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Not only is this event an annual tradition, it’s actively keeping alive a vital part of Austin’s musical history and culture that many still are unaware of. The 11th Annual Eastside Kings Festival, presented by the Eastside Kings Foundation, kicks off tonight in grand style with a party at Antone’s, featuring Terry Harmonica Bean and the Boo Boo Davis Band. The live music continues through the weekend, Monday and Tuesday, with blues, jazz and gospel artists performing at Skylark Lounge on Airport Blvd., Justine’s Brasserie on E. 5th, and venues along E. 12th St., an area that was a hotbed of blues and R&B during the post-war era.
Eastside Kings Foundation came into being in 1999 with Eastside Kings, an album recorded by Dialtone Records producer and EKF founder Eddie Stout, featuring several of Austin’s largely unknown African American blues artists. But one LP wasn’t going to cover it. An entire series of Eastside Kings albums followed, and eventually the festival was born.
This year’s festival includes Sean “Mack” McDonald and Stan Mosley (pictured above), Orange Jefferson (featured on today’s AMM), Glenda Dotson with Harry Bodine, the Jones Family Gospel Singers, Pamala Allen & Co., the Gospel Starz, Keith Dunn, and many more, including a few familiar faces in the backup bands – Je’Texas, Dylan Bishop, Hash Brown, and the Moeller Brothers with Nick Connolly.
Check the EKF website for the full schedule with set times and locations. Tickets are available at Antone’s Record Shop.
-Special thanks to Eddie Stout for his assistance with today’s AMM.
