As a former student of the Janesville School for the blind, I am honored to perform at the fund raising event. I attended this school from 1955-1960, graduated in 1961.
I am very excited about this opportunity to "go back to school."

Bryan will be performing at the Janesville School for the Blind on May 15, 2008 from 7-10p.m. The venue is: Pontiac Convention Center 2809 N. Pontiac Drive Janesville, WI 53545

Despite being blind, born white and from the Midwest, I was born with blues in my soul. Nicknamed the braille blues daddy, my eyes were damaged at birth. At age 8, I completely lost my eye sight in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 1943. These handicaps didn’t stop my musical education. Presented with a guitar as a gift from my mother at age 11, I became a diehard blues fan as I woodshedded along with the tunes I heard on the radio. An interest in rock and early blues was fostered through the 1950’s by late night listening sessions via the Nashville based radio station WLAC AM, where I first encountered the sounds of Elmore James and Albert Collins, along with the 4 kings, Albert, Freddie, Earl and BB King.

When I was 13 I was playing in bands with older musician, and in high school worked with local cover bands and later began fronting my own group doing one nighters throughout the Midwest. After school, I headed to Washington, Milwaukee, and Chicago but New Orleans was always my spiritual home. After a 20 year road odyssey, I finally made it to the Crescent City in 1982 and formed his Jump Street Five band and began working at the Old Absinthe House in the heart of the French Quarter on March 16, 1983(my birthday). Playing 5 nights a week for 14 years, we built a loyal following of blues lovers in the intimate, dimly lit room. Blues legends such as BB King, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, James Cotton, Rick Derringer, Jimmy Page and Sting caught my show or stepped in to jam. After all the dignitaries, one of the highlights was introducing young guitarist, Kenny Wayne Shepard, to his first audience at the age of 13. He was so good; we played the whole night together. Last year, I toured with Kenny Wayne and we appeared on the Tonight Show together.

After the closing of the Old Absinthe House, my band and I played at the Blues Club, The Opera House and various clubs on Bourbon Street. Then Katrina hit. Displaced, we regrouped and the Blues Power Band now featuring John Perkins, drums, Brent Johnson, guitar and Jeff Beninato on bass, are on the road touring across the US, Canada and Europe.

Check out "Katrina was Her Name", my new cd on Justin Time Records, and watch for us at this year’s Blues Music Awards in Tunica, Mississippi.