Saturday, January 21
The Center for the Arts presents
A Dance Concert with blues ledgend
Curtis Salgado
8:00PM $18

"...is keeping the classic flame of soul music alive." - Los Angeles Times

As always, Curtis Salgado's take on soul music is wide-ranging. His heartfelt approach to the music has won him starring roles as lead singer in bands led by such starts as Robert Cray and Santana. The late John Belushi was so inspired by Curtis that he developed his Blues Brother character after him. Curtis' take on soul is simple. "If a song is sincere and you believe it, that's soul," he says. "To me Pavarotti is as much a soul singer as Otis Redding; Merle Haggard and Hank Williams are soul singers as much as Sam Cooke. Soul is about heart and about belief."

While Curtis has been a Northwest-music legend from his Portland base ever since his six year stint in Robert Cray's band (he's on Cray's debut album), it's only been in the past few years that national audiences have been seeing what all the fuss is about as Curtis and his band deliver one of the most powerful live shows you'll see anywhere - a rare commodity these days. Curtis' singing ability was recognized at an early age, when he came home from kindergarten one day with a note from his teacher pinned to his shirt saying that he could sing. He started his own band in the burgeoning Northwest blues scene in the early seventies then was key part of Cray's formative years, leaving to front the respected Roomful Of Blues from 1984-1986. Along the way, he inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers when Belushi was in Eugene, Oregon to film Animal House and caught Curtis' act. Belushi dedicated the first Blues Brothers album to Curtis. There was even a stint as lead vocalist with Santana in 1995.

Curtis kicked off his own recording career with Curtis Salgado and the Stilettos in 1991, following it up with More than you can chew in 1995. While both albums generated substantial rock and blues airplay, unfortunately both labels went out of business before he could break through nationally. The more acoustic Hit it and quit it scored him a spot with Steve Miller on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His three albums for Shanachie (Wiggle outta this, Soul Activated, and now Strong Suspicion), combined with consistent national touring, mark the first time that Curtis has had the benefit of consistent career development with the same record company and booking agent. He's appeared on NPR's Mountain Stage, been the highlight of major festivals across the country and has been winning long-overdue critical raves indicating that he really is one of the great performers on the scene today. Curtis' last CD, Soul Activated, was received with critical acclaim and even garnered a WC Handy Blues Award nomination in the category of "Soul Blues Album of the Year."