Blues Station in Tournon D’Agenais – 9th Dec

Last Sunday, I accompanied some students to the Blues Station in nearby Tournon D’Agenais, for a sweaty evening of blues. Tournon itself is a fortress town on top of a hill overlooking la Vallée du Lot, and the quaint little Salle des Fetes plays host to international musicians every two months. My first thought was that the venue was slightly small and a bit cramped. Something that has always bothered me about some music festivals, or gigs, is the lack of dancing room. This was no different. In an already small venue, the organisers obviously wanted to get as many guests in as possible whilst maintaining the laid back atmosphere that blues epitomizes and so tabled seating was the answer. Something they overlooked however was the need for space so that people can get up and dance along and participate with the music. For blues, this is fairly essential, and the gangway leading to the toilets wasn’t really sufficient, but the crowd did their best.

Anyway, enough of the logistics, and more about the music. The opening act for the big guns who’d travelled over from America was T. Bo & the B. Boppers. While the evening was billed as ‘Blues’, T.Bo & the B. Boppers to me were more Swing or Rock & Roll, resembling Elvis Presley or Chuck Berry, giving the crowd an opportunity to loosen up. For a lad of barely 20, T. Bo has immense talent. Playing his guitar behind his head à la Hendrix was true testament to this and for someone to whom English is a second language, he managed pretty well with the Blues style singing. The 90-minute set was great fun, and the crowd interacted well with a band who had strong links with the local area (T. Bo learnt his skills at summer master classes in Tournon and the double-bassist attended the Lycee that I’m working at).  After a half hour recess where the audience topped up on beverages and food; Hot dogs, Chilli con Carne and Apple pie.

After that, the big guns were unleashed. 

Salle des Fetes, Tournon d'Agenais

Under the leadership of Melvin Smith, one by one the other artists entered with a solo, until finally all of; Willie ‘The Touch’ Hayes, Bob Corritore, Billy Flynn, Peaches Staten and John Primer were together on stage for some unforgettable Chicago Blues. Another break gave the audience an opportunity to mingle with the stars, and have some photos. I was lucky enough to chat to the mouth organist Bob Corritore about his trip to Europe. They group were nearing the end of a month or so in Europe, with Paris the final stop. It was refreshing to talk to someone, who may not have been a celebrity, but despite his status, still actually wanted to talk to me, rather than just nod and smile before moving on. He actually wanted to give me his card so that I could subscribe to his newsletter, what a bloke!! The second session was equally entertaining and more upbeat, meaning the crowd had one last opportunity to boogie. The energy of the musicians, despite their age, was incredible, with some stunning solos from each of them, making the evening truly unforgettable for all in attendance. Personally, I went into the evening slightly skeptical, but left with a smile on my face and a completely new opinion on Blues music. 

(l-r) Bob Corritore, John Primer and Billy Flynn

http://www.bluesstation.fr/