Goin' Down To The Crossroads...

US Clapton Festival this weekend in Dallas 03/06/04

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Eric Clapton's The Crossroads Guitar Festival, An SBC Presentation, is set to take place Friday, June 4 through Sunday, June 6 features the Guitar Center Village at Fair Park in Dallas. This one-time event, created for music enthusiasts around the globe, will raise money for Crossroads Centre Antigua, the treatment and education center founded in 1997 by Eric Clapton. The opening of the Guitar Center Village, coordinated by Guitar Center, the national retailer of musical instruments takes place at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 4 and events continue throughout the weekend. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend guitar clinics with legendary performers who will appear together, possibly for the only time in their careers. Paul Reed Smith kicks off the festivities at the Guitar Center Village on June 4 with a clinic from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by Chris Polland's OHM from 4:45 to 6:45 p.m. The Acoustic Clinic, featuring Doyle Dykes, Peter Huttlinger and Laurence Juber, is slated for 7 to 8 p.m. The Blues Clinic at 8:00 p.m. will feature Honey Boy Edwards (original practitioner of Delta Blues); Robert Lockwood Jr. (stepson of Robert Johnson, original King Biscuit member), backed by Duke Robillard (replaced Jimmie Vaughan in Fabulous Thunderbirds). This is the first Blues gathering of its kind. Both Honey Boy Edwards and Robert Lockwood Jr. are icons, both octogenarians. On Saturday, June 5, Styx will rock the stage at 11:00 a.m. with a full set at Guitar Center Village Main Stage. The Shredders Clinic will follow Styx at noon with featured artists Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme); Tony Franklin (The Firm); George Lynch (Dokken & Lynch Mob) and Todd Sucherman (Drummer for Styx). The much-anticipated Guitarmageddon will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Guitarmageddon is the largest and most respected guitar competition in the country; providing an opportunity for musicians to showcase their talent, compete for prizes, and the chance to be recognized as one of the country's finest. This is the culmination of Guitar Center's nationwide search for the best amateur guitarist. The winner will receive thousands of dollars in prizes including a 2004 Honda Element, Gibson Pure Custom Shop Guitar and a $2500 shopping spree. Also on Saturday, a group of extraordinary veterans gather at 3 p.m. for a classic Guitar Pull. Artists include Buck Page (original writers of Purple Sage, Ghostriders In The Sky; Cool Water; Don't Fence Me In); Norm Stephens (playing with Merle Haggard's band; previously with Lefty Frizzel); Sonny Curtis (penned songs for Stray Cats, The Clash, Roy Orbison; one of the original Crickets with Buddy Holly) and Ramblin' Jack Elliott (honored at White House with National Medal of Arts - played with Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Joan Baez, Mick Jagger, etc.). Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Doobie Brothers / Steely Dan) will be featured on the Sirius stage from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Throughout the day the Guitar Center Village Main Stage will feature performances by artists including John Mayer, Johnny Lang, JJ Cale, Eric Johnson and others. At 9:00 p.m. an All Star Blues Jam will take place hosted by Eric Clapton with Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Robert Randolph and Jimmie Vaughan. Sunday, June 6 starts with the Johnny A performance at 11:00 a.m. Pickers Corner gets underway at 12:30 p.m. with multi-Grammy winner Marty Stuart; James Burton (Elvis' lead guitar player), Doyle Dykes and Jedd Hughes (one of Nashville's top singing/picking sensations and youngest guitar virtuoso at the event). Tickets to each day of the Crossroads Guitar Festival are sold separately and are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are priced $15 for Friday, $45 for Saturday and $60 for Sunday. Information is available at www.crossroadsguitarfestival.com Donations to Crossroads can be made through 1-888-725-2420.