Two-time Grammy winner and versatile bluesman Taj Mahal will headline the UnTapped Blues & Brews Festival this May, event organizers have announced.

The self-taught singer/songwriter and instrumentalist, who real name is Henry Saint Clair Fredericks Jr., has won international acclaim and a worldwide following for his work, which blends world music and sounds from the Caribbean, Africa and the South Pacific with American blues. Among other instruments, he incorporates the guitar, banjo and harmonica into his music.

Despite earning a degree in animal husbandry and agronomy, Fredericks never followed through on his plan to become a farmer. Music was always there, he explained in a 2013 National Public Radio interview, and somehow, he eventually realized that it was the life he was meant to live.

"No matter what went down, music was always going to be a part of my life," Fredericks told NPR. "What ultimately happened is that, over a period of time, I just kind of looked around and when like, 'Wow! I'm actually making a living doing this.'"

After a career spanning more than 40 years, agriculture's loss is music's gain.

Taj Mahal will take the Wicked Cider stage during the May 8-9 festival, which begins with Blues on the Columbia at Clover Island Inn on Clover Island and continues the next day at the Benton County Fairgrounds.

The festival features a number of local blues, rock and country bands, and showcases microbrews and foods from around the region.

Tickets are on sale at www.untappedblues.com. Passes are available for each day or as an overall festival ticket.

 

 

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