Homesick James

When you consider that Homesick James has been playing blues since the 1920s, has worked and recorded on the Chicago blues scene since the 1950s and has met and worked with everyone from Charley Patton and Sonny Boy Williamson to Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, it's obvious he qualifies as a blues legend. But add the fact he taught his cousin, the great Elmore James, how to play guitar and backed him on classic hits like "Dust My Broom," and you get a little more appreciation for where Homesick James has been and what he's accomplished. One other thing -- James is at least 89 years old and may be as old as 94 (his birthdate is listed as 1910, but he claims he was born in 1905).

But James doesn't appear to be slowing down much as the millennium approaches. He's still recording and was a featured performer at this year's Chicago Blues Festival. His unique self-taught slide-guitar style can slash and burn in the best blues tradition, and in the company of top-notch St. Louis blues guitarists Leroy Pierson and Ron Edwards, Homesick James is sure to put on a memorable show.

Admission is $10 at the door.