News Taffy

Radio station KASU 91.1 FM will present its monthly Bluesday Tuesday concert on June 8 at the Newport Country Club, 703 Walker Drive, at 7 p.m. This concert will feature some of the most accomplished blues musicians of the Memphis Beale Street scene--the group Delta Time, featuring Billy Lavender. There is no admission charge, but KASU will pass the hat to collect tips for the band. The concert is sponsored by ASU-Newport and C- and-C Distributors.

Billy Lavender was born in Memphis in 1959 and received his first guitar at about age ten. As a left-hander, he learned to play upside down on a guitar that was strung for a right-hander. Bluesmen Albert King and Otis Rush used this technique, and Lavender cites them as influences, along with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and the Beatles. Lavender has been part of the Memphis music scene for years, including gigs with the Beale Street All Stars, the Pocket Rockets, and the Blind Ducks. Primarily a lead guitarist, Lavender is a prolific song writer who occasionally sings his own songs but prefers to let musician friends like Blind Mississippi Morris, Vince Johnson, and Reba Russell sing them while he provides guitar wizardry. Lavender’s most recent album, “Memphis Livin’” features vocal and instrumental support from almost a dozen of Memphis’ current blues stars.

The band Delta Time features Billy Lavender on lead guitar, Vince Johnson on harmonica and vocals, Leo Goff on bass, Tony Adams on drums, and Brad Webb on guitar. They will perform a play list that reflects the variety and traditions of the Memphis music scene – earthy blues, sweet soul, a bit of funk, and some rock-and-roll gems. Delta Time is part of the musical lineup offered by I-55 Productions in Memphis.

KASU Bluesday Tuesday concerts are held the second Tuesday night of each month, from 7-9 p.m. at the Newport Country Club, 703 Walker Drive, in Newport. KASU is the public radio service of Arkansas State University, broadcasting at 91.9 FM and streaming live at www.KASU.org.