Mustique Blues
The spirit has always been, “Why not have fun?”. The answer to that question is, to have fun, be yourself and just do it!
That is how the Blues Festival was born more than ten years ago. An old friend of Basil’s, London blues singer Dana Gillespie, was visiting Basil on Mustique. It was Jump Up night and as the reggae band played on, Dana was inspired to sing.
It was clear that blues sung with Reggae did not work, so she sang accapella. the crowd loved the blues, and with her final encore, Dana promised Basil a full on blues festival, if he would only get a proper piano.
Never challenge Basil, as on his next visit to New York City he sought and bought the perfect piano for the bar. The following January, Dana true to her word, arrived with musicans in tow, and for two weeks, Basil’s Bar rocked with the sounds of the blues.
Around that time, Basil was formalizing his Basil Charles Educational Foudation. While it was unlikely the blues festival would ever make a profit, it was agreed that it would be used as a vehicle to promote the charity and to attract donors.
The first festival was in 1995, and CD’s have been produced each year. There have been two ”Best Of” CD’s released by Milan Records in Paris
The next Mustique Blues Festival will be held January 25 – February 8, 2012. Each Sunday the festival begins early with a Sunset Show. A perfect venue for families and children to come and enjoy the blues, a cocktail and a plate of fries.
The 2011 Mustique Blues Festival featured: Joe Louis Walker, Ian Siegal, Dana Gillespie, Marcus Malone, Felix Dennis, Paddy Milner, Dino Baptiste, Carl Gustave and Lewis Cohen.