This March, PBS viewers will be treated to the world television premiere of a never-before-seen historic concert featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan and some of the biggest names in blues and rock history performing their greatest hits. Recorded during a live Presidential Inaugural concert event in 1989, the video and audiotapes of this concert were presumed lost for nearly 20 years.
“PBS viewers are in for a once-in-a-lifetime musical treat,” said Joyce Moore, one of the principal producers of the 1989 concert. “This broadcast of the concert originally called ‘A Celebration for Young Americans’ is especially significant because it contains truly magnificent performances from brilliant American icons we have since lost — Billy Preston, Willie Dixon, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley, Duck Dunn, Lafayette Leaks and Stevie Ray Vaughn. It was an honor and the thrill of a lifetime to have been part of and associated with this inaugural event when it occurred in 1989.”
"A Celebration Of Blues & Soul" features nearly 20 minutes of dazzling Stevie Ray Vaughan performances including “Superstition,” “Love Struck Baby” with guest artist Jimmie Vaughan, and "Frosty,” with guest artists Jimmie Vaughan and Blues Hall of Fame legend Albert Collins.
Also featured are Dr. John's performance of “Right Place, Wrong Time,” Bo Diddley’s performance of “Hey! Bo Diddley,” with Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones, “Hoochie Coochie Man,” performed by Willie Dixon with Albert Collins, fellow Blues Hall of Fame guitarist Joe Louis Walker and Delbert McClinton, and McClinton’s own performance of “Just A Little Bit,” with both Albert Collins and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Steve Cropper.
Finally, "A Celebration Of Blues & Soul" features a very special tribute to the legendary artists who recorded for Memphis’ Stax Records. Included in this tribute are Sam Moore’s performance of “Soul Man,” Eddie Floyd’s performance of “Knock on Wood,” and a stirring duet by Carla Thomas and Billy Preston of “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby.”
What makes this tribute particularly special is that these performances also include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn from the Stax Records legendary group Booker T and the MG’s, who played on the original studio recordings for these songs, and fellow Stax guitarist Michael Toles from the Bar-Kays.
The original video for "A Celebration Of Blues & Soul" was professionally recorded with seven cameras, along with a separate 24-track audio recording. When these original recordings were relocated six years ago, the original video was restored, re-mastered, color-corrected, and converted to HD, and the audio was remixed to a 6-channel, 5.1 format by the legendary audio engineer Ed Greene, who has won more than 20 Emmy® Awards for sound mixing and engineering, for programs such as AMERICAN IDOL, and numerous productions of the Grammy Awards® and the Academy Awards®.
"A Celebration Of Blues & Soul: The 1989 Inaugural Concert" includes these performances: “Right Place, Wrong Time” – Dr. John; “When a Man Loves a Woman” – Percy Sledge; “Knock on Wood” – Eddie Floyd with Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn; “Hey! Bo Diddley” – Bo Diddley with Ronnie Wood; “Hoochie Coochie Man” – Willie Dixon with Albert Collins, Joe Louis Walker and Delbert McClinton; “Soul Man” – Sam Moore with Billy Preston, Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn; “Just a Little Bit” – Delbert McClinton with Steve Cropper and Albert Collins; “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby” – Carla Thomas and Billy Preston; “Frosty” – Albert Collins with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble featuring Jimmie Vaughan; “Love Struck Baby” – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble featuring Jimmie Vaughan; “Superstition” – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble; and “Scuttle Buttin’” – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.
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