Delta blues and jazz artist Kelly Joe Phelps to play at Pacific Road Arts Centre

Sep 23 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

DELTA blues and jazz artist Kelly Joe Phelps is performing at Pacific Road Arts Centre in Birkenhead on Friday.

Born in Washington, USA in 1959, Phelps began playing guitar at the age of 13, playing mostly jazz before being seduced by the blues.

His style of playing – laying the guitar on his lap using an iron bar as a slide – attracted a keen following and he released his debut album, Lean On Me, in 1995 to critical acclaim.

He has worked with musicians like Tim O’Brien, Rory Block and Bill Frissell, whom describes Phelps as “an inspiration” – and is regarded by his peers as one of the finest guitarists in the world. The majority of numbers on his latest album, Western Bell, were improvised on the spot in the studio.

His Pacific Road gig starts at 8pm. Tickets are £14, available from the box office on 666 0000 or online at www.pacificroad.co.uk