James Cotton Blues Band w/ special guests The Balkun Brothers

Tickets: http://41bridgestreet.inticketing.com/events/jamesCotton_2014
Info: http://www.41bridgestreet.com/calendar/index.php?id=440

The New York Daily News calls James Cotton "the greatest living blues harmonica player." The New York Times adds, "Cotton helped define modern blues harmonica with his moaning, wrenching phrases and his train-whistle wails."
As The San Francisco Examiner says, "James Cotton is an inimitable blues legend. His wailing harmonica blows them away. His improvisations on the blues are full of fun and good humor. The blues don't get much better."
Cotton's history is now the stuff of legend. Born on a cotton plantation in Tunica, Mississippi on July 1, 1935, he learned harmonica directly from Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) as a small child. He toured with Howlin' Wolf, recorded for Sun Records, and spent 12 years with Muddy Waters before stepping out on his own. Leading his own band, he rose to the very top of the blues and rock scenes, touring non-stop and earning his reputation as one of the most powerful live blues performers in the world, a man who could literally suck the reeds out of the harmonica from the pure force of his playing.
2014 is Cotton's 70th year in the entertainment business, and heC has become known as the ultimate showman. By the time he got to the center of the stage and blew his first note, the audience was on it’s feet, dancing, screaming, sweating right along with him, and having a good time. That is what it was all about. “Boogie, boogie, boogie,” he’d wail from the stage. He became famous for his back flips. An old fan reminisced with him at a recent festival, “James, the first time I saw you do a back flip, man, I was shocked,” he said, shaking his head, “I’d never seen one before! Thanks.” Cotton laughed, patted his stomach, and replied, “Well, you aren’t getting the flips tonight but you WILL get the music!”
It is an old, true story – there are nights when he blows his harmonica so hard the keys fall out in his hands. A man with a good sense of humor, his old fans and friends like to remember one night when he began playing so hard his harp fell apart, “Oh, I’m just warming up,” he teased them with a big smile.
Cotton has always been known for having one of the best bands in the business. The members are: Darrell Nulisch, vocals; Tom Holland, guitar and vocals; Noel Neal, bass; and Jerry Porter, drums. Cotton’s eyes light up when he talks about his band, “My audience always tells me how I’m doing. If I look out there and don’t like what I see, I work harder.” His audiences are still on their feet, they enjoy themselves as much as he does, and there are still standing ovations night after night. You will have a memorable evening with an international treasure and a true Living Legend of the Blues.
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Voted ‘BEST BLUES BAND IN CONNECTICUT’ two years in a row in 2013 and 2014 by CTnow.com and the Connecticut Music Awards. 
Balkun Brothers is an explosive, high-energy, funk-infused, blues-rock band from Hartford, Connecticut.