Big Head Blues Club pays tribute to Willie Dixon

  Tuesday, October 18, 2016 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University will be the place for blues when the Big Head Blues Club, featuring Big Head Todd and the Monsters, performs in the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

For their 2016 national tour, the Big Head Blues Club, is honoring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Willie Dixon. One of the most influential songwriters of early rock and roll, Dixon wrote more than 500 songs, including such immortal hits as “You Shook Me,” “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover,” “Wang Dang Doodle,” “Spoonful,” “Little Red Rooster,” “I Just Wanna Make Love to You,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” and “Bring It On Home.”

Big Head Todd and the Monsters includes Todd Mohr, guitar; Brian Nevin, drums; Rob Squires, bass; and Jeremy Lawton, keys. All four have been fans of blues music since their first days together playing music in high school. In 1997, they recorded a song with blues legend John Lee Hooker for their album “Beautiful World.” In 2011, the band really delved into the blues with their first Big Head Blues Club project, “100 years of Robert Johnson,” which featured guest appearances by BB King, Hubert Sumlin, Charlie Musselwhite, Honeyboy Edwards and more.

Joining the band for this year’s tour are three blues singers with royal blood. Mud Morganfield is the eldest son of Muddy Waters and has recently released a Blues Music Award-winning album. Billy Branch is a three-time Grammy Award nominee and played harmonica in Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All-Stars band. Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of Chicago blues master Lonnie Brooks, is an accomplished blues guitarist who headlined at the 2013 Chicago Blues Festival and performed internationally at the Notodden Blues Festival in Norway.

Tickets for the Big Head Blues Club’s Pittsburg concert range from $44 to $58 and are available at the PSU Ticket Office, 1701 S. Homer, 620-235-4796, or online at www.pittstate.edu/tickets. Discounts are available for PSU students, faculty and staff.