Ravinia 2023 Issue 4

CHRIS PHELPS (SCAGGS); JEREMY COWART (MO’); JAMEY GUY (CONSENSUS) I ; ’ ; BOZ SCAGGS Born in Ohio and raised in Oklahoma and Texas, Boz Scaggs is an artist of America’s heartland by any definition. While attend- ing prep school in Dallas, he performed in a group called The Marksmen with guitar- ist Steve Miller before the pair attended the University of Wisconsin, where they played in a series of blues bands including the Ar- dells and Fabulous Knight Trains. Scaggs set off to Europe, performing with the Wigs and Mother Earth and releasing his solo debut in Sweden in 1965, simply entitled Boz . He re- turned to the United States two years later, reuniting with Miller in San Francisco and joining his fledgling Steve Miller Band. Sca- ggs appeared on the group’s first two albums, Children of the Future and Sailor ; the group’s success secured him a solo contract with At- lantic to release his domestic debut, the sem- inal Boz Scaggs , in 1969. Featuring a cameo from Duane Allman and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, the album received strong reviews, particularly for the performance of Fenton Robinson’s “Loan Me a Dime.” Scaggs signed over to Columbia, where he continued receiving critical praise and made a massive commercial breakthrough with Silk Degrees (1976). The multiplatinum album climbed to number two, and its singles “It’s Over,” “Lido Shuffle,” and the Grammy-winning “Low- down” became smash hits. His follow-ups— Down Two Then Left (1977) and Middle Man (1980)—were also platinum-sellers, with the latter reaching number eight on the strength of “Breakdown Dead Ahead” and “Jojo.” Sca- ggs recorded and performed sporadically in the ’80s and ’90s, then released But Beautiful in 2003, a collection of jazz standards that de- buted atop the jazz charts, and Speak Low in 2008, which he described as a progressive, ex- perimental effort along the lines of Gil Evans’s explorations. His 2013 blues-rocker Memphis hit the charts at number 17, and his 2015 al- bum A Fool to Care featured Bonnie Raitt on “Hell to Pay.” Scaggs’s latest album, 2018’s Out of the Blues , appropriately nods to the music that sparked his five-decade musical career. Boz Scaggs first played Ravinia in 2008 and returned in 2012 with Donald Fagen’s Dukes of September Rhythm Revue and on a double bill with Michael McDonald in 2017. KEB’ MO’ With five Grammy Awards, 14 Blues Foun- dation Awards, and a groundbreaking career spanning nearly 50 years, Keb’ Mo’ stands as one of the most accomplished and respected active artists in contemporary roots music. Born and raised in Compton, CA, Keb’ Mo’ (Kevin Moore) got his start as a behind-the- scenes guitarist, songwriter, and arranger for nearly 20 years, regularly collaborating with Jefferson Airplane member and blues fiddler Papa John Creach from the age of 21 and ap- pearing on several of his solo albums during the 1970s. Mo’ made his own solo breakout with the release of his 1994 debut Keb’ Mo’ , which earned widespread acclaim for its genre-bending take on old school sounds. Just two years later, with his follow-up Just Like You , he won his first Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. In the decades that followed, Mo’ not only topped Billboard ’s Blues Chart seven times but performed ev- erywhere from Carnegie Hall and the Ken- nedy Center to The White House and the Ryman Auditorium, as well as released sig- nature guitars with both Gibson and Martin. The range of artists he’s collaborated with has never stopped growing either, includ- ing Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Lyle Lovett, as well as fellow blues icon Taj Mahal on the Grammy-win- ning 2017 album TajMo . Following his first Grammy win in the Americana category with 2019’s Oklahoma , Mo’ was awarded lifetime achievement honors by the Americana Music Association in 2021. He has also written for television series like Mike and Molly , Mem- phis Beat , and B Positive , and he has appeared as himself on Sesame Street , The West Wing , and Martin Scorsese’s The Blues . Released in early 2022, Mo’s newest album, Good To Be , weaves together the sounds of his childhood in Compton with the influences of his adopt- ed hometown of Nashville, drawing on coun- try, soul, and blues to craft a tapestry that transcends genre and geography. As a mentor in the Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts Program, he adopted The Johnson School for Excellence in Chicago. Keb’ Mo’ first played at Ravinia in 1997 and is making his fifth season appearance at the festival. CAROUSEL STAGE 7:30 PM TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2023 THE SPECIAL CONSENSUS † GREG CAHILL, banjo DAN EUBANKS, bass GREG BLAKE, guitar MICHAEL PREWITT, mandolin † Ravinia debut THE SPECIAL CONSENSUS The Special Consensus is a bluegrass band that has achieved a contemporary sound in their four decades of performing, making their music a modern classic. Band leader and founder Greg Cahill is a recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and has also been honored by the So- ciety for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. Across its 20 recordings, Special Consensus has received six awards from the IBMA and two Grammy nominations. The band’s sound is grounded in a deep appreci- ation and understanding of bluegrass music whether they’re playing a jazz-tinged instru- mental or a song from their bountiful discography. Rivers and Roads , Special Consensus’s 19th re- cording, was nominated for a 2018 Grammy and received five 2018 IBMA nominations, winning as Album of the Year. The tune “Squirrel Hunters” from that collection received the Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award. International tours have brought the band to Australia, Canada, Europe, South America, Ireland, and the UK. The band has also appeared on National Public Radio, The Nashville Network, and the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium, as well as in concert with symphony orchestras nationwide. Dedicated to both preserving their craft and keeping it fresh, in 1984 Special Consensus initiated the Traditional American Music Program to introduce bluegrass music to students in schools across the country and internationally. The band records for the Compass label and celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2020 with the release of Chicago Barn Dance . The album also highlights the long-standing connections between country and bluegrass music and Chicago from the time of the WLS “National Barn Dance”—a precursor to the Grand Ole Opry—receiving five 2020 IBMA nominations as well as the Song of the Year award for the title track. The Special Consensus is making its Ravinia debut. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 35