Imagine. Create. Inspire.

British born and now US-based, Matt Schofield continues to push the frontiers and reshape the boundaries of the British Blues tradition. A multi-award winning guitar virtuoso, singer, songwriter, producer and band leader, after more than 30 years of performing, and 20 years into his solo career, Schofield's impact as one of the most influential and distinctive guitarists of his generation is unquestionable.Along with a storied career that has taken him and his band to nearly 30 countries worldwide comes awards, industry and critical acclaim - three time "British Blues Guitarist of the Year", "British Blues Album of the Year" and the first guitarist inducted into the "British Blues Awards Hall of Fame". Mojo Magazine "Blues Album of the Year"and Guitar & Bass Magazines "Top Ten British Blues Guitarist of All Time" alongside Eric Clapton and Peter Green.Schofield's fluid and melodic playing and iconic tone has inspired legions of guitarists, and a sought after line of signature instruments and equipment including a Two-Rock Matt Schofield amplifier.What remains ever impressive is Schofield live. From main stages at prestigious festivals such as Montreal and North Sea Jazz, to packed houses in legendary clubs like New York's Iridium or London's 100 Club, Schofield's ability to connect with audiences immediately and profoundly is unforgettable. His authenticity, mastery of guitar, emotive vocals, and improvisational brilliance are brought to life within his innovative original compositions.A renowned musical educator, in 2018 Matt released “Blues Speak”, his highly acclaimed TrueFire instructional series. As a clinician he has taught from Tokyo to Texas and all points in between.Matt’s upcoming record reunites him with his original and much loved organ trio line-up, to mark the 20th anniversary of the album and band that launched his solo career.# Awards and commentary: “In Schofield, the UK has produced the best blues guitarist from any country in decades.” L.A. DAILY NEWS, USA“The best of this generation’s European players. His feel for the music is incredible.” VINTAGE GUITAR, USA“Top ten British Blues guitarists of all time.” GUITAR & BASS, UK“The UK’s most exciting blues guitar player.” GUITARIST, UK

Damon Johnson joins us fresh off his Lynrd Skynrd performance on Nashville's Big New Year's Eve Bash! Damon Johnson is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was first recognized nationally for fronting Brother Cane and scoring three #1 singles on U.S. Rock Radio in the 1990s (“Got No Shame”, “And Fools Shine On”, and “I Lie In The Bed I Make”). With that band, he honed his craft with relentless touring and support slots with the likes of Van Halen, Aerosmith and Robert Plant. Since then Johnson has co-written songs for Stevie Nicks, Carlos Santana, Steven Tyler, and Sammy Hagar. After a short stint working with British vocalist John Waite, Johnson toured the world for several years as guitarist for Alice Cooper and in 2011 he joined legendary Irish rock group, Thin Lizzy. In 2013 the core of that band morphed into a new group, Black Star Riders, and released three well-received albums. Johnson has had several solo releases since 2010, including ‘Birmingham Tonight’ (2018), ‘Memoirs Of An Uprising’ (2019) and ‘Battle Lessons’ (2021). Since August of 2021, Johnson has been performing on lead guitar in Lynyrd Skynyrd, filling in for founding member and guitar legend Gary Rossington. www.damonjohnson.com

Sugarcane Jane, otherwise known as Anthony Crawford and Savana Lee from Loxley, Alabama have been Americana’s sweethearts from Alabama’s Gulf Coast for over a decade. Between them, they have amassed a rich musical heritage working with such notables as Neil Young, Steve Winwood, and Dwight Yoakam. The music they make together is simple and direct, rooted in country and rock, and anchored by their sweet and soulful harmonies.

Jessica Meuse is an American performer from Slapout, Alabama. She has wowed audiences since the age of 10 and plays several instruments (guitar, piano, and classical violin). She was a standout on Season 3 of NBC’s The Voice. Jessica was selected by American Idol’s judges, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick, Jr., for Season 13 of the TV series where she rose to be a Top 4 National Finalist. Jessica also became the first person in the history of Idol to perform her own original song during the finals and joined Idols LIVE Tour, performing in 40+ cities across the USA and Canada.

Imagine. Create. Inspire. Jimmy Hall TICKETS: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36023/production/1168247 Jimmy Hall first gained popularity as the lead vocalist, saxophonist, and harmonica player for the band Wet Willie, emerging from Mobile, Alabama. His unique brand of R&B-infused rock and roll and onstage swagger propelled the group’s signature song, “Keep on Smilin” to the Top 10 on the Billboard singles chart in 1974. After seven albums with Capricorn Records, Wet Willie moved forward to Epic Records releasing the singles “Street Corner Serenade” and “Weekend.” Both singles hit the US Top 40 and five other songs were placed in the Billboard Top 100.

SWANGLISH drops by to talk about their unique musical style and their upcoming show at the Song Theater! Sunday 8-20-23 at 4 pm. SWANGLISH Swanglish (Swahili+English) is an intercultural music group that primarily utilizes East African and Western music styles. Expect a mix of Gospel, funk, pop, neo soul, and Afro jazz fusion. Swanglish founder and band leader, Ben Ndalima, who is a native to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, studied music in the USA. Come enjoy a Sunday afternoon with us at the Song Theater and experience this band's unique sound. Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36023/production/1169936?fbclid=IwAR0O1ngcz-4nglqhsmOP66grhCGsJVU-znJs_O8aAshgV31b5RtcGi2Hkgc Need information about group (10 or more) pricing? Call 205-669-0044 .

Jason Ricci | Imagine. Create. Inspire. The Podcast. 7-14-23 at 7:30pm Song Theater, Columbiana, AL. Jason Ricci is an award-winning singer and harmonica player, many would say he’s one of the best to play the instrument. A true virtuoso on the harmonica. Jason has played with many legendary artists like Sam Lay, Norton Buffalo, Eddie Shaw, Mark Hummel, Mel Solomon, Smokey Wilson, Johnny Winter and Pat Ramsey to name a few. Jason’s band, “The Bad Kind” is a group of New Orleans based musicians who are not afraid to bring some serious rock and jazz chops to their own brand of blues fusion music. Get your tickets for this one-of-a-kind live show! If you are a harmonica enthusiast, check out Jason’s workshop at SCAC on 7-15-23. Made possible by a grant from SOUTHARTS Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36023/production/1159574

Shelly Bailey, Jefferson County Board of Education Visual Art Supervisor and Dr. Terrence M. Brown, Director, Department of Arts Education Jefferson County Schools join Bruce to talk about the Arts Education program. With everything from the Arts Bus to their Signature Academies, they truly have a vision for bringing the arts to all of the students in the Jefferson County schools system. www.jefcoed.com

Birmingham singer/songwriter legend Rick Carter stops by to hang out and talk about his history with Telluride as well as his book and upcoming John Prine Tribute show, Alabama Troubadours! www.rickcartermusic.com www.shelbycountyartscouncil.com

Long time Birmingham musicians and friends Allen Barlow and Jon Cambell to talk about their all-acoustic Led Zeppelin tribute Bron-Yr-Aur. Two incredible musicians! Catch their show LIVE at the Song Theater on February 17th @7:30pm www.shelbycountyartscouncil.com

Get into THE WOODS yall! This up and coming country-rock trio is setting the world on fire with their unique style and sweet vocals! www.getintothewoods.com

www.jerrysiegel.com Siegel Photography opened in January of 1986. Over the past 35+ years, I have honed my craft while shooting photos of people and products; on location and in the studio. For 15 years I sat on the floor and photographed the Atlanta Hawks as a team photographer. I have traveled across the US shooting for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. All these experiences have influenced me and my work. While continuing my commercial business, in 2004 I was offered a show of my photos of found objects (Damaged). This helped turn my attention to focusing more on personal projects. It has been said that I am “an artist who observes, seeing the ordinary and revealing what makes it special. The things we look right past in our hurried daily routines, Siegel captures through the lens of his camera. Throughout this work, Jerry has sought to photograph what his eyes see and what his heart connects to”. Renown photographer, the late Arnold Newman said about Siegel’s work, “This is how it should be done. This is not only the work of a professional but the work of an artist". I was awarded the Grand Prize of the first Artadia Award in Atlanta in 2009. Artadia is a New York–based national program that awards artists of outstanding merit with substantial, unrestricted funds and connects them to a network of opportunities. I was born and raised in Selma, AL, and graduated from the Art Institute of Atlanta. My first monograph, FACING SOUTH, Portraits of Southern Artists was published by the University of Alabama Press in 2011, and features portraits of 100 Southern artists. This body of work has been featured in solo exhibitions at 6 Museums in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. My second book, Black Belt Color, focuses my attentions on documenting the unique, cultural landscape of the South, concentrating on the Black Belt region of Alabama. My work is in many public, private and corporate collections, including the Do Good Fund, High Museum of Art, GA Museum of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, and many more. In the past 12 years his work has been acquired by 14 museums throughout the Southeastern US. My work has also been shown in solo exhibitions and in the permanent collection at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia in Atlanta, The Telfair Museum, Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, GA, Montgomery Museum of Art in Montgomery, AL, The Morris Museum in Augusta, ­­­­­GA, The Jule Colins Smith Museum in Auburn, AL, and The Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL. A commissioned body of work for the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia, was featured in the 2009 solo exhibition Now and Then, Snapshots of the South.

Sean Dietrich is a columnist, novelist, and podcast host, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Southern Living, Garden and Gun, The Tallahassee Democrat, Good Grit, South Magazine, Alabama Living, the Birmingham News, Thom Magazine, The Mobile Press Register, and he has authored thirteen books, and is the creator of the Sean of the South Podcast. www.seandietrich.com, Facebook & Instagram - @seanofthesouth

As part of the SCAC Rising Artist Series, Amacio is a unique modern rock force to be reckoned with. Strong songwriting, catchy guitar hooks, and an amazingly cool textured voice, make this musician someone to watch! He sits in with Bruce to discuss how he found his voice and what he expects when performing for a live audience. Amacio is most definitely an artist to watch! AMACIOFAVOR@GMAIL.COM Follow on Twitter, Facebook @amaciofavor

Birmingham radio personality and actor Kevin Wayne join Bruce to discuss everything from Kevin's role on the popular Netflix series "Outer Banks" to he and Bill's new podcast called "Savage Talks". Follow them on Instagram @savage_talks_media, @kevinwayne, @dollarbillonradio or Facebook @kevinwayne.talent, @dollarbillontheradio, @savagetalksmedia

Eric Essix is a Birmingham guitar legend and with 27 albums under his belt he getting ready to hit the road with his band for the first time in years! His brand new album is "Songs From The Deep". This latest effort by Eric, revisits the artist's favorite theme, his Birmingham, Alabama southern roots. It is a project that reveals the soul of the man and his music as he continues to reconcile love for his homeland, its culture and its people, with its history. https://ericessix.net/home

GRAMMY Award-Winning Musician, Artist and Producer Dave Crenshaw joins the podcast to talk about his upcoming color and sound exhibit at the Shelby County Arts Center in Columbiana, AL as well as his vision impairment and Synesthesia. https://www.facebook.com/thedavecrenshaw/

William A. Yarbrough is an accomplished guitarist and teacher. Listen in as he discusses his method for finding and molding new talent! twitter.com/@TooWAY85 Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter...Alternative/Pop Birmingham, AL www.reverbnation.com/williamamusic

Ron Adair is a freelance illustrator/designer from Colorado. His credits include several U.S. postage stamps and work done for numerous national clients of note including the MLB and NFL. If you would like to learn more about Ron and what he does, please feel free to visit www.ronadair.com.

Byron Thomas is an accomplished pianist and one of the best kept musical secrets in the south. In this podcast Byron talks about his passion for performing and taking his listeners to a new place! https://morfingarzmusic.com/byron-thomas