2006 Waterfront Blues Festival honors music of the Gulf Coast

By Ty Hughes

The 19th Annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival provided West Coast blues enthusiasts with a sun-drenched weekend of incredible music, food, drink and excitement over the week of June 30 to July 4, 2006.

The banks of the Willamette River at Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park filled to capacity with music lovers from all over the country. This year’s festival theme was Gulfcoast music in respect to the suffering of Hurricane Katrina victims.

Known as the largest Blues Festival west of the Mississippi River, the lineup of musical talent invited to take any one of the three stages was second to none. Featuring international performers in the likes of Dr. John, John Hiatt and the North Mississippi Allstars, Buckwheat Zydeco and Little Feat along with up-and-comers Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and regional favorites, Curtis Salgado and Reggie Houston, the level of performance quality went unrivaled, offering a wide variety of musical talent for those fortunate enough to be in attendance.

For a mere $8 donation and two cans of food to benefit the Oregon Food Bank, everyone was able to participate in this spectacular annual event.

Enthusiasm was widely intent on the focus of the benefiting cause, The Oregon Food Bank. This year’s blues festival set all-time records for donations to the Oregon Food Bank.

Eight fantastic Blues Cruises sailed throughout the weekend, presented by Delta Music Experience. Blues fans were offered the chance to hear festival artists perform on intimate stages from three decks of the Portland Spirit as it leisurely cruises the beautiful Willamette River.

One on one learning workshops were made available for those looking for up-close interaction with blues legends, learn their riffs, and just hear their stories.

Massage artists set up their booths and balloonists catered to the throngs of young people having the times of their lives.

There were many big stories and memories generated for thousands of good people having good, clean fun in the sun. Dancing, bikinis and smiles were common fare.

In a special and unexpected tribute, legendary saxophonist, Reggie Houston, who’s played with the likes of Fats Domino, introduced his young, blind prodigy, Mac Potts on a lively saxophone himself. Only 15 years old, Mac’s musical genius revved the crowd to fever pitch. Reggie was quick to point out that Mac’s reputation precedes him in Memphis among blues greats. To see them both up there jammin’ together was electrifying!

Norman Sylvester, Duffy Bishop and crew kept up the tempo, by taking the stage together for Portland’s Ray Charles Tribute show.

When John Hiatt and his band took the stage, the expansive crowd erupted. And the party raged on for five days.

The music was all top-notch, groovin’ lucidity all week long. The 2006 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival was an unbridled success from start to finish on a massive scale. This event will take precedence over all else on next year’s calendar for myself.