The New Blues Festival
Tribute to BB King
The guitar player and singer said he started the albums’ B.B. King track, Rock Me Baby, a tribute to the blues legend, prior to COVID. Jackson said both B.B. King’s daughter, Claudette, and George Benson participated in the project. Benson’s guitar playing, always unmistakable, is a sound to savor.
From about 2017 to 2019, Jackson was the frontman for the B.B. King Blues Band. The outfit headed to Reno to do a casino show and traveled through Scottsdale, Arizona. Their stage manager was friends with Benson. Jackson and Benson also worked together in Las Vegas.
“We hoped to work together again someday,” Jackson said. “That rarely happens but thanks to Rob [manager] on our way to Reno, he told George we were coming through. George invited us to his place for lunch on the way to Reno. We told him about our project and trying to do a tribute song to B.B. He volunteered without any hesitation and we went into the studio, he played his part and we had a song, [Rock
Me Baby].
“Joe Bonamassa’s was the last song
[Under Your Spell] that we added to that record. We listened to it and thought it would be nice to have something about what’s going on in today’s world with the situation America went through [on] Jan. 6 and even before that.”
Jackson noted the album is being considered for a Grammy nomination for
Best Contemporary album and for Best Grass Roots for Love One Another. To record, the musicians sent tracks back and forth and had many telephone conversations and Facetime sessions.
This is Jackson’s sophomore album. He had planned to do a blues album for his debut, Tito Time (2016), but he said after reviewing his fan base at the time, he decided it would be better to go more toward the music he was accustomed to doing with his brothers.
Festival Lineup
An eclectic lineup will set the stage for a memorable New Blues fest at a landmark location. Artists include: Sugar Ray Rayford; LA blues guitar great, Laurie Morvan; Bill Grisolia & the New Blues Festival All-Stars; New Orleans transplant and blues guitarist, Lester Lands; multi-genre guitarist-vocalist, Jennifer Corday; Eclectic blues-rock trio, The Disciplez; She Wears Black featuring Long Beach’s very own blues diva, Shy But Flyy; Tex-Mex Blues from Redd House; musician/ surfboard shaper/SoCal surf legend, Dano Forte; and blues harp player TJ Norton.
This year’s Master of Ceremonies: Southern California blues deejay legend, Ann The Raven, formerly of KPCC-FM. New Blues Festival
Time: 9 a.m.
Cost: $50 and up
Details: www.newbluesfestival.com and www. titojackson.com
Venue: Shoreline Aquatic Park, 200 Aquarium Way, Long Beach