Yes, the Genuine Thing: Etta James & Rob Stone at House of Blues April 30

Yes, it's the real Etta James who will appear at the Chicago House of Blues on April 30. If you were intrigued (or disappointed) by pop singer Beyonce Knowles' portrayal of Etta in Cadillac Records, then this is your chance to see the great blueswoman live and in person.

The House of Blues rarely has blues bands on its main stage. Most of the bands advertised as playing there, I've never heard of.

What the HOB doesn't advertise much - and this I find really weird in Chicago - is that blues bands play nearly every night on the Back Porch Stage in the restaurant area. One of the bands that plays regularly there is Rob Stone & the C-Notes, the band that will be opening for Etta James.

Rob Stone is an excellent blues harp player who's been performing steadily around the Chicago area since the early 1990s. (I had a chance a while ago to catch the C-Notes at the House of Blues, where I took these photos.) Rob & the C-Notes have also also played at blues festivals all over the world and earlier this year, opened for Sheryl Crow. You can see and hear video of that performance here.






While you're at that link, be sure to watch the videos of Rob playing with Dave Myers in 1996 - great stuff!