Max Hightower's Blues Ramble is a three-show series of music featuring the blues with musicians with roots tied to the genre.
Max Hightower, a Greer musician known for his association with Mac Arnold, is venturing with Sosocat Promotions to present Blues Ramble, a trio of blues music shows.
Featured artists are Chuck Beattie on May 11, Ironing Board Sam on May 25 and Freddie Vanderford on June 11. The shows are 9 p.m. – midnight at Grace Hall, 100 Trade Street.
Tickets are $10 with a portion of the proceeds going toward the Lupus Foundation. Tables may be reserved by calling 864-517-9558 or online at daistickets.com/gracehall.
Seven downtown restaurants and Horizon Records are offering 10 percent discounts with tickets purchased for the shows. The restaurants are BIN 112, Cazbah, Ember, Rivera’s, The Stomping Ground, The Strip Club 104 and Wild Ace.
Hightower has nurtured the idea of a weekly blues type festival in downtown Greer. He has been jamming at Rhythm & Brews on Tuesday nights and has invited musicians to play their music or jam together. “I think Greer is the perfect place for this,” Hightower said. “I’ve been looking for a place to put this think Grace Hall offers the community an opportunity to hear some of the great blues musicians.”
Beattie, a blues aficionado and music historian, begins the series on May 11. He is a member of the North Carolina Jazz Ensemble and fronts a Chicago-style blues band based in western North Carolina.
Ironing Board Sam will showcase his powerful, soulful voice and piano prowess on May 25. He is a native of Rock Hill and lives in Chapel Hill, N.C. He is a piano-based musician and sings soul, boogie-woogie and New Orleans rhythm and blues.
Freddie Vanderford is the protégé of legendary blues harmonica player Peg Leg Sam. He won the 2010 Folk Heritage Award for maintaining and sharing the tradition of Piedmont Blues Harp. He has performed with Max Hightower, Austin Brashier, Joe Jones and Mike Whitt.