Summertime Blues

The summertime blues are coming to an end this weekend.
The last of this year’s free Blues on the Hill concerts in Harlingen will feature headliner Andrew Jr. Boy Jones and Mike Zito.
Normally the free blues show sets up in McKelvey Park in Harlingen. However, due to lingering flood waters from the Arroyo Colorado, the final concert of the summer will move to Lon C. Hill Park at Fair Park Boulevard and North J Street in Harlingen.
Andrew Jr. Boy Jones began his professional career at age 16 playing with the backup band for Freddie King, the Thunderbirds. He has also performed with soul singer Bobby Patterson and the Mustangs, Charlie Musselwhite and Sonny Rhodes, among others.
A Dallas native, Jones recorded his first album in 1996 with “I Need Time.” Two years later his second album, “Watch What You Say,” was nominated for a W.C. Handy award for the best new blues artist. A series of recordings have followed, with his most recent album, “Gettin’ Real,” in 2009.
Also on the bill is Mike Zito, hit the St. Louis music scene at the age of 19. His first independent release arrived in 1996, titled “Blue Room” which included raw and funky songs “Hollywood” and “Pull the Trigger.”
His songwriting experience would break through on his second release titled “America’s Most Wanted” in 1999. His most recent recording, “Pearl River,” was released in September 2009 and was nominated for the Best Contemporary Blues CD by Blues Blast Magazine. The title track also won Song of the Year in The Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards.
This summer’s Blues on the Hill series marks the 10th year for the free concerts, which draw as many as 5,000 blues fans for each show.