The Blues Band at Durham's Gala Theatre

FIVE virtuoso musicians who have performed with some of the blues’ biggest stars are performing on Saturday, February 4, at Durham Gala Theatre.

The aptly-named The Blues Band decided to fly in the face of musical fashion in 1979 and form a band to play their favourite genre. No one could have predicted that 36 years on, they would still be dazzling audiences with a unique blend of showmanship and virtuosity.

More than 20 albums and thousands of gigs later, they have certainly earned their reputation as one of the finest blues bands on the planet.

The line-up have played with some of the most successful bands and musicians of the genre in the past 40 years.

Paul Jones(Manfred Mann, Memphis Slim, Alexis Corner, Otis Grand and many more. He currently hosts radio shows on both Radio 2 and Jazz FM), Dave Kelly (Performed with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Woolf and John Lee Hooker), Tom McGuinness (The Roosters – with Eric Clapton, Manfred Mann, McGuinness Flint), Gary Fletcher (Sam Apple Pie, The Wildcats) and Rob Townsend (Family, Medicine Head, Duane Eddy) make up the band's formidable line-up.

TV, films, a stadium tour with Dire Straits, have also seen the band travel from Greece to Finland, Poland to Portugal, Italy to Denmark, and when the Blues Band arrive, the fans turn out in their thousand.

Viv Hardwick