AFTERNOON WOPRKSHOPS: Cost: $5.00
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Blues Guitar with Selwyn Cooper
( hands-on workshop, participants bring instruments)
Gralin Hoffman Neal for percussion
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Jam Session with Selwyn Cooper
Cost: $5.00
Pay at the door or
LIL' RAY NEAL
As a member of the well-known blues musician family, the Neals out of Baton Rouge, Lil Ray (Raful Neal III) the third eldest of ten siblings, has long been regarded as one of the finest blues guitarists in the business. Raised in Ervinville, Louisiana, he started playing at Spooner's, a country store/club owned by his grandfather when he was about 12 years old. His father played at that store with his band and during the break he would let Ray and his brothers get up to play.
Ray learned much with the likes of Buddy Guy and Harpo Slim hanging around but it was two of his school teachers that gave him the incentive to want to hone his craft as a guitar player. In the days leading up to summer break he would take his guitar to school and persuade Mr. Ronald Young and Mr. Edward Yearby to play. "Both were hell of a guitar players and I learned from just listening..you really didn't want to play, you just wanted to listen", Lil Ray recalls.
In 1976 the Neal family moved to Baton Rouge and within a few years Ray was playing regularly with his father. In 1980 his brother Kenny asked him and his brothers to join him in Toronto, Canada. Ray continued to play with Kenny in Canada until his visa ran out and he went back to Baton Rouge...but not for long. Little Milton offered Ray a job with his band and it was back on the road. He'll be the first to admit that life on the road was hard but the valuable lessons he learned are still with him today. Ray is grateful that he had the opportunity to play with some of the greatest musicians that have ever took the stage.
Lil Ray has entertained with many of the greats in the Blues and R&B field....
Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton, BB King, James Cotton,Buddy Guy, Bobby Bland, "Lil Milton" Campbell, Tyrone Davis, Johnny Taylor, Bobby Rush and the list goes on and on.
SELWYN COOPER
South Louisiana has always been known for it’s rich heritage of Jazz, Blues and
Zydeco music. Selwyn Cooper has worn out 3 passports taking the sounds of the deep south to people from Coast to Coast tours of the United States and has expanded his travels to Canada, Turkey, Africa, Sweden, France,, Australia, Germany and Italy. This guitar virtuoso of Jazz, ,Blues and Zydeco has contributed to 2 Grammy Award winning CD’s. The first was for 100% Zydeco in 1983 and again in 1984 Turning Point with Buckwheat Zydeco. We all hit the jackpot when he made the first LA. Lottery commercial and feel a little closer to him since his Close-Up toothpaste ads on television and radio with Rockin Dopsie.
Selwyn has played at the top Jazz Festivals throughout the would and at the 2005 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival , he and Soul Diva, Carol Fran won the Critics Choice Award. He has been featured on the soundtracks of “The Big Easy” with Buckwheat Zydeco and “Delta Heat” starring Mickey Rourke.
JUDE TAYLOR
As a young man Jude foIlowed Zydeco accordion players, Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Rockin' Dopsie and Marcel Dugas. During that time, his brother-in-Law, 'Lil' Buck Senegal, played guitar with many of the top Zydeco musicians. He had another Brother-in-Law who worked for a moving company and by chance was given an accordion by some people that were moving out of town, which he passed on to Jude. He'd eat, sleep and wake-up with that thing. After playing at local clubs and honing his skills, Jude formed Jude Taylor and is Burning Flames. He plays a captivating blend of soulful R & B, blues and zydeco and has toured from Florida to British Columbia, playing major festival and cultural venues.