Lil’ Jimmy Reed and Gail Ceasar at Freight Train Blues

Gail Ceasar floats somewhere between bluegrass and the blues. Her music has roots that run deep in Virginia soil. Taught the blues by her uncle, Pete Witcher, Gail’s Piedmont style is “reminiscent of Etta Baker and Elizabeth Cotten” (Bluegrass Situation). Losing her home to a fire in 2022 didn’t stop her from releasing her debut album, Guitar Woman Blues. The album, produced by Music Maker, has been called “sweet and captivating” and “gritty and raw as the high lonesome wind” (Americana Highways). She performed with Music Maker at the National Gallery of Art in February 2023. 

Lil’ Jimmy Reed began writing his own music the moment he picked up a guitar. Since then he has played across the world, from London to Jerusalem. Though not related to his famous namesake, he was once booked by a promoter as Lil’ Jimmy Reed and kept the moniker, as he is a master of the elder Reed’s style and repertoire on guitar and harmonica. In addition to being a triple threat, he is also a military veteran, who served our country for 20 years. As the last of the early Baton Rouge bluesmen, Lil’ Jimmy Reed embodies the down-home Louisiana blues tradition. Recently signed by NOLA Blue Records, the octogenarian has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.