Deep South Blues came to the Hinckley ACT

Wednesday 9th June 2010 brought one of the foremost blues instrumentalists in the World to the Hinckley ACT. Kent Duchaine and his National Steel Guitar are very well known double act! With special guest Tony Jones.

About Kent
Kent Duchaine started in music when his father taught him to play the ukulele at the age of six, at thirteen he got his first electric guitar and formed a band with his buddies in his hometown of Wayzata, Minnesota, playing mainly popular music at private parties and school functions.

After reading some liner notes of an Eric Clapton album Kent started researching blues music. He discovered a Robert Johnson album and was astounded and fascinated at the banging sound as the bottle neck knocked against the frets as Johnson slid it up and down the neck of his guitar. Kent used a butter knife at first determined to recapture the wonderful sound.

He immersed himself into the blues music of Johnson, Muddy Waters, Lightening Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Bukka White and never looked back. Kent learned to play the slide guitar and soon developed his own ferocious wild style. In 1970 he opened a show for one his hero’s, the slide guitar genius, Bukka White.

From 1972 - 1975 Kent performed in a band with Kim Wilson from the present day “Fabulous Thunderbirds”. The band backed up blues greats such as Fenton Robinson, Boogie Woogie Red, Luther Tucker, Hubert Sumlin and Eddie Burns. The reputation of the band grew and Willie Dixon arranged a recording contract and a concert sharing the bill with Albert Collins, John Lee hooker, Howling Wolf and Margie Evens.

In 1979 Kent met up with his beloved and ever faithful Leadbessie. She’s a beat up 1934 National Steel Guitar that wows and astounds audiences when the equally beat up case she travels in is opened and her extra heavy strings are furiously played. Kent discovered and looked up a legendary blues man with the name of Johnny Shines in 1989.

Booking and venue details

The entrance fee for the evening was £8 for members and £9 for non-members. The event started at 8 pm, with doors opening at 7.30 p.m. 

The Hinckley ACT
Based in the Sketchley Meadows Business Park, Hinckley ACT is a high quality music venue that offers an informal and intimate atmosphere for concerts and for the monthly club nights, where musicians can come along  and ‘take the stage.’  Established by company chairman, Keith London, on the premises of his firm Advanced Carbide Tooling (A.C.T.), the venue provides full stage and seating facilities, plus top quality sound and lighting equipment.

There is a licensed bar and ample free car parking.
Telephone 01455 631 609  and ask for Keith or Pam London. Or email us at info@hinckleyact.co.uk