S. Walter Reed Dr. & Columbia Pike
Saturday, June 16 • 1:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Called “a joyous miracle” (Paste magazine), Fat Possum recording artist Don Bryant headlines the 23rd Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival. The Festival features a full line up of blues, R&B and funk performers of national and regional note, including: Nikki Hill, King Soul Band, Caz Gardiner, and Three Man Soul Machine. Admission is Free.
CPRO is presenting the festival for the 23rd year in cooperation with Arlington Arts – the presenting arm of Arlington Cultural Affairs.
The composer of several soul classics, Don Bryant and his wife Ann Peebles co-wrote the 1973 hit “Can’t Stand the Rain,” which remains well known to contemporary audiences thanks to frequent sampling by the likes of Missy Elliott, RZA, and the Wu-Tang Clan. Riding a wave of renewed acclaim, Bryant is nominated for two 2018 Blues Foundation “Handy Awards”
(the “Grammy’s” of the Blues genre) for his first solo album in decades, “Don’t Give Up On Love”. Rolling Stone magazine raved: “Bryant demonstrates the full extent of his range, stretching from low, scratchy entreaties to wordless falsetto, as the band articulates delicate, languid soul behind him.”
In 1960, a teenaged Don Bryant handed his composition “I Got To Know” to iconic Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell, launching his professional music career. Initially the lead singer for Mitchell’s band, Bryant soon found himself releasing a solo album and writing for such greats as Solomon Burke, Albert King, and Etta James. In 1970, Mitchell paired Don with the Hi label’s newest act Ann Peebles, whom he married in 1974.