Thursday’s concert at The B.O.B. will raise funds for the Killer Blues Headstone Project with some of blues music’s most scintillating performers paying tribute to blues harp icon William Clarke.
‘One of the Best Touring Bands on the Planet’: Nick Moss Band plays The B.O.B. this week.
It’s a killer blues show benefiting the Killer Blues cause paying tribute to a late, great killer blues harmonica icon.
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Blues Harp Virtuoso: Dennis Gruenling will play the fourth annual Grand Rapids Harmonica Summit on Thursday. (Photo/
The fourth annual Harmonica Summit – taking place Thursday at H.O.M.E. in The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids – boasts an impressive lineup, with New Jersey harmonica whiz Dennis Gruenling and Chicago’s Nick Moss Band powering up an unprecedented night of blues.
Organized by Grand Rapids blues harp player Hank Mowery, it’s billed as a tribute show celebrating the late William Clarke, considered one of the true blues harmonica greats, who died in 1996 at age 45.
“The only thing I was sure about when we presented the first Harmonica Summit paying tribute to Gary Primich, is that I also wanted to do one for William Clarke on the 20-year anniversary of his passing,” Mowery told Local Spins.
“The fact that we are now presenting our fourth show and have plans for upcoming years is a pleasant surprise. As far as the artists, I talked to Dennis about doing this show five years ago. Dennis has always been a student of William Clarke’s music, is a close friend to Bill’s widow, Jeannette, and specializes in playing chromatic harmonica as Bill did. There was no other choice really.”
Hank Mowery (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
And having Moss and crew as the evening’s “house band” makes the evening even more special.
“There are few bands that are so versed in so many styles,” Mowery insisted. “These guys cover a lot of real estate when it comes to music styles and they are truly one of the best touring bands on the planet today. The fact that they take time from their very busy touring schedule for us says a lot.”
But this night of blues at The B.O.B. is more than just a tribute show.
For Steve Salter, of Whitehall, funds raised at the show offer him another opportunity to pay homage to influential blues artists who lie in unmarked graves, sadly overlooked by too many people who take these musicians’ contributions for granted.
PLACING HEADSTONES ON UNMARKED GRAVES OF BLUES HEROES
For years, this diehard blues fan has spearheaded the Killer Blues Headstone Project, which has placed headstones on the unmarked graves of more than 70 blues heroes in a dozen states and 32 cemeteries. The cause was sparked by Salter’s shock in 1997 to find that influential blues pianist Otis Spann had nothing to mark his resting place.
Steve Salter (Photo/Local Spins)
Now, blues greats such as Walter Davis, Clarence “Pine Top” Smith, Luther Tucker and many more have headstones, which cost about $1,000 each to place in cemeteries. (Learn more about the cause in the video below.)
“With the funds raised from the harp summit, we will continue to work on the list that is posted on our website,” said Salter, noting that fans on Thursday will have “an opportunity to witness a real harp master pay homage to my personal choice for the best harp player ever, William Clarke.”
Mowery moved the Harmonica Summit from Wealthy Theatre to The B.O.B. this year because the downtown location during ArtPrize “just made sense.” (Mowery himself has a song, “Sea of Stones,” entered in this year’s international ArtPrize art competition.)
Other changes – including a different name for the annual event – could be in the offing for future years, too, all with the idea of broadening exposure to the Killer Blues Headstone Project.
“The acts will be bigger, the venue will be larger and it will appeal to a wider fan base,” Mowery predicted. “We plan on getting started on it immediately following Thursday’s show.”
Tickets for Thursday’s 7 p.m. concert are $20 each ($17 for ArtPrize badge-holders and members of 97LAVip and West Michigan Blues Society), with $50 VIP tickets also available. Get more information and tickets online here.
Mowery and Gruenling are expected to join Moss during the first set, with Gruenling unleashing a full-fledged Clarke tribute in the second.
VIDEO: Killer Blues Headstone Project
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