Erwin, Wanda Johnson shine during Blues Bash's final weekend

For nearly 20 years, Gary Erwin has been doing his best to make sure Lowcountry music fans have the blues. What started out as the Charleston Blues Festival in 1991 has become the Lowcountry Blues Bash that we all know and love.

For 10 days each year in February, the Lowcountry becomes a combination of the Mississippi and the smoky blues clubs of sweet home Chicago, as Erwin brings in a handpicked list of blues performers from all over the world.

I have never attended a Blues Bash show without broadening my musical horizons, and it is all due to Erwin. Heck, the guy sold me my first blues album, Kenny Neal's "Bio on the Bayou," when he still ran the tiny Erwin Music on Wentworth Street downtown.

Last weekend, my education in the blues continued with an amazing performance by Big Bill Morganfield at Home Team BBQ. For the closing weekend of the bash, I figured I'd get a little taste right from the source combined with the talent of another local original.

You see, Erwin also plays the blues. Going by the stage name of Shrimp City Slim, Erwin has not only released several CDs of original music on his own Erwin Music label, but he has toured the world playing the music he loves, traveling as far away as China to spread the blues to the masses.

This past Saturday afternoon, Shrimp City Slim could be found holding court in the lounge of the Mills House hotel on Meeting Street downtown.

Local blues singer Wanda Johnson was performing with Slim and his band all that afternoon, and having never seen Johnson sing live before, I decided to take in a set. The bar area was already packed when I got there. Not a single chair was available, so I found an empty piece of wall and waited for the show to start.

Slim was at his usual place behind his keyboard, beret firmly in place on his head. A suitcase of CDs lay open behind him, and he did a pretty good job of selling the discs while at the same time leading the band to back up Johnson. The rest of the band consisted of guitarist "Silent" Eddie Phillips, bassist LaVonte Green and drummer LaMont Garner.

As the set began, Johnson did a great job of transitioning from the deep down lonesome blues to the more upbeat style of that music genre.

Songs such as "If I Rise in the Morning," "Low Maintenance Mama" and "Good Home Lovin' " had the crowd eating out of Johnson's hand. One fan even presented Johnson with a box of Valentine's Day candy.

"Switch Me Over" lured a few folks out on the floor in front of the band to slow dance, while "Good Home Lovin' " brought two or three couples out to shag dance.

Midway through the show, Jim and Kathy Poling, who were visiting from Cleveland, revealed that they were celebrating their 22 wedding anniversary. Johnson made up an anniversary song right on the spot and the band did a good job following her lead.

The Polings had come to town specifically for the Blues Bash, and it was Jim who had earlier presented Johnson with her box of candy.

After a few more songs, including "Move On" and "Hot Potato," the band announced that it was going to take a break before playing its final set of the afternoon.

I opted to leave at that point, not because I wasn't enjoying the show, but because it was getting more and more crowded in the bar, and I figured I would give someone the chance to hear Wanda Johnson and Shrimp City Slim do their respective things.

Word is that this year's Lowcountry Blues Bash was another success, and if you didn't get a chance to get out and see any of the amazing array of artists participating, then definitely make plans to attend a show or two next year.

You might think you know a lot about music, but take it from a guy who writes about the subject for a living: You're never too old to learn something new, and Erwin makes getting educated in the blues an incredibly fun thing.

If you didn't get a chance to spend part of Valentine's Day with Slim and Johnson, then pick up a copy of Johnson's new CD, "Hold What You Got," which features many of the musicians who were backing her up Saturday.

Fourteen songs run the gamut of blues styles, with Johnson seemingly willing to attempt each and every one. It is fairly obvious that Johnson enjoys singing, and the mood is contagious, whether it's in a live setting or on a CD.

Contact Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo. com