Attend this three-day concert in Mumbai to listen to the Blues by American legends

Alvon Johnson. Pics Courtesy/NCPA; Pawel Kurzawski

It is not every day that you find a pioneer who performed alongside legends of American music such as John Lee Hooker or Frankie Lee walk through the SoBo roads. Alvon Johnson will do just that on Friday when he opens up the Soulful Blues Festival at NCPA.

The 73-year-old Blues performer is often called the ‘Ambassador of the Blues' and made a mark alongside RnB and Blues bands such as The Drifters, The Shirelles and The Coasters. "I decided to start playing the Blues because I knew that it was part of my heritage," writes Johnson. "The Blues are a cultural vehicle of expression," he states.

Tia Carroll

He is not alone to feel that. Thornetta Davis will also be making her debut in Mumbai with a performance at the festival. Crowned Detroit's Queen of the Blues, Davis is also a ten-time Blues Music award-winner. Dismissing the idea that the genre is built on melancholy, Davis writes, "I know people assume that the music of the Blues is sad. But I will say that my Blues will uplift you."

Davis' popularity among the younger generation is only rivalled by Tia Carroll who continues to tour with many bands, including Dave Matthews Blues Band in California. Incidentally, this Blues legend once moonlighted as a singer, while keeping a full-time job as an accountant. "I think it was because of my voice that I had customers who would wait to not pay their bills because they wanted me to call them," she says.

Thornetta Davis

The three-day performance will see the trio perform the range of their experiences and music to the stage. Then again, Blues is about more than music. Carroll admits it does not matter what the audience is as long as you can read the room. Johnson, who shaped his performances with a touch of flair from comedians such as Renaldo Rey, Robin Harris, and Skillet and Leroy, shares that it is a genre of storytelling. "I am not just standing there, playing the guitar and hollering in the mic. I am performing the song," he concludes.

From March 14 to March 16; 6.30 pm
At Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Log on To ncpamumbai.com
Entry Rs 450 onwards (members); Rs 500 onwards (non-members)