Tryon Fine Arts Center will sing the blues Jan. 28.
“Chase Away the Blues” offers a nonstop night of music begining at 4 p.m. Performers include Shane Pruitt Band,

Dr. Blues Chuck Beattie, Rudy Blue Shoes Wyatt, Jim Peterman Quartet, Daryle Ryce, Zataban, Citizen Mojo and Tommy Lytle.  Proceeds benefit TFAC Arts in Education programs.  Food and beverages are available.  VIP ticket includes preferred seating and complimentary food and beverages in the VIP Lounge.
More information about the bands is provided below.
In the lobby (in order of appearance):
Tommy Lytle: Opening the blues piano bar in the TFAC lobby is Spartanburg native, local businessman and blues artist Tommy Lytle. Lytle has played guitar, saxophone and piano since the early ‘60s and has performed in recent years at private events and with local bands including Rob and The Mob, The Jim Peterman Quartet and The Special Edition Band. Appearing with Lytle will be his favorite bass guitarist, Lancaster, S.C. native Jack Russell Lowery, with whom he has played music since 1962.
Rudy Blue Shoes Wyatt: Rudy Blue Shoes Wyatt is a powerful, high-energy boogie player with a flair for New Orleans jazz and he conveys an authentic feeling for each style. Originally and currently from Greenville S.C., Wyatt has played all over the country starting at the age of 17 in the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Atlanta. He has played on The Arches Boogie Piano Stage of the Queen City Blues Festival with countless boogie icons like Big Joe Duskin, Johnnie Johnson and Bob Seeley.
Jim Peterman: Jim Peterman was the resident organist and pianist in the Steve Miller Band from mid-1967 until 1968 and played on two of their albums. Peterman is a solo and ensemble musician playing throughout North and South Carolina.
Main stage (in order of appearance):
Zataban: A new band from the upstate of South Carolina, Zataban merges five musicians from the area. Band members Tony Kennedy, Kym MacKinnon, Patrick Purnell, Tez Sherard and Franklin Wilkie combine gospel, blues and New Orleans funk, offering a wide range of cover tunes as well as original pieces.
Daryle Ryce: Born and raised in Spartanburg, singer, songwriter and guitarist Daryle Ryce has developed a national and international fan base. According to Fred Goodman of Rolling Stone magazine, Ryce is “a distinctive and uniquely American artist… an outstanding pianist and guitarist, equally comfortable playing bluegrass, country, swing, jazz, bossa nova and folk.” Her admirers include Chet Atkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich and Pat Boone.
Jim Peterman Quartet:  Blues, jazz, rock and soul veteran Jim Peterman on the Hammond B3  leads his quartet in a classic blues sound. With decades of experience in the music industry, Tim Blackwell, Mack McCloud, Antonio Gambrel and Peterman create blues and soul designed to make you dance.
Citizen Mojo: Citizen Mojo is comprised of seasoned musical veterans who combine to make present interpretations of classic and not-so-classic blues, funk, soul and rock ‘n’ roll. Original material fills out the repertoire. The band includes Stephen Blanton (guitar and vocals), Tim Clement (bass), Rob Fender (guitar and vocals), Brad Curtioff (Hammond organ, piano and vocals) and Tim Blackwell (drums).
“Dr. Blues” Chuck Beattie:  Chuck Beattie (a.k.a. Dr. Blues) fronts a Chicago-style blues band based in Western North Carolina. Beattie utilizes his knowledge of gospel, jazz and the sounds of the Delta to flavor his music, creating sounds audiences say are as rich as Muddy Waters and as down and dirty as Howling Wolf.
Shane Pruitt Band: Raised in Spartanburg, S.C., Shane Pruitt plays blues that “groove without compromise and wail without mercy.” Pruitt was named “the most exciting young bluesman working today” by Peter Cooper, music critic for the Nashville Tennessean. Jim Peterman (B3/bass/vocals) and Bill Fletcher (drums/vocals) combine with Pruitt to form the band.
Tickets are on sale at the Tryon Fine Arts Center Box office Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.tryonarts.org or call 828-859-8322.
– article submitted by Marianne Carruth