Robert Cray Band  

August 30, 2008

Saturday 7:30pm

Detail: For thirty-plus years Robert Cray has laid down track after track of good-time, uptown, low-down blues. He was first signed to a major label, Mercury Records, in 1982. His third release, Strong Persuader, won him his first Grammy Award, while the crossover single "Smokin' Gun" gave him wider appeal and name recognition. During his career, he's recorded sixteen albums, won five Grammys and been nominated for eleven more. Critics have been inspired to praise his soulful vocal delivery rooted in the Stax/soul tradition and his crisp clean Stratocaster guitar style that stands out among the greatest of his peers in the blues. He has appeared or recorded with the Rolling Stones, B. B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Raitt, and other giants. Cray appeared multiple times on Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival and toured with Clapton on his 2006-2007 world tour.

The Robert Cray Band features guitarist Cray and his road-seasoned band keyboardist Jim Pugh, bassist Karl Sevareid, and drummer Kevin Hayes. Aside from their musicianship, the key to Cray and his band is their history. Through more than a thousand gigs played around the world, they've locked in a sound that's elegant and direct, searing and smooth.