Blues community set to pays tribute to legendary Bay Area artist
Gary Smith, Chris Cain, EC Scott, Curtis Salgado, Mark Hummel and others to perform at Sonny Rhodes Memorial Benefit concert at Yoshi's in Oakland.
A stunning array of talent is gathering together to pay tribute to a true Bay Area blues legend.
Gary Smith, Chris Cain, EC Scott, Curtis Salgado, Mark Hummel, Anthony Paule, Kid Anderson, Franck Goldwasser, MZ Dee, Karl Severied, Allan Vega, Larry Vann, Gary Silva, Kelvin Dixon, RW Grigsby, George Brooks, Chris Burns, Bernard Anderson, Michael Marcus and Lady Bianca are among the artists scheduled to perform at the Sonny Rhodes Memorial Benefit concert on March 14 at Yoshi’s in Oakland.
Rhodes, who died in 2021 at the age of 81, was one of the most accomplished blues guitarists in Bay Area history.
Over the years, the longtime Oakland resident worked with such legendary performers as Freddie King and Junior Parker. He also reportedly influenced such players as Robert Cray, Gary Smith, Charlie Musselwhite, Curtis Salgado, Joe Louis Walker, Rick Estrin and Ron Thompson.
Born in Texas, Rhodes moved to the East Bay and began recording for Max and Sol Weiss’ Galaxy Records in Berkeley in the mid-’60s.
The musician — who performed on both electric guitar and lap steel guitar — was a regular at East Bay blues clubs, including the Playboy Club, Eli’s Mile High Club and Deluxe Inn, and also toured extensively in both North America and Europe.
Rhodes lived for a spell in New Jersey — during which time none other than Bruce Springsteen reportedly became a fan of his work.
Money raised at the benefit concert will go to support Rhodes’ wife Annie and family.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $40, yoshis.com.