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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Blues diva Bettie Mae Fikes, based in Los Angeles but with a large Lake County following, will headline the second annual Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Concert outdoors in the garden from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6.
The concert promises to be a relaxing and upbeat way to end the traditional end-of-summer weekend holiday.
Born in Selma, Ala., Bettie Mae Fikes was active in the Civil Rights Movement, beginning her singing career with the SNCC Freedom Singers and performing at the 1964 Democratic Party convention in Atlantic City and at various reunions since.
She has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Newport Jazz Festival, the Library of Congress, and numerous blues festivals.
Fikes' connections to Lake County are deep, and in August of last year she stepped onto a small local stage with five of her favorite musicians and the house packed with enthusiastic fans. The result was her latest recording called “How Blue Can You Get?”
Backing Fikes on Labor Day will be Levi Lloyd and his 501 Band. This band, well-known throughout Northern California, is composed of Levi on guitar and vocals, Frankie J. on keyboards, Steve Guerrero on drums and the incomparable Robert Watson on bass.
Opening for Levi and Bettie Mae will be Gerald Mathis and Starlight, a Sacramento group featuring Mathis on keyboards and vocals and Anthony Dillard on sax. They brought down the house at the Blue Wing last Labor Day opening for Roy Rogers and his band.
Both bands will perform on the veranda of the Tallman Hotel with the audience gathered in the intimate garden between the hotel and restaurant.
In addition to the music, patrons will enjoy a gourmet barbecue dinner with choice of salads and entrees as part of the $50 ticket price.
Seating is limited and tickets may be purchased directly at the Tallman Hotel, located on Main Street in Upper Lake, or by calling the hotel reception desk at 707-275-2245.
This special event is made possible by the generous sponsorships of Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery, Gregory Graham Winery, radio station KNTI (99.5 FM), Allora DaCar Productions and Vintage Antiques and Country Barn Auction in Upper Lake.
