Hard Knox Blues Bash

This Knoxville Business / Knoxville Music Scene Hard Knox Blues Bash review is by Bethatomic!

Knoxville's blues scene has always been a strong underground current in the musical flow, so to speak. The recent Hard Knox Blues Bash, a benefit for the Heartsong Center for Accessible Music and Art, brought blues to the forefront of things, and the large crowd it drew proved it to be well overdue.

As well as the artists on the playbill, a cadre of our area's finest vocalists and musicians, including Ed Court (owner of The Corner Lounge), Lebron Lazenby (formerly of The Boogeymen and The Leftovers) and blues singer Rick Rouse.

Though the generally upbeat and swinging blues songs had toes tapping and skirts twirling, there was time for pause when Jenna Jefferson (of Jenna & the Joneses) dedicated a song to the late Sara Jordan, who was known as "The Queen of Knoxville Blues" before she passed away in 2001.

This was touching to me as something of a blues novice, and it being only my second visit to a blues performance in our city. After a little research, I found that Sara was an institution here, particularly well-known for her "powerhouse" voice ringing through the rafters at Sassy Ann's.

Her passing clearly left a void in Knoxville's heart, but as Jenna said, Sara would no doubt have enjoyed seeing so many faces and hearing so many sweet blues notes, and all for such an excellent cause.

With food, souvenirs, and arts & crafts up for grabs in various tents set up around Market Square, there was an abundance of items of interest for those who found themselves away from the main stage.

The day's balmy breezes in the late afternoon set a laidback mood that suited the event more than perfectly. With summer nearly here, I strongly encourage readers (musicians and music fans alike) to keep your eyes and ears open for any outdoor performances you might be interested in.

I think if there's a motto for my blog, it's get out of the house and into the Knoxville music scene - there is ALWAYS live music somewhere in Knoxville on any given day or night!

Miss that chance, too? Sassy Ann's, located at 820 N. Fourth Ave., has a weekly Blues Jam on Wednesdays around 9pm ($2 cover for non-musicians), and frequently features well-known local and national musicians such as Hector Qirko, Kirk Fleta, and Miranda Louise. For more info, check out Sassy Ann's website.

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