Mr. Bobby Rush will share stories from his life, and his journey through it, in “Raw: An Intimate Night of Stories and Songs”. As an American blues musician, composer, and singer, Mr. Rush’s style incorporates elements of genres ranging from blues to soul to rap to funk and even some good old funk. Bobby Rush is clever with words, be they sung, written, or spoken. Who else would earn a gold record for a song titled “Chicken Heads”? Who else would name an album “Porcupine Meat” and then win his first Grammy award for it – at the tender young age of 83!

Bobby Rush began playing when he was still too young to be in the juke joints (so he wore a fake moustache). He went on the circuit with Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Etta James, and Muddy Watters. He’s been places and seen things so he decided to write about it in his autobiographical book.

Bobby plays the heck out of a harmonica, shows you how it’s done on a guitar, writes songs that stay in your head, and he sings them too. He’s won a dozen Blues awards and has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, and Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. After the one and only Mr. Rush headlined our WC Handy Festival Salt N Pepper Music Series. He was so popular that we decided to put him on the 2023 W.C. Handy Headliner main stage. Come out and hear him tell his stories.