Blues Returns to the Green

Blues Returns to the Green

Headlining the show was American icon Sir Mack Rice, writer and composer of Mustang Sally, who was commandeered to the stage by a fleet of Mustangs provided by the Gulfshore Mustang Club. Mack then got the crowd to its feet by getting them to participate in the singing of his trademark song, even leaving the stage and dancing with some lucky ladies. Sir Mack had a wonderful time enjoying a sunny break from his home in Detroit, and when we were giving him a ride to the airport on Monday, he told us that it was the people he met in our community that made his trip here extra special.

"I enjoyed ya'll's company so much," he said. "Everyone here just treated me like royalty, and I loved it so much. Everybody at that show - there were lots of different kinds of people, but everyone was in tune with what we were doing, and they all got up and danced. It was wonderful - the people made the show and I enjoyed myself immensely!"

Mack told us how the only time he'd ever been to our state was when he used to perform on the east coast of Florida during the 50's.

"That was back in the doo-wop days, a long time ago," he said. "And I used to sing at these places in Pompano Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. I liked it over there okay, but this town ya'll got here, this is something special! I want to come buy a house here."

Sir Mack Rice wasn't the only musician of star quality to perform at the festival, in fact, all of the performers were of national - some international -renown, and all remained after their individual sets to play with the others, making for a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Smokin Torpedoes were recently honored with being crowned the #1 Blues Band in Florida, both JP Soars and Sean Carney are International Blues Competition Albert King Award winners, Willie Pooch and Harmonica Shah are legends in the Midwest blues scene, and Wendy DeWitt, the Queen of Boogie Woogie, is a West Coast piano blues sensation. A special, unadvertised treat was the appearance of 8 time Grammy nominee Gene "King Saxe" Walker, who made the trip from Columbus, Ohio, to jam with his friends.

Sean Carney, who has played numerous IAF events over the years, now performs all over the world with his band and knows all the musicians from this weekend's lineup personally. He told us that, in his opinion, the event was a big success.

"I think it went swimmingly!" he said. "It was really cool to come down and play with so many of my friends from California, Detroit and Ohio. They are all buddies of mine who I've worked with over the years. The music was top notch - I don't think we could have found any better anywhere in the country, or even the world."

Carney especially liked the choice of the golf course as a venue site.

"That was a perfect place for a blues festival," he said. "And the audience was great. I was happy to be a part of it."

The Blues on the Green - Seaside Soul Serenade was born out of conversations between Chip Durpo, the proprietor of the Fort Myers Beach Golf Club, and IAF President Carl Conley. The two then formed a committee comprised of Fort Myers Beach Realty's Jessie Titus, IAF volunteer Tom Coyne, Chip's wife Melanie and FMB Golf Club Manager A.D., all who worked tirelessly to ensure that the event was a success.

Chip told us that he was extremely happy with how everything turned out.

"This was everything we expected and more, especially the music," he said. "I think it went very well. I would like to thank everyone involved - and I don't want to name names in case I leave someone out - but certainly includes all of our staff, the volunteers from the Island Arts Foundation and the staff from The Island Sand Paper. This was a great weekend!"

Conley agrees.

"The IAF has thrown a lot of events over the last seven years, but this was my favorite," he said. "In the past, we've mostly gone it alone - especially working the event. But this collaboration with the Golf Club and having a committee instead of flying by the seat of my pants made the whole thing that much more enjoyable. To sum it up: great partners, great sponsors, great musicians, and a great crowd! I feel great!"

The volunteers were aided in their endeavors by the Blues on the Green sponsors - Covanta Energy, Fish-Tale Marina and the Town of Fort Myers Beach, with the Island Sand Paper as a media sponsor. These places all donated generously to make the weekend happen.

Tom Coyne and Jessie Titus worked on Blues on the Green from almost the beginning. Tom, an IAF member, first heard about the festival back in November, and immediately volunteered to come on board.

"The Blues on the Green far exceeded even my highest hope and expectations," he told us. "It was two days of a huge community picnic with good food and great music at its core. Along with local islanders, I met groups from Tampa, Miami, and Sarasota that all drove in to see the show. I think that the IAF did an outstanding job and that the Fort Myers Beach Golf Club, with its greenery, palms and fresh breezes off the Gulf is an outstanding venue for events like this - without disturbing the neighboring communities with any problems related to noise, traffic, property or people."

Tom also met Kevin Barry, who is one of the founders (and still helps to organize) the Bonita Blues Festival, now in its fourth year, who told Tom how much he loved the show.

"He told me, "This is absolutely fantastic,"" said Tom. "He was also happy about how he got to relax and listen to great music instead of running around all weekend."

Jessie, also involved with Blues on the Green from the beginning, agreed with Tom and especially wanted to thank all the volunteers, including quite a few from her office - Fort Myers Beach Realty, Petra and Tonya from Sunny Beach Vacations, Carrie Hill, Nancy Rydlewski, and Eric from Edward Jones.

"A lot of people don't know this, but the rental money from the house where most of the musicians stayed was donated to Fort Myers Beach Little League by Amy of Distinctive Beach Rentals," she said. "There was so much that went into this to make this a success, and to have it run so well without even one complaint all weekend was amazing. I had people come up to me that couldn't believe this was our first blues festival! In my wildest dreams, I couldn't ask for anything better. Pinch me!"

Both Jessie and Tom said they are looking forward to Blues on the Green 2010.

"We have to have another one, because if we don't, there's gonna be a riot," Jessie said, laughing.

Jill Newman is Assistant Manager of the Fort Myers Beach Golf Club. She and Manager A.D. were two of the people making sure everyone had enough liquid libations over the weekend, and they arrived early both days to get everything set up.

"We all thought it was awesome," Jill told us. "The music was fantastic, and we loved all the people who came - especially the guy with the walker who got up and danced!"

Those who attended the concert will recall how perfect the setup was, with a little path that wound around a short distance to the front of the stage, leading attendees past the smoking, bathroom, food and beverage areas on the way. The food and bar area were both under a large shady tree, which provided shade for people sitting to the left of the stage. We asked Jill if she was the genius responsible for the excellent layout.

"No, but it did seem that the golf course was made just for that show," she said, laughing. "We can't wait to do this again next year!"

While most people who are frequent visitors or residents on the island are familiar with the quality of shows put on by the IAF, this past weekend's event saw many attendees who were witnessing our 'little secret' for the first time.

"This was stunning, just stunning," said John d'Avensac, a Luthier and music lover from the United Kingdom who told us that he had seen thousands of shows over the years - including the Rolling Stones in their early days. "And I couldn't believe how friendly everyone was - all those people, drinking beer and what-not, and there were nothing but smiles on all the faces."

"I've been to many concerts in downtown Ft. Myers at Centennial Park, and I had more fun at this one," said Christine Livelli of Cape Coral. "If people in town had any idea how beautiful this is, this place would be jam-packed."

What many people don't realize is that last weekend was actually the second Seaside Soul Serenade (SSS). The seemingly forgotten first SSS was collaboration between the Island Arts Foundation and the now-defunct Ramada Inn, and featured the late, great Joe Weaver, who, along with Sir Mack Rice and Harmonica Shah, are part of the backbone of Detroit blues. Conley continues to mine his Detroit connections, and told us that we might soon see 92-year-old torch singer Alberta Adams accompanied by Marcus Bell Graves - former trumpet player for the legendary Ray Charles - in the intimate setting of the Purple Heart Theater.

If you missed this year's festival, don't fret. Conley told us that there already are tentative feelers out there for Blues on the Green 2010, with conversations having begun with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels to perform as a headliner.

"It seemed like people really enjoyed dancing at this year's festival," he said. "And it was a lot of fun to look out there and see all those folks moving to the grooving beat. Mitch Ryder - famous for "Devil With a Blue Dress On" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" - would be great to dance to. He's 62, but he looks 45, and his music has been loved by generations of fans."

"He hasn't been booked yet, but it looks promising!"

Keri Hendry