The headliner of the Long Beach New Blues Festival is … Tito Jackson? At age 68, with his professional musical career at 57 years and counting and an inductee into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame since 1997, most of his fans have never thought of him as a bluesman. But this story tells us that he has been a loving practitioner of the genre for decades.
“I always said my next album, for sure, is going to be a blues album,” Jackson said in a recent interview with Random Lengths. “My performances always had deep blues roots in it. I’m a lover of blues. My father always played it and we had blues in our show prior to Motown. We did about four or five blues songs as The Jackson 5 and my mom loved blues more than anyone. So I started trying to make a solo career with the blues in about 2000-2001. This is just a continuation of my journey.”
Jackson wants to introduce blues music, which he noted is responsible for many of the music genres we have today, to a wider, younger audience.
“The blues need a hand up,” Jackson said. “[For] more of the popular artists, it wouldn’t hurt to do a blues song or two on their albums. It would be a great thing and push the blues up because artists don’t get the notoriety that pop and R&B artists get. It all started with the blues and I’m pretty sure if these artists did the blues, we could get some new audiences. … Just a song, like some … on my album, All In The Family Blues, Love One Another, or Under Your Spell. Those have blues tones in them.
“That’s one of my main motivations because I love the music and … to present it to my fan base is a good thing. Blues isn’t always [the] sad music that people claim it to be. All blues isn’t sad.”
Jackson co-wrote many of the songs on Under Your Spell with his partner Michael Jackson, who just happens to have the same name as his brother. Jackson also did some of the songs’ solos and says he’s very pleased with the outcome.
“It puts me in a happy mood,” he said. “It’s more uplifting than down and I can’t wait to get out and perform these songs.”
The New Blues Festival VIII, the only year-ending blues festival in Southern California, will happen at Shoreline Aquatic Park, Nov. 13.
“This is the eighth New Blues Festival, the sixth in Long Beach, and the first time the New Blues Festival will be held in the prime entertainment destination of Shoreline Aquatic Park,” festival promoter and curator, Bill Grisolia said.
The City of Long Beach approached The New Blues Festival team about moving the event to this destination park.
“We are thrilled!” Grisolia said via email. “It is outrageously beautiful … with views of the Queen Mary and the fantastic boat traffic including Long Beach Transit and the Catalina Express.”
The ever-enthusiastic host of the New Blues Festival described the coveted location. The tip of the peninsula is located directly across from the famous Parker’s lighthouse restaurant at Shoreline Village. And on the other side of the peninsula, is Rainbow Harbor including all the fantastic pleasurecraft, restaurants, and the jewel of Rainbow Harbor, which is the Aquarium of the Pacific. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Grisolia added that fans will see the New Blues Festival in less than a year after it chooses another day in collaboration with the city. This was the third date the city provided after the first two were changed because of COVID and rescheduling.
“We are so happy to provide the residents of Southern California with a great blues festival to launch the holiday season!” Grisolia said.
Mr. Jackson
Tito Jackson will be playing his brand of “modern electric blues” and soul featured on his recent album, Under Your Spell.
In July, Jackson released the single Love One Another featuring his brother Marlon, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush, and Stevie Wonder. The Love One Another music video features the cameos of his mother Katherine and his sister Janet. The album Under Your Spell released in August is Jackson’s second solo studio album. Remarkably, Jackson said, the album came together because of COVID.
“I was able to get in touch with people and they weren’t busy,” Jackson said.
Tribute to BB King
The guitar player and singer said he started the albums’ B.B. King track, Rock Me Baby,\, a tribute to the blues legend, prior to COVID. Jackson said both B.B. King’s daughter, Claudette, and George Benson participated in the project. Benson’s guitar playing, always unmistakable, is a sound to savor.
From about 2017 to 2019, Jackson was the frontman for the B.B. King Blues Band. The outfit headed to Reno to do a casino show and traveled through Scottsdale, Arizona. Their stage manager was friends with Benson. Jackson and Benson also worked together in Las Vegas.
“We hoped to work together again someday,” Jackson said. “That rarely happens but thanks to Rob [manager] on our way to Reno, he told George we were coming through. George invited us to his place for lunch on the way to Reno. We told him about our project and trying to do a tribute song to B.B. He volunteered without any hesitation and we went into the studio, he played his part and we had a song, [Rock Me Baby].
“Joe Bonamassa’s was the last song [Under Your Spell] that we added to that record. We listened to it and thought it would be nice to have something about what’s going on in today’s world with the situation America went through [on] Jan 6 and even before that.”
Jackson noted the album is being considered for a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary album and for Best Grass Roots for Love One Another. To record, the musicians sent tracks back and forth and had many telephone conversations and Facetime sessions.
This is Jackson’s sophomore album. He had planned to do a blues album for his debut, Tito Time, [2016] but he said after reviewing his fan base at the time, he decided it would be better to go more toward the music he was accustomed to doing with his brothers.
Festival Lineup
An eclectic lineup will set the stage for a memorable New Blues fest at a landmark location. Artists include:
Sugar Ray Rayford;
LA blues guitar great, Laurie Morvan;
Bill Grisolia & the New Blues Festival All-Stars;
New Orleans transplant and blues guitarist, Lester Lands;
multi-genre guitarist-vocalist, Corday;
Eclectic blues-rock trio, The Disciplez;
She Wears Black featuring Long Beach’s very own blues diva, Shy But Flyy;
Tex-Mex Blues from Redd House;
Musician/Surfboard Shaper/SoCal Surf Legend, Dano Forte;
and blues harp player TJ Norton.
This year’s Master of Ceremonies: Southern California blues deejay legend, Ann The Raven, formerly of KPCC-FM.
New Blues Festival
Time: 9 a.m.
Cost: $50 and up
Details: www.newbluesfestival.com and www.titojackson.com
Venue: Shoreline Aquatic Park, 200 Aquarium Way, Long Beach