Grady Champion
Waterfront Blues Festival
Portland, OR.
July 3, 2011

Again the WBF went off with some big names in the music world. The non-profit radio station, KBOO, here in Portland did the broadcasting again and there were lots of problems this year, as in other years. Many drops in reception which I attemted to "fix". Not all were broadcast, which was a bummer, and some were just to rife with problems to save. So there are some bumps in the road, if you will, but over all some nice tunes are here. Of note, the Preston Shannon set, James Harmon, Bobby Radcliff, Chris Cain Band, Ty Curtis Band and of course Lucinda Williams. So enjoy & spread the shows around, twofthrs.

FM>H2 Zoom> HDD>FLAC>Dime All files were sector aligned.
Since I'm not familiar with a lot of these bands there will be some "unknowns" in the set list's.
http://www.waterfrontbluesfest.com/

Guitarist, singer, harmonica player and songwriter Grady Champion released two impressive recordings in 1999 and 2001 for Shanachie Records. Both his debut, Payin' For My Sins and 2 Days Short of a Week put Champion on the national touring blues map and helped launch his career beyond the boundaries of his native Jackson, Mississippi. Champion's fluent harmonica and electrifying performance won him first place in Memphis' 2010 International Blues Challenge.

Champion was the youngest of his father's 28 children, and he grew up in rural Canton, outside of Jackson. Raised on a farm, hard work became a way of life for Champion. Like so many other blues performers, he joined his church choir as an eight-year old and began singing gospel. He recorded and released his own album, "Goin' Back Home," in 1998 and began drawing ever-larger crowds blues clubs before catching the attention of Shanachie Records executives, who signed him.
Champion has not been afraid to speak his mind on his releases, and writes from personal experience with social commentary songs like "Policeman Blues" [about racial profiling] and "Children of the Corn," a song about the rising tide of youth violence. As a triple threat harmonica player, guitarist and songwriter, Champion, is one of the brighter beacons in the blues genre today.

Set List
01 I'm Smilin' Again
02 Scratch My Back
03 Smokestack Lightning
04 Weight of the World
05 Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay
06 Unknown
07 Make That Monkey Jump
08 Help Me
09 Hey Joe