Chris English 'Blues in the Black Box' Concert to Benefit SU Department of Music Fund

SALISBURY, MD---Blues musician and Salisbury University Department of Music faculty Chris English presents his fourth annual performing arts fundraiser 8 p.m. Saturday, October 29, in the Black Box Theatre of Fulton Hall.

English brings Delta-style blues to Salisbury. Special guests include Ted Nichols with SU’s African Drum Ensemble; Nancy Mitchell, reciting blues poetry; and the Chris English Band and friends.

English began playing guitar at age 11. His older brother introduced him to the blues in the late 1960s, during high school. English concentrated on slide guitar and harmonica, teaching himself to play.

“His warm voice can display a rough edge one minute and then captures a mournful quality as it easily slips into a higher register,” said Mark Thompson of the Crossroads Blues Society. “His guitar playing is stellar, and his harmonica provides a nice complement without being overdone.”

Throughout the years he has learned the subtleties that make each type of blues special. He concentrated primarily on the Delta style of blues dominant in Mississippi. He also uses vintage guitars from the ’30s to replicate the sound and feeling of the blues he has studied and loves. He puts that sound to good use in his class “Blues: the Roots of Rock and Roll,” which he created and teaches at SU.

English released his third album, Chris English 1-13-07, in 2009. His second album, Lowdown in the House, was released in 2004 and his first album, Live at the Avalon, was recorded at the Avalon Theatre in Easton and released in 1996.

A $10 donation is suggested at the door to benefit the Department of Music Performing Arts Fund. Checks should be made payable to the Salisbury University Foundation, Inc., with “Performing Arts Fund” in the memo line.

For more information call 410-543-6385 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.