Sirius Arts: Randall “Big Daddy” Webster (USA) and Mark “Dingo” Russell (Australia)

Randall “Big Daddy” Webster (USA) and special Guest Mark “Dingo” Russell (Australia) bring their ministry of Blues to County Cork Ireland June 1st to June 3rd 2010!  Wednesday June 2nd will be a special show at the Sirius Arts Center in Cobh featuring a full concert plus a session afterwards with participants in their workshops from earlier in the day.

Randall ‘Big Daddy’ Webster <http://www.myspace.com/bigdaddyredhotjava>  (Tallahassee Florida USA) is an accomplished singer-songwriter penning tunes both for himself and artists around the world.  There’s an undeniable musical connection between Webster’s Blues and the audience.  Says Big Daddy; ‘The tradition of playing music from the soul is much the same around the world as it is in America and people tap into that.  The mission is to touch people’s primal core with my Blues ‘Ceol Dan Anum in Irish’  Big Daddy has toured overseas forty-nine (49) times to 28 countries.  The CHICAGO BLUES ANNUAL says, ‘ <http://www.bigdaddyblues.com/BD-redhotjava/bigdaddybio.htm> Randall ‘Big Daddy’ Webster has lived and breathed the Blues for over 25 years; first soaking it in as a wild child while growing up in the shadow of the Windy City (Chicago) during the 1960’s and 70’s; later swimming the undercurrent of ‘Deep River Blues’ while jamming with Bluesmen at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio waterways during the 80’s; and for the last twenty-five plus years he’s tread through the swamp Blues of Florida’s backwoods jook joints making the gators growl along the way. He’s a true champion of America’s great indigenous music. The influences
cut sharp, the tunes run deep, and the spirit held high when Randall ‘Big Daddy’ Webster stirs up his spicy gumbo of original home cooked Blues.  Trusting his four-octave voice, pulsing rhythm guitar, and beating foot makes it all simmer into a fine Blues brew!’

Big Daddy has opened for and shared the stage with B.B. King, Robert Cray, Bobby Rush, Keb Mo, Sam Lay, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, and many other Blues legends; and he’s opened for Rock/Pop legends such as the Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis & The News, and Kool & The Gang.   Webster has toured overseas forty-nine (49) times both solo and with his band ‘Big Daddy &  Red Hot Java’.  Big Daddy is an acclaimed Blues educator conducting seminars and workshops at Florida State University, Thomas University, College of DuPage, University College Cork Ireland, University of London Kingston (UK), and many other educational institutions.  And as a board member of the Big Bend <http://www.bigbendhc.org/>  Homeless Coalition and founder of Blues <http://bluesforhumanity.org/>  For Humanity, Webster has helped raise money and awareness for humanitarian issues throughout the Florida Panhandle, the Southeastern USA, and overseas.

Mark ‘Dingo’ Russell <http://www.violinjazz.net/>  (Melbourne Australia) is a violinist, composer, and teacher. He began studying violin at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia. In his late teens, he became interested in Jazz, Blues and traditional music from Ireland and Australia. Joining The Sundowners in 1983, he toured extensively around the world, and began to incorporate musical styles from India, China, and Indonesia into his compositions and improvisations.  He performed in front of stadium crowds with The Sundowners during a 3 month tour as opening act for Dire Straits  in 1986.  Meanwhile, his interest in Jazz and Blues continued to grow through direct contact with artists such as Stephane Grappelli and Brownie Macgee.  In 1991 he left The Sundowners and moved to Paris, where he continued to explore diverse venues for violin performance in theater as well as clubs. Moving to the United States in 1994, he formed the groups Paris Match, and Ekyo, recording CDs with both.  He also toured as featured artist with the Phat Cat, a Soul/R&B group.  Highlights  include concerts at The House of Blues in New Orleans and in Chicago, the Capitol Jazz festival in Washington D.C., and on The Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage.  His Phat Cat backed performance of Ain’t no <http://www.violinjazz.net/Mp3.html>  Sunshine was an R&B hit in 2000 and was recently included on the Atlantic records compilation Rare Requests.  Visit http://www.violinjazz.net/index.html
for more information on Mark Russell.

Together Randall ‘Big Daddy’ Webster and Mark Russell take you on an incredible journey through the Blues lexicon and Big Daddy’s potent original tunes.  Don’t miss this show!