Blind Willie's

Where were you in 1986? Ronald Reagan was president. William Perry and the Chicago Bears enjoyed "The Super Bowl Shuffle." The Dow Jones Industrial Average was under 2,000. Jonny Lang was 5 years old. And Blind Willie's was opening its doors in Virginia-Highland. More than 6,500 nights of live music later, Blind Willie's celebrated its 18th anniversary this year, and the Blind Willie's house band, the Shadows, still backs many of the performers. Co-founders Eric King and Roger Gregory (who doubles as Shadows' bassist) built the club, literally, with carpentry and painting support from local musicians, among them Chicago Bob Nelson and guitarists J.T. Speed and Michael Catalano. "It was a real musicians' project," King recalls. "They worked their butts off. They just wanted a place to play." Our house band, "The Shadows", back up blues singers Luther Houserocker Johnson, Francine Reed, Sandra Hall, Sweet Betty, Tommy Brown, Chick Willis, and more special guests! "The Shadows" are: Albey Scholl on harmonica & vocals; Kenny Kilgore on lead, rhythm & slide guitars; Roger Gregory on bass; Bill Stewart on drums.