Concert begins at 6:30PM sharp.
2022 Orion Free Concert Series at Overton Park Shell. Picnic baskets, beverages, blankets, and lawn chairs are always welcome. We also offer food and beverage for sale in our ShellEats community area. Dogs on a leash are welcome in designated areas. Overton Park Shell is a nonsmoking facility.
Memphis Country Blues Lineup:
6:30-7:30PM: Memphis' Own Yella P
8:00PM-9:15PM: Libby Rae Watson
Libby Rae Watson
Libby Rae Watson grew up in Pascagoula, MIssissippi a few blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. She became captivated by Blues music when in her teens after stumbling across a songbook in a local music store. It was full of songs and photos of Blues greats! Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotten.... legends of the early Blues. It was the beginning of a life long infatuation of the music, the people who made it, and the culture of her own State. She later searched for and became friends with several Blues musicians. She was mentored by the great Sam Chatmon who was the last surviving member of the Mississippi Sheiks. "I didn't plan to go 'find' the Blues. The Blues found me. I've been consumed by it for over 40 years! Like Sam Chatmon said, “ The Blues is my daily occupation!”
Since 2012, Libby Rae tours as a solo performer, and with various configurations with fellow musicians Rambling Steve Gardner, Bill Steber, Austin Walking Cane, Walker T. Ryan, Sam Rorex, Sammy Baker and Wes Lee as the Jericho Road Show, The Stoop Down Rounders and the Hoodoo Men. In 2019, she collaborated with Blues mandolin player, Bert Deivert, for a tour in Sweden. This resulted in a new cd released in 2020 called SHE SHIMMY!
YELLA P
At the age of 13, Damion “Yella P” Pearson decided to save up his lunch money for a month in order to purchase his first instrument: a harmonica. Both driven and introverted, he spent countless hours teaching himself to play, listening to records of blues and soul music pioneers and studying the live performances of Memphis blues legends. As his passion for music grew, he eventually took up the guitar, saxophone, trombone, and piano, developing his own unique sound along the way.
In 2001, Yella P started performing alongside ‘Big Jerry’ Parnell, a Beale Street blues legend. Since then, he’s plied his unique blend of blues, jazz, gospel, and hip-hop around the country and abroad. He’s shared the stage with esteemed musicians such as Eric Gales, R.L. Boyce, Kirk Whalum, and the multi-platinum rock band Live. In 2018, he joined forces with Cam Kimbrough (grandson of blues legend Junior Kimbrough) to form Memphissippi Sounds. As their name suggests, this blues duo combines the sounds of their respective birthplaces, with the end result being an authentic blend of Beale Street blues and Hillcountry blues, with plenty of soul and hip-hop added in the mix. In 2021, Memphissippi Sounds released their critically acclaimed debut album, Welcome to the Land, a project that charted internationally and also earned them their first Blues Awards nomination for Best Emerging Artist.
Socials:
Food Trucks:
New Wing Order | Da Guilty Vegan | Lick the Bone
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