09/29/2006

Special to the Record-Eagle
Otis Rush at the 1986 Chicago Blues Festival, as shot by Robert Barclay.

Hear and see the blues at Dennos

Photographers show off gritty portraits of blues artists

By
Record-Eagle staff writer

Special to the Record-Eagle
Photographer and radio host Robert Barclay brings his blues works to the Dennos Museum Center.

TRAVERSE CITY — Sight will meet sound when the Dennos Museum Center exhibits about 25 photos of blues musicians to coincide with its series of blues concerts.

The exhibit and concert series will both kick off on Saturday, Oct. 7, when Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers appear in concert in Milliken Auditorium.

The photos featuring the gritty world of blues — and such artists as Memphis Slim, Albert Collins, Junior Wells and Sippie Wallace — are the work of Robert Barclay of Mt. Pleasant and David Fox of Traverse City, both of whom have photographed top blues artists for years.

"Blues men and women were so accessible," Barclay said, talking about why he started shooting them after having taken pictures of such rock artists as Bob Dylan, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.

"I didn't get the attitude that you'd get from some rock star's agent," he said. "You don't have to have Rolling Stone (magazine) behind you to get to even the top blues artists."

One of his favorite shots is one he took of the late Johnny Shines, who had played with the legendary Robert Johnson, when Shines was in Michigan to attend the Wheatland Music Festival in the 1980s.

Shines has his guitar case under his seat, with his name and address roughly painted on it, obviously for practicality rather than for show.

"I just liked the way he printed his name on his guitar case," Barclay said. "Nowadays, musicians would probably have it professionally stenciled on."

Some of the images show artists performing, while others are portraits or show them in other settings.

Barclay has attended many blues concerts to get the shots. He also works as a photographer for Central Michigan University and is host of "The Juke Joint," a weekly blues show on CMU Public Radio.

Fox has gotten many of his pictures working as a photographer for the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa, and attending other blues festivals.

He has taken pictures of such artists as B.B. King, Dr. John and Willie Kent, he said.

The exhibit will be in the display cases in the lobby of the auditorium and Barclay said he hopes to be there for the event, said Rob Weiler, performing arts manager for the museum.

Harmonica player and singer Piazza and the Mighty Flyers will play their varied styles of blues in a concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 7.

The other blues concerts will be:

• Saffire — The Uppity Blues Women, Saturday, Nov. 18.

• Mr. B and Bob Seeley, two blues and boogie woogie pianists, Saturday, Jan. 13.

• Joe Bonamassa, guitarist whose band has opened for B.B. King, Friday, Feb. 2.

The photos will remain on exhibit until Sunday, Feb. 11, and can also be viewed by museum goers who are not there to see one of the concerts.