Music Legends The Fabulous
Thunderbirds and Solomon Burke
Named As Headline Acts for Free Weekend Event
CHOCTAW, Miss. (October 6,
2008) - Pearl River Resort, the Southeast's premier luxury
gaming and entertainment destination, will host the first
annual Blues at The Moon music festival presented by Ground
Zero Blues Club, at the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino on
October 17 and 18. The festival comes in advance of the
planned Ground Zero Blues Club, an initiative being spearheaded
by Academy Award-winning actor and Blues enthusiast Morgan
Freeman and scheduled to open at The Golden Moon in 2009.
"
The Blues at The Moon festival
demonstrates Pearl River Resort's commitment to Blues music
as we move forward with plans for the new Ground Zero Blues
Club," said Freeman, who co-owns the original Ground
Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS. "The club and the
festival have the same goal: furthering the understanding
of, and appreciation for, Blues music of all genres to all
generations."
The festival opens on the
evening of October 17, featuring Blues sensation's The Fabulous
Thunderbirds as the headliners at 10:30 P.M. who will perform
their distinctive style of Blues music. Saturday's headline
act is the legendary Solomon Burke who has been recording
innovative blues for more than 50 years. Burke will perform
at 10:30 P.M.
Other acts include Big Jack
Johnson, Deborah Coleman, Eddie Cotton, Jimmy Duck Holmes,
Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band,
Bobby Rush and Ruby Wilson. A full list of musicians and
scheduled performing times can be found at www.pearlriverresort.com.
"
Mississippi is synonymous
with Blues music so when we decided to host a music festival,
it was an obvious choice to celebrate the state's heritage
with Blues at The Moon," said Miko Beasley Denson, Chief
of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. "This festival
- as well as the new Ground Zero Blues Club - is going to
make the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino an important way station
on the Mississippi Blues Trail."
Award-winning artist John
Robinette, a Memphis-based artist who focuses on Delta-inspired
artwork, has created an original piece that will serve as
the official festival emblem available for purchase on both
T-Shirts and posters. And in the spirit of pairing great
Blues with great barbecue, a variety of barbecue and other
Southern cuisine will be readily available as well.
"
Blues at The Schools"
On Friday, October 17 festival
organizers will include special "Blues at The Schools" lectures
at Philadelphia City and Neshoba Central elementary schools,
as well as several schools located on the Choctaw reservation.
Led by Dr. Alfonso Sanders, head of the Fine Arts Department
at Mississippi Valley State University, and recording artist
Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry, the education sessions
will help local students learn about the deep-seeded roots
that Blues music has in Mississippi. On the evening of Thursday,
October 16, Sanders and Perry will host a free open-to-the-public
discussion on Blues history at the Old Ellis Theatre in
Philadelphia. The evening also will be punctuated by a jam
session with professional Blues musicians.
Benefit to Delta Blues Museum
To help support Blues education,
Pearl River Resort will be donating $2.00 for every person
who attends the festival to the Delta Blues Museum (up to
$10,000). Located at the intersection of Highways 61 and
49 in Clarksdale, MS - the legendary "crossroads" of
the beginnings of Blues music - the museum is a place where
visitors find meaning, value, and perspective by exploring
Blues history and heritage.
"
The Blues at The Moon music
festival brings great acts, storied music history and a touch
of southern charm to The Golden Moon Hotel & Casino," added
Dale Hipsh, executive vice president and chief operating officer
of Pearl River Resort. "This is the first year of what
we hope will become the biggest music festival in the state
of Mississippi. As good ambassadors to the state and huge
fans of Blues music, we are honored to be in the position
to make a charitable donation to an institution like the Delta
Blues Museum that helps keep Blues music a thriving art form."
For more information call
(866) 44-PEARL or visit www.pearlriverresort.com.
About Pearl River Resort
Pearl River Resort, located in Choctaw, Mississippi, is the
Southern United States' first comprehensive luxury gaming
resort. The resort features the Silver Star and Golden Moon,
two exciting hotel/casinos with nearly 4,500 slot machines,
more than 100 table games, 1,074 hotel rooms, 16 restaurants,
European spa facilities, shopping and live entertainment.
Also featured is The Dancing Rabbit Golf Club with two championship
golf courses and Geyser Falls Water Theme Park.
Pearl River Resort is a development
of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally
recognized, self-governing tribe with approximately 9,600
members living on or near reservation land. For more information,
go to www.pearlriverresort.com.
