Sun 5th August 2012 - This event has already happened

Venue Info

Region: London
Address: 2 Empire Mews, London, SW16 2BF
Starts: 12:00 - 17:00
Price: £10 - £10
Venue Url: http://www.hideawaylive.co.uk
Event Url: http://www.hideawaylive.co.uk/lazy-lester-big
-joe-louis-5th-august2012

Music From

Continents: North America
Countries: United States

Artist's / Dj's

Lazy Lester, Big Joe Louis

Genres

Blues

Type

Performance: Live
All Seated Event: No

Description

Louisiana blues legend LAZY LESTER comes to Speakeasy Sunday in association with JazzFM

A fantastic afternoon show from American Blues Hall of Fame inductee and legend of the great Excello label as Lazy Lester is joined on stage by British blues award winner Big Joe Louis and his Blues Kings.

Lazy Lester is the last surviving member of the colourfully nicknamed South Louisiana blues artists who created the "swamp blues" sound on Excello Records. Lester, whose real name is Leslie Johnson, was born on June 20, 1933, in Torras, Louisiana.

He began his recording career in 1956 playing harmonica behind Lightnin' Slim, and Slim's exhortations to "Blow your harmonica, son!" became a trademark of their work together. Lester played harmonica, guitar or percussion on many other sessions in Crowley, Louisiana, behind a variety of artists, including Clifton Chenier, Lonesome Sundown and Tabby Thomas.

He began recording as a featured artist, also in 1956, showing a stylistic range that included both laconic swamp blues and uptempo rockers. His waxings of "Sugar Coated Love," "I'm a Lover Not a Fighter" and "I Hear You Knocking'" were not chart hits in the '50s but became favourites over the years, and his singles were later covered by the Kinks, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Roomful of Blues, Barbara Lynn and others.

One of the world's premier roots music gatherings, the Ponderosa Stomp, took its name from Lester's last Excello single, and Lester has been a regular at that New Orleans event and other festivals in recent decades. Lester left Louisiana for a brief stay in Chicago and settled in Michigan, where he laid low for years working in an auto plant before making a welcome comeback in 1987.

He has recorded albums for Blue Horizon, Alligator, Antone's, and APO, and his fine performances, easy-going nature and good-humoured presence (on- and off-stage) have made him a favourite with blues audiences around the world  - so no surprise that he's now joined fellow swamp blues man, frien and label mate his friend, the late Slim Harpo, in the Blues Hall of Fame (Lightnin' Slim and Lonesome Sundown have yet to be inducted).

Lester will be joined at Hideaway by award winning star of the British blues scene Big Joe Louis and his band.

Speakeasy at Hideaway in association with JazzFM

Twice a month the Speakeasy vibe is taking over the fantastic Back Room at the Hideaway – ducking the prohibitionists to give you some great nights of steamy New Orleans music and delta fed r'n'b!

TICKETS JUST £10 / DOORS 12pm / BAND ON STAGE 2PM / TWO SETS APPROX FINISH 4.30pm  

For more info or to book tickets via www.hideawaylive.co.uk or phone the venue on 0208 835 7070.