Tab Benoit to perform at the Newberry Opera House on Jan. 23.
Courtesy of Doug Deutsch Publicity Services
NEWBERRY — Respected blues guitarist-vocalist and storyteller extraordinaire, Tab Benoit, will perform locally at the Newberry Opera House, 1201 McKibben Street, Newberry on Sunday, January 23.
Opening for Benoit is Whiskey Bayou Records label-mate and fine guitarist in his own right, Alastair Greene, supporting his most recent WBR release, ‘The New World Blues.”
One of summer 2021’s great touring ensembles was Tab Benoit’s Swampland Jam featuring Louisiana Bayou musical treasures Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (recently honored with a 2021-22 Grammy nomination for his “Bloodstains & Teardrops” album on Whiskey Bayou Records), plus Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux and Benoit. The Grammy-nominated Tab Benoit, renowned throughout his thirty-plus-year career for his passionate environmental activism, performed two nights in his hometown of Houma, La. at the 16th Annual Voice of the Wetlands Festival. He also appears prominently in the Imax motion picture “Hurricane on the Bayou,” a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to protect and restore the Wetlands, and produced a CD to help restore that state’s coastal wetlands. Benoit was inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists in 2020. One of the most impressive guitarists to emerge from the rich bayous of southern Louisiana in recent years, Tab Benoit’s guitar tone can be recognized before his Otis-Redding-ish voice resonates from the speakers. He doesn’t rely on any effects and his setup is simple. It consists of a guitar, cord, and Category 5 Amplifier. The effects that you hear come from his fingers.
Showtime is at 7 p.m.. Tickets: $85. Info: 803-276-6264 or visit https://newberryoperahouse.com/.