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Celebrated Soul-Blues Singer Sugaray Rayford Makes Special Local Sunday Stop
The soul-blues powerhouse Sugaray Rayford is coming to the Triangle for a special Sunday show – and he's promising a party. "A lot of musicians, the blues notwithstanding, have forgotten how to entertain people," he tells Blues Blast magazine. "Think about groups like Earth Wind and Fire. You loved the songs you heard on the radio, but when you went to see them live, they couldn't just play the song like the record. They needed to kick it up a bit and entertain. Otherwise, i
Ralph DeMasi
Jul 10, 20240 min read


Grammy Award-Winner Howard Levy Brings His New Band to the Triangle
Howard Levy, a two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist, harmonica player and composer, is set for a May appearance in Durham, N.C., with his new band. He's been playing the diatonic harmonica since the age of 19, developing groundbreaking techniques that allowed him to play it as a fully chromatic instrument. The multi-instrumentalist was soon going far beyond the folk and blues music that the harmonica is usually associated with, as he explored jazz, classical and Middle East
Ralph DeMasi
Apr 25, 20240 min read


Remembering 2024's 39th Annual International Blues Challenge
Exactly what is the IBC experience? Worldwide affiliates of the Blues Foundation have their own annual blues challenges, and the winners of solo/duo and band categories head to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge – the largest gathering of blues musicians (and fans) on this planet! It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-timer (or an old-timer like me – this was my 22nd year to attend!), blues musicians and blues lovers from far and wide converge on Beale Str
Ralph DeMasi
Feb 14, 20240 min read


Triangle Blues Society's 2024 Road to Memphis Benefit
Want to help make some blues dreams come true? Here's your chance! Each year, the Triangle Blues Society sponsors the Triangle Blues Challenge where local musicians compete to earn a spot at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, the largest gathering of blues musicians in the world. Sponsored by the Blues Foundation, the IBC lasts for almost a week. The signature element of the Triangle Blues Society's mission is to raise funds to support their trips to Tennessee. T
Ralph DeMasi
Jan 3, 20240 min read
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