The music keeps getting better for Curtis Salgado, a 40-year veteran of the rhythm and blues scene.
This vocalist, songwriter and harmonica icon recently won the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year awards from the Blues Music Foundation. And if those honors weren’t enough, he also won Soul Blues Album of the Year for his latest CD “Soul Shot.”
“We cover everything that’s under the umbrella of R&B,” Salgado said when asked to describe his band’s repertoire. “About 70 percent of the songs are originals, written by yours truly. The other songs are classic R&B stuff.”
And now, lucky for us, he’s coming to the Harrisburg area. Salgado and his band will be tearing up the stage this month during a headlining spot at the Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival.
As in the past, the festival spans an entire weekend, June 14 to 15. Saturday’s line-up includes Curtis Salgado Band, Dana Fuchs, Lisa Chavous & The Philadelphia Blues Messengers, The Cornlickers, The Humblers, Ben Brandt & Co. and Wake Up Call. Sunday is New Orleans Day and will feature Big Sam’s Funky Nation, The Maxwell Project, The Passionettes, Urban Souls and No Last Call.
That’s just the music portion. Depending on your tastes, the wine and food may be equally important. So, 12 of Pennsylvania’s best wineries will offer free tastings, and a host of craft and food vendors will feed the crowd. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair, blanket and a picnic basket.
The Headliner
Salgado has had a long career with many impressive highlights.
He fronted his group, the Nighthawks, was co-star of The Robert Cray Band, and sang with Roomful of Blues. He spent a summer singing with Santana, and he and his band even toured with The Steve Miller Band. He has performed at festivals all over the world, including The Chicago Blues Festival, Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival, Thailand’s Phuket International Blues Festival and Poland’s Blues Alive Festival.
Salgado also is an authority on all things R&B. His living room is full of old LPs and 78s, as well as CDs and videotapes of blues, jazz, funk, rock ‘n’ roll and soul artists. In concert, his repertoire is peppered with songs by some of his R&B heroes.
“I like to dig up the real obscure stuff that nobody really knows unless they were a collector or something,” he says.
Teacher, Muse
His musical achievements aside, perhaps one of the more defining moments of Salgado’s career was when he had a chance meeting with actor and comedian John Belushi back in 1977. He was playing a gig at the Eugene Hotel in Eugene, Ore., when Belushi, who was in the area filming “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” wandered into the lounge. As the story goes, Belushi became so mesmerized by the then 25-year-old blues player that he insisted on talking to him.
“I didn’t even know who John Belushi was and had never heard of “Saturday Night Live,’” said Salgado, who, at the time, didn’t own a TV and played out so much that he didn’t have time to watch one anyway.
Salgado said that Belushi told him that he liked his music and harmonica playing and had a friend named Dan Aykroyd who also played the harmonica. Salgado remembers thinking, “Oh great, that’s just what the world doesn’t need. Another harmonica player.”
The two really didn’t connect until Belushi happened to mention that he had to fly back to New York to do a filming of “Saturday Night Live” during which Ray Charles would perform. At the mention of his hero’s name, Salgado started regaling Belushi with little known details about Charles’ career.
Belushi, who wanted to learn more about the blues, knew that, in Salgado, he had found a teacher. After that, the pair met regularly to pore over old blues records, many of them collected by Salgado’s parents. They even performed together a few times at the Eugene Hotel before the filming ended and the actor left town. “What I was,” said Salgado, “was John Belushi’s muse.”
Soon after, when Belushi and Aykroyd created the Blues Brothers act, Belushi gave credit for its inspiration to Salgado. He insisted that Salgado’s name be listed in the early articles on The Blues Brothers and dedicated their defining album, “Briefcase Full of Blues,” to him. Salgado, who always played wearing dark shades and a soul patch under his lower lip, was even recognized for influencing The Blues Brothers’ look on stage.
Salgado and his band are coming to the festival thanks to a recommendation by the Blues Society of Central Pennsylvania.
“The Blues Society has a really sweet deal with the Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival,” said Rocky Rothrock, the group’s president. “The county wanted to have a day for blues, and so they approached us for help. We provide a lot of volunteers to help with the festival, and we give them suggestions for the acts to book.”
Indeed, Salgado’s approach to music seems perfect for the festival, which, combining music, wine and food, is all about enjoying oneself on a warm summer day.
“We play blues and soul and R&B and funk and rock ‘n’ roll—we do it all,” he says. “You can call it whatever you want to call it. We just call it a good time.”
The Dauphin County Music and Wine Festival runs June 14 to 15, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Fort Hunter Park, 5300 N. Front Street, Harrisburg. Advance ticket sales are $25, and admission is $30 at the gate. Children age 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are good for both days and may be purchased at Mr. Mike’s Records, the Dauphin County Parks and Recreation office at Fort Hunter Park and online at www.DauphinCounty.org.
