Tommy Castro To Perform In Warsaw July 9 For Blues & BBQ
Posted
Staff Report-
Blues/roots guitarist and vocalist Tommy Castro is touring in support of his Alligator Records debut, "Hard Believer", with a live performance in Warsaw July 9.
In May, Castro won four 2010 Blues Music Awards - more than any other artist - including, for the second time in his career, the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award (the very highest award a blues performer can receive) as well as the award for Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year (for Hard Believer) and Band of the Year.
The July 9 performance in Warsaw is part of the 15th Annual Blues & BBQ at The Glover Pavilion, Central Park, 117 E. Canal St., Warsaw. The 8 p.m. concert is free to the public. For more information, visit online at www.warsawcity.net
"Hard Believer" was produced by John Porter (B.B. King, Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, The Smiths, Otis Rush, Billy Bragg, Roxy Music) and recorded in Castro's hometown of San Rafael, Calif.
Born in San Jose, Calif., in 1955, Castro first picked up a guitar at 10 years old. He came under the spell of Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Mike Bloomfield and other blues rock players early on. As he got older, Castro moved forward by investigating the past, falling in love with the blues guitar work of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and singers like Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. By his late 20s he was playing in a variety of San Francisco-area blues and soul bands.
Castro joined Warner Brothers artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s. The band had a huge fan base and toured the U.S. constantly. He honed his chops with the band on the road for two years, performing live all across the country and backing major artists like Carla Thomas and Albert King. He formed The Tommy Castro Band in 1991 and won the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band in both 1993 and 1994. With his local fan base quickly expanding, he released his debut album, "Exception To The Rule", in 1996 on Blind Pig. He began touring nationally with his band, picking up new fans everywhere he went. The album won the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album, and Castro also took the award for Outstanding Blues Musician that same year.In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television's Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro released a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label.
In 2001 and 2002 B.B. King asked Castro to open his summer concert tours. Castro received an open invitation to join the king of the blues on stage for the nightly finale.
