Mike Dollins, The Cruize Brothers to perform at KASU Bluesday Tuesday May 14
JONESBORO, Ark. — For the May 14 Bluesday Tuesday concert in Newport, KASU Radio brings back Mike Dollins and the Cruize Brothers for their first Newport appearance in over four years. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at Newport Country Club, 703 Walker Drive, and is free to the public. KASU will pass the hat for the band.
Mike Dollins has earned the respect of blues musicians, record producers and radio deejays from San Diego to Philadelphia to London. Born in 1945 in southern California, he got his first guitar at the age of 13 and grew up listening to early rhythm and blues, rock and roll and jazz. He played in his first band, The Esquires, in 1960.
As America’s musical tastes changed over the next 50 years, so did Dollins’ clothing and hair styles. But his passion for the blues remained constant while he perfected his guitar craftsmanship. Dollins became a well-known band member and leader in the southern California club, festival and studio scene playing styles that ranged from rhythm and blues to gospel.
About 10 years ago, Dollins moved to Arkansas and found a musical home in the Delta blues region. Mike Dollins and the Cruise Brothers Band is based in Benton, Ark., and will release a new CD in June that represents over a decade of their best work. The band has played at nightspots and at blues events all over Arkansas including Hot Springs, Helena, Fayetteville and Little Rock. They have played at one previous KASU event in Newport.
KASU station manager Mike Doyle said, “Mike Dollins is a 68-year-old guitar master and a musical treasure that has been playing for over half a century. We’re glad to bring him back for Newport’s Bluesday Tuesday audience. You can enjoy this night by dancing to a full tilt boogie band if you like, or by just sitting back and appreciating their subtle styling and musical craftsmanship.”
The monthly Bluesday Tuesday concerts at Newport Country Club are presented without membership fee or cover charge by KASU, the broadcasting service of Arkansas State University, underwritten by ASU-Newport, C and C Distributors, and Harris Ford in Newport. The Newport Country Club prepares a buffet supper available for a fee.
