NEW ORLEANS, LA - December 14, 2006 – After a year in exile in Memphis, the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp, a music festival that celebrates and pays tribute to the unsung heroes of rock ‘n roll, rhythm & blues, and other forms of American roots music, will return home to New Orleans on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at the House of Blues from 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. Already slated to perform at this year’s Ponderosa Stomp: Master arranger Wardell Quezergue and the New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Revue, soul songwriter supreme Dan Penn, rockabilly wild man Dale Hawkins, R&B soprano Little Jimmy Scott, 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, President of soul Rockie Charles, hillbilly bopper Jay Chevalier, tough Texas shouter Roy Head, and rockabilly wailer Joe Clay, with more to come.
“Put on your high heel sneakers 'cause were back in New Orleans – the Stomp's spiritual home and the birthplace of rock n roll,” says Ira (“Dr. Ike”) Padnos, executive director of The Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, the 501c3 organization that produces the Ponderosa Stomp.
Since its inception in 2000, the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, a non-profit group organized by rock ‘n roll fanatics who consider it their mission to rediscover and celebrate America’s overlooked musical pioneers, has partnered 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 to help resurrect the careers of several legendary musicians.
“The Ponderosa Stomp is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the roots, derivatives and other offshoots of the art form that we call rock ‘n roll,” says Terry Stewart, President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Over the last five years, guitar legends like Scotty Moore, Jody Williams and the late Link Wray; music iconoclasts such as Tony Joe White, Blowfly, and the Sun Ra Arkestra; and New Orleans heroes like Dave Bartholomew, Eddie Bo and Earl Palmer have made the stage their home for The Ponderosa Stomp, a true cultural celebration that honors these heroes of rock ‘n roll and beyond.
In addition to producing The Ponderosa Stomp, The Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau also produces events throughout the year, including showcases at Austin’s South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) New Orleans’ own Voodoo Music Experience and one-night-only concerts in New Orleans and Memphis. For example, revered arranger/songwriter Wardell Quezergue, “the Creole Beethoven” who arranged such beloved Crescent City tunes as “Iko Iko,” “Barefootin,’” “Mr. Big Stuff,” “Groove Me” and “Chapel of Love” is back at work due to the efforts of The Mystic Knights. Blind, Wardell is now working with his son Brian Quezergue to transcribe his arrangements and showcase his talents via the Wardell Quezergue Rhythm & Blues Revue, a project under the aegis of the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau and the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund. “The Ponderosa Stomp is a great opportunity for the pioneers of the music industry to get together and play for enthusiastic crowds and finally get the recognition they deserve. It was one of the highlights of my career,” says Dennis Coffey, legendary guitarist who has played with artists like The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Four Tops. The Mystic Knights is partnering with the House of Blues, New Orleans Fine Hotels, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Factory to help sponsor the 2007 Ponderosa Stomp. Additional sponsors will follow. For more information, visit http://www.ponderosastomp.com
JazzReview.com
