At 9 tonight (February 27), PBS will broadcast In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues, a concert that took place Tuesday, February 21, in the East Room of the White House.
Buddy Guy (pictured), B.B. King, Jeff Beck (pictured) and Mick Jagger, plus Austin guitarist Gary Clark Jr., Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Keb Mo, Shemekia Copeland and Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews performed at the event, a celebration of American blues music that also commemorated Black History Month. Recent Grammy winner Booker T. Jones was the event's musical director.
Some of the highlights of the broadcast, which you can check out in the videos below, include President Obama singing a verse of "Sweet Home Chicago" (after Buddy Guy talks him into it and Mick Jagger hands him the microphone) and Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger and Gary Clark Jr. gathering to play "Five Long Years," an Eddie Boyd tune from 1952.
Also below is an outtake from the PBS broadcast -- Jeff Beck performing "Brush With the Blues" with his new band, bassist Rhonda Smith and drummer Veronica Bellino.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
