Beer and blues - even saying the words sounds like a blues lyric.
Next weekend beer and blues are in abundance as part of Sheffield's Philadelphia Blues and Beer festival.
For the eighth year running Sheffield's 'Philadelphia' disctrict - a valley along Penistone Road, will host its annual blues and beer festiv
al.
The festival was created by blues players Bob Swift and Stuart Arfield, after visiting Colne Blues Festival. The name of the festival, according to blues player and compere at the festival Billy Martin Junior, says: "The name Philadelphia Blues comes from area stretching from the Bew Barrack Tavern, the Hillsborough Hotel, the Riverside Cafe and the Harlequin - it's what we also call the Happy Valley, because all the pubs there sell real ale."
Billy Martin Junior is a familar name within the Sheffield blues circuit. This weekend Martin Junior will host the festival and play a set of his own material: "I am an act in my own right," says Martin, who tributes his playing to his late father. "I've been playing for 17 or 18 years. My dad was a real working class man - he was a milkman and every evening he'd play blues and jazz. I was brought up with this music - it was lovely for me, not so much for my mother and sister."
Martin incorporates tales from his father's legacy during his sets, "He was a great fella, he was one of the original (radio] pirates. He would use this reel to reel recorder and stick a bakerlite microphone infront of the radio and record tracks." The reel to reel recorder, Martin later added, was acquired during his father's milk round in Nether Edge: "That was where the doctors and lawyers lived. They would leave things like grammaphones and tape players next to the bins so my dad brought home a grammaphone and a Philips reel to reel tape recorder."
Martin's sets are peppered with such tales between his own material - blues-inspired original tracks.
Other acts playing at the festival are John Gomm, the Hummingbirds Blues Band, Andrew Oxley, Willie Brown's Rhythm Method, Sneakin' Suspicion, M+J Blues, Tom Rodwell and Frank White and Dale Storr.
The Philadelphia Blues Festival takes place at the George IV, Infirmary Road on Friday May 16 and Friday May 17.
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