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" Allison to headline event. "
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By Heather Gates
Here's the local take on the official founding of Eureka Springs, Ark.: More than 100 hundred years ago, a pioneering physician came across some mythical Indian healing springs. Upon discovering the waters, the physician allegedly declared "Eureka!" (Which, Eureka Springs Tourist Center sources say, translates into, "I have found it!") Chances are, today's blues aficionados will shout something akin to "Eureka!" when they travel to the city affectionately known as "Freaky Eureky" for the ninth annual Eureka Springs Blues Festival, May 29-June 1. Indeed, festival-goers will find just about anything to cure their craving for a bit of the blues. 1996 Handy Award winner Luther Allison and Keb' Mo' warm-up the City Auditorium stage Friday night with performances at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. The following night, at 7:30 p.m., Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and John Hammond command the auditorium stage. "These guys usually play larger venues," said Blues Festival Producer Sally Rikes. "The Eureka festival gives people a chance to see them in a smaller setting. They (the blues musicians) play full sets, rather than a typical 30- to 40-minute set, like at an outdoor festival." Allison, a Mayflower, Ark., native, recently headlined the Chicago Blues Festival. Keb' Mo' opened Tina Turner's European tour. Brown opened for Eric Clapton in Europe and the U.S. And Hammond, according to blues fest material, has "shared bills" with early greats such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf. In addition, Allison and Jimmy Thackery will combine for a rare acoustic performance Friday at 3 p.m. at the auditorium. On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., "a monster jam," with musicians Earl Cate, Jimmy Thackery, Tommy Castro and Deanna Bogart, kicks the afternoon into full gear. At 4 p.m., "Gatemouth" Brown, along with Lonnie Brooks, returns to the city stage. Other headliners during the four-day run include: The Chris Duarte Group, Coco Montoya, The Cate Brothers, Corey Stevens, Johnnie Bassett and The Blues Insurgents and Byther Smith, to name a few. "We like to mix it up so that our jam and club sessions feature unique interactions between star bluesmen, their peers and the up-and-comers," Rikes said. The venues are equally diverse. "You have your 100-year-old (city) auditorium with the great big stage; your grand hotel ballrooms with the tall, tall ceilings; your tree-shaded park where kids of all ages can dance day and night; your elbow-to-elbow dance-floor packed nightclubs; your no-tell motel lounge-lizard bistros; your howl-at-the-moon, under-the-stars courtyards; your look-down-on-the-crowd hotel balconies; and, believe it or not, your plain old funky barrooms," Rikes said. Without question, she adds, "The Eureka Springs Blues Festival is so wild and so diverse that one stage can't hold it. Or as Hillary very well knows, it takes the whole darn village." The city's historic trolley line and a BluesBus will run about every 30 minutes to transport blues fans between hotels and festival attractions. Tickets range from $140 for a multi-day package to $15 for one show. All seating is based on availability. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call the Eureka Springs Blues Festival office at (501) 253-5366.
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