Shawn Pittman & guests

SHAWN PITTMAN was born in Talihina, Oklahoma, but found his musical roots in Texas Blues when he moved to Dallas at the age of seventeen to attend the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts. He expanded his musical education through a kind of “on-the-job training” in the city’s clubs, thanks to his uncle, who took him to local jams around town. This was how Shawn first met and learned from musicians such as Hashbrown, Sam Myers, Mike Morgan, Jim Suhler, Tutu Jones, and many others.

Pittman recorded his first album, DALLAS BLUES, in 1996 and has since released a total of 15 albums, while also touring the world and sharing the stage with notable artists such as Sugar Ray Rayford, Shamekia Copeland, Susan Tedeschi, Hubert Sumlin, Joe Louis Walker, Kim Wilson, James Cotton, Pine Top Perkins, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher, Lou Ann Barton, Tab Benoit, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, and many others.

JANNI EDEN is the evening’s younger and female element, and as such not strictly a blues singer, but rather the highly accomplished frontwoman of the country band What’s In The Bag. Country and Texas Blues are, after all, related—if nothing else through cowboy boots and Longhorns. So we see it as an excellent match and are delighted that she accepted the invitation.

KENT THOMSEN, singer and guitarist, has by now achieved cult status on the Danish blues scene. A bluesman to the bone—raw and heartfelt. No frills, no nonsense, no mufflers, crash helmets, or Plan B. Just soul and feeling, straight from a dark yet poetic spirit that at the same time radiates down-to-earth Jutlandic humor.

MORTEN HUSTED, singer and multi-instrumentalist by the grace of God. Tireless and frequently in demand as a sideman—whether it’s pop, rock, blues, or country. Husted plays everything, on everything. Tonight, however, we’re also letting him take the microphone, because he is one hell of a singer too.

PETER BØDKER on keyboards, whom you may also have seen backing artists such as Johnny Madsen, Bamses Venner, and many others. Bødker now lives in Aarhus, but what better occasion to lure him “home” again to Kolding.

PETER GRUSCHY is a saxophonist and currently very active in the Bruce Springsteen tribute band THE BOSS, but he has also played jazz and funk. He began playing saxophone at the age of 12 and moved to the USA at 24, where he played with the band Surge, among others. Fortunately, he has long since returned home—otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to entice him to join us here tonight.