
NAKED CITY: DAMN RIGHT SYDNEY HAS THE BLUES!
When Buddy Guy plays the Enmore Theatre next April for his ’Damn Right Farewell’ tour of Australia there’s bound to be a full house. That was not the case with his first Australian appearance way back in 1972 at the Hordern Pavilion along with Junior Wells and Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup. The Pav was only a quarter full, much to the disappointment of pioneer blues and jazz promoter Kim Bonython, who expressed his disappointment on stage as he introduced the night.
Over the past fifty years Australian audiences have been treated to a remarkable list of blues, soul, r’n’b and roots performers from the USA. We have enjoyed some of the genre’s biggest names and also some of the more obscure artists in venues both packed to the rafters and embarrassingly empty. When you look at the quality of the artists who have toured since the early seventies, you realise just how fortunate local blues fans have been.

Unlike rock and pop artists who often sell millions of records and arrive with the massive promotional support of a multi-national record company, most of the blues acts who visit come with little hype or album sales. It often means promoters are taking a considerable risk, in many cases touring from the heart rather than their pocket. Since the first Buddy Guy tour, promoters such as Ray Evans and Michael Gudinski, Kevin Oxford, Peter Noble and Bob McKinnon, to name just a few, have paved the way and introduced numerous artists to local audiences.
It would be impossible to list all the performers who have toured during the last half century and perhaps there’s an entire book to be written if somebody would like to put in the research – but here are just some of the highlights, specific to their Sydney appearances.
We got to see the great Muddy Waters on two separate occasions, playing both the Hordern and the Sydney Town Hall (complete with the famous Chess echo!). Freddy King toured with Hound Dog Taylor who tore it up at a legendary club gig at the Bondi Lifesaver. B.B. King visited a number of times including an emotional farewell concert date at the State Theatre in 2011. Likewise James Brown, who also toured on several occasions, including an unusual first Sydney show at the old Sydney Hilton’s supper club.
Johnny Shines, Johnny Johnson, Taj Mahal, Margie Evans, Johnny Rawls, Syl Johnson, James Cotton, RL Burnside, Marva Wright, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Jon Cleary, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Carey Bell, Robert Jnr Lockwood, Henry Butler, Champion Jack Dupree, Big Bill Morganfield and Big Jay McNeely all played the Basement whilst Coco Robicheaux, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Johnny Copeland and the Rebirth Brass Band starred at the much loved Harbourside Brasserie.
Solomon Burke, seated for the entire performance on an ornate throne, played one of the greatest shows ever witnessed in Sydney, to a half full audience at the Metro. Percy Sledge and Bobby Womack both battled the acoustics at the Concert Hall in the Opera House, Wilson Pickett could not scream quite as loud at the Hordern and Sam & Dave ‘held on’ at the old Chevron Hotel in Potts Point.
Zydeco fans got to see Beau Jocque over four memorable nights at The Basement, Buckwheat Zydeco at Balmain RSL, Rockin’ Dopsie at Paddington RSL, Queen Ida at Darling Harbour and Rosie Ledet at Notes.
The Enmore Theatre hosted numerous concerts including the Five Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Gospel Hummingbirds, Robert Cray, Albert King and William Clarke whilst the Queen of New Orleans Soul, Irma Thomas, played to a packed audience at The Factory.

Some of the more unusual dates included High Tide Harris gigging for prisoners, under considerable personal sufferance, at the Central Industrial Prison at Long Bay, the great Chicago band leader and songwriter Willie Dixon doing a lunchtime show at Macquarie University and Mavis Staples bravely battling through a badly lost voice at the Metro. When the late Lucky Peterson played at the Bridge Hotel in Rozelle, he exited the venue on a hundred foot guitar lead, lying down whilst still strumming on the median strip in the middle of Victoria Road, much to the shock of all who witnessed it.
Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley, T-Model Ford, Little Brother Montgomery, Lonnie Brooks and Billy Boy Arnold all played shows in Sydney – and the list goes on and on.
Mention should also be made of Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges, who must surely hold the title of our most prolific blues tourist. Apart from the pandemic years, Eugene has toured every year since 1999 and played hundreds of different towns and cities in every state of Australia. He once flew from the UK to Adelaide just to perform a single song at a wedding and it’s no surprise he’s back in 2023 for Bluesfest as well as shows around the country.
Many thanks to Tim Gunn at Eastside Radio for his great help in compiling this list. Check out his excellent blues and gospel program ‘Across The Tracks’ broadcast every Sunday and available on podcast at: