Event Information:

• Sat

  17

  Nov

  2018

  Beverly “Guitar” Watkins & The R.D. Olson Blues Band

  7:30 PMCrossings Event at The Zumbrota State Theatre

  For more than 50 years Beverly “Guitar” Watkins has been a phenomenon in the blues community. As one critic observes, “She sings and plays with enough of what it takes to make musicians half her age or younger consider alternative means of employment.” Backing her is the R.D. Olson Band, whose lead-man R.D. has 30 years of blues experience and stints with Luther Allison, Chico Chism and Buddy Reed. Experience the ups and downs of blues music at the State Theater on Sat., Nov. 17, at 7:30pm.

  The Georgia native discovered music through her mother’s gramophone. As a teen, Beverly Watkins played with The House Rockers,opening for James Brown, Ray Charles, and many others. In 1965, she hooked up with Eddie Tigner from the Ink Spots and later joined up with Leroy Redding, working with him into the late 1980s. She made another breakthrough by creating a residency for herself at the nightclub Underground Atlanta. The Music Maker Relief Foundation soon booked her on the all-star Women of the Blues “Hot Mamas” tour in 1998 and released her first CD “Back in Business,” which received a W.C. Handy Blues Award nomination in 2000. She has toured internationally, and her reputation as a live performer is unmatched; as she observes, “When I get on stage, it’s electrifying. I light up and get into the crowd. That’s what I call ministering to the public.”

  Playing with Beverly Watkins is the R.D. Olson Band. This band plays blues with respect to the past and a good kick in the ass into the new millennium. You can’t help but feel a live performance resonate in your soul. R.D.’s 30 plus years of blues experience gained by stints with Luther Allison, Chico Chism and Buddy Reed. All blues stalwarts. R.D.’s charisma and showmanship absolutely command the audience’s attention. Dynamics so vast they suck the air out of the room. Make no mistake R.D. and his band are not just ‘players’ of the blues…they are top notch national level caliber performers and really ‘bring it’ to the stage.
  Close your eyes and let the music seep into your soul.

  Tickets are $28 in advance and $32 at the door.