Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Arts & Culture

IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Red, White And Blues

Mick Jagger sings and Buddy Guy plays guitar as President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE "Red, White and Blues” in celebration of blues music in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2012. The concert is in recognition of Black History Month. In the background, from left, music director and band leader Booker T. Jones, Jeff Beck and Gary Clark Jr. joined in for the song.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Mick Jagger sings and Buddy Guy plays guitar as President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE "Red, White and Blues” in celebration of blues music in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2012. The concert is in recognition of Black History Month. In the background, from left, music director and band leader Booker T. Jones, Jeff Beck and Gary Clark Jr. joined in for the song.

Airs Monday, February 27, 2012 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

President and Mrs. Obama host a PBS music special in the East Room of the White House. The evening is an all-star celebration of the blues, the musical form that sprang from the Mississippi Delta and the west side of Chicago. With deep roots in Africa and slavery, the music has influenced modern American music from soul to rock ‘n’ roll. Leading popular artists’ performances trace that migratory path and pay homage to the great figures of the blues genre, from John Lee Hooker to Muddy Waters, and the songs they made famous.

Performers include B.B. King, Booker T. Jones, Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Gary Clark Jr., Jeff Beck, Keb Mo, Mick Jagger, Shemekia Copeland, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, and Warren Haynes, with Taraji P. Henson as the program host.

IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE has been produced by WETA since 1978 and spans every administration since President Carter's. The series began with an East Room recital by the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz.

Advertisement

Since then, IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE has embraced virtually every genre of American performance: pop, country, gospel, jazz, blues, theatre and dance among them. The series was created to showcase the rich fabric of American culture in the setting of the nation's most famous home.

Your browser does not support this object. Content can be viewed at actual source page: http://video.kpbs.org/video/2200461831

Watch President Obama sings Sweet Home Chicago on PBS. See more from In Performance at The White House.

Your browser does not support this object. Content can be viewed at actual source page: http://video.kpbs.org/video/2200461829

Watch Five Long Years on PBS. See more from In Performance at The White House.

Your browser does not support this object. Content can be viewed at actual source page: http://video.kpbs.org/video/2200461809

Watch Gary Clark Jr: Catfish Blues on PBS. See more from In Performance at The White House.