Cascade Blues Association Show Preview
September 2014
“The opening set for the meeting will be a newly formed acoustic duo called “The Mudbugs,” pairing one of Portland’s favorite couples, KG and Candy Jackson.
KG has been a Portland blues mainstay for over two decades and is currently the bass player for Michael Osborn and The Drivers. KG also plays rhythm and lead guitars, and is a Muddy nominated Best Male Vocalist. He is a prolific songwriter and many of The Mudbugs tunes will be originals.
Candy Jackson, on accordions and washboard, studied piano as a child. She didn’t discover the accordion until her 50th birthday when she woke up on that day and declared to KG that she wanted to learn accordion. KG realized she is a very determined gal when she puts her mind to something and watched her wrestle that accordion to the ground. He invited her to join his band “KG Jackson and The Shakers” and she was honored to be part of that band’s Muddy nomination for Best New Band. She has learned to play accordion at Centrum’s annual Blues Week up in Port Townsend under the tutelage of blues and zydeco greats such as Jude Taylor, Sunpie Barnes, Curley Taylor, and most recently Corey Ledet, and her mentor Washboard Chaz.
The Mudbugs have diverse musical interests and will play some Blues, Zydeco, Country, and all things Americana. This is their debut performance so let’s give them a very warm and friendly CBA welcome!”