Legendary Blues Musician BOBBY RUSH recently received a 2024 GRAMMY® Award Nomination for “Best Traditional Blues Album” for his album ‘All My Love For You’. This is Bobby Rush’s 8th GRAMMY® Award Nomination, while he won GRAMMY® Awards in both 2017 and 2021. Tickets for Bobby Rush and his Band at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH on Friday January 19 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2024 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster.com and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Dec. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ —
Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club Features 2x-GRAMMY® Award-Winner, 7x-GRAMMY Award Nominee, Blues Hall of Famer, 14x-Blues Music Award-Winner, and 56x-Blues Music Award Nominated Singer & Songwriter BOBBY RUSH and his Band on Friday January 19 at 7:30 P.M. Bobby Rush is a living legend who has been making records for over 70 years and has more than 400 recordings, 77 career releases, and now 28 studio albums to his name.
“The musician has been nominated for six Grammy Awards during the 21st century and won two (in 2017 and 2021) for Best Traditional Blues Album. The general excellence of his latest release, All My Love For You, suggests he is in line to win another.”
— POPMATTERS (2023 Album Review of ‘All My Love for You’ – Nominated for a 2024 GRAMMY® Award)
“A living legend”
— GLIDE MAGAZINE
“I just loved his style…He was the first one I heard that brought the funk to the blues.”
— CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM
“Entertaining” may not be the first word associated with the blues. But you couldn’t find a more entertaining blues show than long-timer Bobby Rush.”
— MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
“He’s one of a kind… All hail the king!”
— NO DEPRESSION
During his renowned stage shows, Bobby Rush frequently jumps high into the air, arms spread and legs tucked, only to land gracefully and return without a hitch to his dazzling routine. It’s a move you might expect at a contemporary R&B show, but it’s downright shocking when you realize that Rush is in his late 80s!
“I never thought I would be here this long,” says Rush. “I was 83 years old before I won a GRAMMY®, but it’s better late than never. I laugh about it, but I’m so blessed and I surely never thought I’d be making a living doing what I’m doing. I’m not just an old guy on my way out.”
Most recently, Bobby Rush won the 2021 Blues Music Award for “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” for Rawer Than Raw. The album also won the GRAMMY® Award for “Best Traditional Blues Album”. In 2020, Rush won the Blues Music Award for “Soul Blues Album of the Year” for Sitting on Top of the Blues. Prior to this, Bobby Rush won the 2017 Blues Music Award for “Blues Album of the Year” for Porcupine Meat, which also won the GRAMMY® Award for “Best Traditional Blues Album.”
At the Blues Music Awards, Bobby Rush has been Nominated 17 times for the “BB King Entertainer of the Year”, which is the highly prestigious and coveted Blues Music Award given every year to the most outstanding live performer. He won the award in 2015. Rush has also been Nominated 16 times for “Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year” (winning the award 5 times).
Bobby Rush’s story began in rural Homer/Haynesville, Louisiana, where Rush—born Emmett Ellis, Jr. —grew up on his family’s farm picking cotton, tending to mules and chickens, and living in a home without electricity nor indoor plumbing. He built his first guitar on the side of the family’s house out of broom wire, nails, bottles and bricks.
Rush left behind farm work to perform on the road with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, and as “Bobby Rush“—a name he took on out of respect to his father, a minister—he toured the jukes and clubs of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi before settling in Chicago in the 1950s. Through singles on labels including Chess, ABC and Philadelphia International and relentless touring Rush established an unparalleled reputation as an entertainer, which later led to him being crowned by Rolling Stone magazine as “King of the Chitlin’ Circuit”, the network of African American clubs that arose during the segregation era.
In 1971, Rush broke through on the national charts with the lowdown funk grinder Chicken Heads for Galaxy Records. Rush Hour, a 1979 album for Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records, should have made Bobby a huge star but didn’t receive its’ proper due until the 2000s, when Rolling Stone recognized it as one of the best blues albums of the ’70s.
In 1983, Rush’s lascivious album Sue sold over a million records despite little mainstream airplay. During this period Rush established his reputation of playing a minimum of 200 shows a year.
In the new millennium, Rush made a late-career grab for mainstream recognition. He earned his first GRAMMY® Award Nomination for his 2000 album Hoochie Man. He was Nominated for a GRAMMY® Award in 2014 for the album Down in Louisiana and again in 2015 for the album Decisions. In 2017, Rush won his first GRAMMY® Award for his 25th studio album, Porcupine Meat (2017), with guest artists Dave Alvin, Joe Bonamassa, Vasti Jackson, and Keb’ Mo’ and his second GRAMMY® Award for the album Rawer Than Raw in 2021.
Based in Jackson, Mississippi since the early ’80s, Rush began “crossing over” to new audiences several decades ago, featured in the Martin Scorsese-produced documentary “The Road to Memphis“; appearing alongside Terrence Howard, Snoop Dogg and Mavis Staples in the documentary “Take Me to the River”; and performing on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon along with Dan Aykroyd. And the eternally youthful Rush was even able to play himself in the 1970s in Netflix’s 2019 hit biopic “Dolemite is My Name” in a scene with Eddie Murphy.
Over the last several years, Rush re-recorded his 1971 hit “Chicken Heads” together with his old friend Buddy Guy and young blues star Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and wrote a critically acclaimed autobiography, “I Ain’t Studdin’ You: My American Blues Story“.
Bobby Rush has become one of the most prominent advocates for the blues tradition, and says “it’s the root of all music, it’s the mother of all music.” And he has no plans to slow down. “I’m still in decent health and my mind is pretty keen, and the most blessed thing is that I still have people around me who love what I do. And even if you don’t like me, you’re still going to say, “I don’t like Bobby Rush, but, damn, he’s good.’
BOBBY RUSH Tickets & Current Schedule of Shows
Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club’s 2023 Schedule of Shows includes 10 NEA Jazz Masters, 51 GRAMMY® Award-Winning Artists, 48 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 450+ GRAMMY® Award Nominations amongst them. Tickets for BOBBY RUSH at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club on Friday January 19 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2024 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
ABOUT JIMMY’S JAZZ & BLUES CLUB
The mission of Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience featuring serious jazz and blues music served with exceptional cuisine. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club features a spectacular and visually breathtaking environment engineered to deliver the highest quality acoustics while utilizing state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is located within a beautifully restored 1905 building at 135 Congress Street in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. For more information visit www.JimmysOnCongress.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JimmysJazzBlues and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjazzblues/. Sign-up for Jimmy’s Email Newsletter to stay informed on Upcoming Shows, New Artist Announcements, Promotional Offers, Ticket On-Sale Dates, Special Performances, and Jimmy’s Sunday Jazz Brunch. In June 2023, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club was given the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its’ outstanding Wine List.
PRIVATE EVENTS AT JIMMY’S
An architecturally breathtaking center of arts and culture in the heart of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club offers a rare and spectacular venue to host important corporate functions, weddings, intimate or large-scale social gatherings, private parties, and memorable celebrations. The team at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club put heart and soul into creating a stunning full-service event space with new state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies delivered with outstanding next-level culinary experiences. Our high-touch approach, provided by professional and experienced event staff, ensures that everything is tailored to exceed your expectations. To start a conversation about hosting your event at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, please call us at 888-603-5299, or fill out Jimmy’s Private Event Request Form.
JOIN THE TEAM AT THE LABRIE GROUP FAMILY OF RESTAURANTS
Motivated by a commitment to culinary and hospitality excellence, founders Michael and Peter Labrie and their leadership team understand it is essential to seek out talented team members for each of The Labrie Group family of restaurants — Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, The Atlantic Grill, The River House, and Rio Tequila Cantina — all in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Career opportunities and current job openings can be found at www.TheLabrieGroup.com.
