose life reads like a blues ballad, swaps the bright lights of the stage for a spell behind the microphone sharing some of her all-time favourite music.

In this new six-part series Kaz plays her favourite tracks from artists such as Etta James and Bessie Smith and digs out some classic blues and soul performances from the BBC Radio Ulster archives.

Kaz says, “I think the reason I’m drawn to blues and soul music is the passion and the fact the artist can completely let go of all their inhibitions. And also the vulnerability of the message in the songs. Everyone is inspired by it in modern music and I just wish it had a bigger stage in mainstream music. For me it’s about keepin’ the blues alive.”