Tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 10th for the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp, the world's only music festival with cult rocker Roky Erickson, master arranger Wardell Quezergue, soul songwriter supreme Dan Penn, rockabilly wild man Dale Hawkins, R&B soprano Little Jimmy Scott, and dozens more rarely seen – and seldom heard – American music legends in its line-up.
A marathon eight hours-plus music festival that celebrates and pays tribute to the unsung heroes of rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues, and other forms of American roots music, the Ponderosa Stomp will rock two stages, the Big Room and the Parish, at New Orleans' House of Blues from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Wednesday, May 2, 2007.
"The audience won't even know what hit them," promises Dr. Ike Padnos , executive director of the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, the 501c3 organization that's producing the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp, which also features Texas Tornado co-founder Augie Meyers, Stax sessions guitarist Skip Pitts, Gulf Coast guitar empress Barbara Lynn, Mardi Gras king Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Excello harp master Lazy Lester, keyboardist extraordinaire Willie Tee, tremendous trumpeter/famed New Orleans bandleader Dave Bartholomew, President of Soul Rockie Charles, hillbilly bopper Jay Chevalier, tough Texas shouter Roy Head, and rockabilly wailer Joe Clay.
Also appearing at the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp: Motown guitar slinger Dennis Coffey, hill country bluesman Kenny Brown, chitlin' circuit showman Bobby Rush, "Mr. Big Stuff" singer Jean Knight, piano man Henry Gray, six-string demolition expert Eddie Kirkland, rockabilly drummer Matt Lucas, Memphis sessions genius Bobby Emmons, swamp pop singer Grace (Dale & Grace) Broussard, New Orleans heartbreaker Tony Owens, Muscle Shoals veteran Ralph "Soul" Jackson, and backing bands Lil Buck Sinegal and the Top Cats with special guest Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural, Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics, and the New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Revue.
The efforts of the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau go well beyond the Ponderosa Stomp: Since the non-profit's inception in 2000, the Mystic Knights have considered it their mission to rediscover and celebrate America's overlooked musical pioneers and re-educate the community about their impact on music. Through past partnerships with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sun Studios, The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, The New Orleans Musicians Clinic, and The New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund, the 501c3 group has helped resurrect the careers of several legendary musicians, including Jody Williams, Howard Tate, and Barbara Lynn.
The Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau also produces various events throughout the year, including showcases at Austin's South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) and New Orleans' own Voodoo Music Experience, one-off concerts in New Orleans and Memphis, and The Ogden Museum of Southern Arts' monthly After Hours music series.
"The Ponderosa Stomp has become a national treasure made of national treasures. They've shone the spotlight in the shadows and found that yesterday's musical starts are just as intriguing, exhilarating, and as powerful as ever. Through the fans it draws, the Stomp has developed and united a community. It's culturally rewarding, artistically gratifying, and a whole lot of fun," says Robert Gordon, Memphis-based filmmaker and author of It Came from Memphis and Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters.
Tickets for the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp are available through Ticketmaster beginning Saturday, February 10th. For more information, visit www.ponderosastomp.com.
