Falls Church Happy to Have the Blues

The City of Falls Church will be rolling out the “Blues” Carpet this weekend to welcome some of the biggest names in the blues industry as part of the annual Tinner Hill Blues Festival, which is expected to draw close to 5,000 visitors.

“We started as a small street festival more than 15 years ago, and the city was interested in seeing the festival moved to Cherry Hill Park next to City Hall to make it a big blues festival, so our first one started in 2008,” said Edwin B. Henderson II, President of Tinner Hill. “We decided to make it more of a professional blues festival with first-class talent and it has become the premier blues festival in the Washington Metropolitan area.”

From June 10-June 12, there will be blues events throughout the town, with discussions, exhibits, films and of course, plenty of great music.

“We want to focus on the local businesses and promote them during the festival so those who come into the city will visit and spend money in the Falls Church community,” Henderson said. “This is an opportunity to share the story of Tinner Hill. The festival is attributed to blues legend John Jackson, who was a good friend and performed his last concert for us at a New Year’s Eve celebration.”

Jackson was a winner of a National Heritage Fellowship and was considered one of this area’s preeminent blues guitarists. He was known for his Piedmont style of playing guitar and banjo, and his husky high baritone voice.

The festival begins with author Carol Boston Weatherford talking about her new book, “Becoming Billie Holiday” at Stifel & Capra beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Kicking off the music that night at the State Theatre will be Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin with former Muddy Waters’ legendary guitarists Daryl Davis and Guitar Shorty providing some soulful rhythms.

“All over town, there will be great blues musicians playing at restaurants, clubs and in the park,” Henderson said. “With such great performers coming, I believe this will be our biggest blues festival yet.”

On Saturday, a workshop, followed by a panel discussion about women in blues will take place at the Falls Church Community Center beginning at 10 a.m. with Gaye Adegbalolo, co-founder of Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women, leading the talk.

“One of the tid-bits I share will explain how it was the blues women of the 1920s made music—not just blues, but any kind of music—commercially viable,” Adegbalolo said. “The presentation is mainly video clips of the women outlined, with me putting the clips in context.”

The panel will include blues guitarist Eleanor Ellis, Dwandalyn Reece (Curator of Music and Performing Arts Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture), attorney Inga Watkins and vocalist Charisma Wooten.

Performers on Saturday include area favorites Jr. Bynum & the Groove Masters, keyboardist Deanna Bogart, guitarist Tom Principato and Delta Blues legend Curtis Blues. All events take place at Cherry Hill Park.

There’s plenty of blues fun for the kids as well. A sock puppet workshop is being held on Saturday at 11:30 at Mary Riley Styles Library; Kidz Bluez will be held in the Big Red Tent at Cherry Hill Park throughout the weekend, and harmonica extraordinaire Choo Choo Charlie will present an interactive Harmonica workshop.

On Sunday, a Blues Brunch, Tribute & Jam will be held at Bangkok Blues from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., featuring the Archie Barbershop Musicians.

Additionally, the Creative Cauldron will present “Tinner Hill Portraits in Black and White,” an original theatrical performance based on Falls Church early civil rights history with Piedmont style blues music from Thursday through Sunday.

“This theatrical performance returns to the blues festival by popular demand,” Henderson said. “It talks about African American history and the association with Tinner Hill.”

For a complete schedule of performances and events, visit www.tinnerhill.org/blues/

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