Last updated 11:41, Thursday, 03 July 2008

CALIFORNIAN bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart plays Maryport Blues Festival this year, supporting Chuck Berry on the opening night on July 25.

The guitarist, of whom the legendary Taj Mahal once said that “the boy has got thunder in his hands”, replaces Shemekia Copeland.

Known as a musician’s musician, Alvin Youngblood Hart’s praises have been sung by everyone from Ben Harper to Brit guitar gods Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor.

Since his multi-award-winning 1996 debut album, the all-acoustic Big Mama’s Door, Hart has performed at international venues from the Hollywood Bowl to London’s Royal Albert Hall. His 1998 album Territory embraced numerous genres including roots, ska, and Louisiana soul, earning the Downbeat magazine Critics’ Poll Award for Best Blues Album. Hart then teamed up with producer Jim Dickinson to begin recording Start with the Soul.

Tickets for Maryport Blues cost: Friday £35; Saturday £45; Sunday £45; Weekend £95, available from www.ticketline.co.uk, from The Carnegie, Workington, or by calling 01900 602122 or 0871 424 4444.