I love singing the blues with The Sixty Six, and feel very lucky to have got to spend this Christmas holiday searching out blues singers old and new, from New Orleans to Austin – good inspiration for our next gig Jan 27th Jan at The Blues Bar, Plymouth!

I started off in New Orleans early December –  a great source of jazz and blues musicians and home of Louis Armstrong Park. After jazzed up Christmas carols in the French Quarter, and a packed out blues gig at The Spotted Cat on Frenchman Street, I headed down to sing at Buffa’s Bar open mic with my partner Randy Abel, where we were later joined by local legend Walter Craft on harmonica. A highlight was blues/folk man Pokey LaFarge at Tipitinas. Connecting with their superb support act Esther Rose led us to the All Star Country Jamboree – a local Honky Tonk/Western Swing Country Club at the Dragon’s Den. Definitely come check them out when they tour the UK in early March!

Next it was off to Texas. We drove through the Hill Country to Fredericksburg to see an old musician friend Paul Wright, played a gig at the Pecan Grove “Historic Ice House”, and spent Christmas jamming out by Enchanted Rock State Park. From there, we spent New Year in Galveston, playing at the biggest open mic I’ve ever seen  – the Townes Van Zandt Wake event at The Old Quarter. Then it was off to Austin and a photo shoot with Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan (statue). His songs are an important part of the inspiration behind the Sixty Six sound, with our sets including Pride and Joy, and Come On (Part III).

This was followed up by playing a string of local open mics including Threadgills – an important venue back in the day for developing Janis Joplin’s distinctive sound – and jamming with the Spicewood Blues Society at Poodies Roadhouse.

I’ll be home soon and can’t wait to get out singing with the band again!

Rosie xx

Next gig:

• Saturday 27th January 2018, 9:00-11:00pm @ The Blues Bar, Plymouth, PL1 2JL