From shot-gun shack and cotton-field to festival main stage, the prodigious talents of Lil’ Jimmy Reed have taken him a long way from the Mississippi river. One of the last surviving performers of classic Louisiana down-home blues, Lil’ Jimmy’s stinging guitar work, gritty vocals and haunting harmonica have been taking Europe by storm. His music has won him many awards and an induction into the Blues Hall of Fame. He is accompanied by the ‘A’ Team, comprising pianist Bob Hall, widely regarded as the UK’s finest blues and boogie exponent, and diminutive dynamo Hilary Blythe on rock steady bass.
Born Leon Atkins in 1938 in a shot-gun shack in Hardwood, LA, a small cotton town on a bend in the Mississippi river, he grew up near a nightclub where blues stars Slim Harpo and Lightnin’ Slim were frequent visitors. By day he picked cotton and every night he absorbed the sounds of the blues wafting across the street. At six he had his own guitar, made from a cigar box, and by the time he was a teenager he was proficient on both guitar and harmonica, playing local clubs around Baton Rouge. His big break came when the legendary Jimmy Reed failed to make a date and Leon got to take his place in the band. He gave a show stopping performance, the crowd loved him, and when, soon after, Jimmy passed away, Leon became Lil’ Jimmy Reed.
Lil’ Jimmy took a break from music to serve his country in the military, but he’s now back playing better than ever. On his return Lil’ Jimmy has shared the stage with B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Bobby Blue Bland, among many other stars. Among many awards he has been named Blues Harmonica Player of the Year by the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame, received the Living Legend Award from the Baton Rouge Blues Society, awarded a gold disc by the Alabama Blues Society and inducted into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame.
Lil’ Jimmy’s European tours are hugely successful and he has received wild applause and standing ovations as he strolls through the crowds playing and singing his unique brand of down-home blues. His first CD “School’s Out” was rated “Superb” by CD Review
In Lil’ Jimmy’s band, the ‘A’ Team includes Bob Hall, an award-winning pianist and founder member of several famous British blues bands including The Groundhogs and Savoy Brown. He has accompanied many world-class bluesmen – John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry and Little Walter, to name just a few. His partner, diminutive dynamo Hilary Blythe, is an outstanding blues and gospel singer and rock steady bassist.
“You put on a hell of a show” Harvest Blues Festival Director (Monaghan, Eire)
“The feedback has been fantastic” Executive Manager Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival
Book a table for pre-concert dining
Acapela Studio provides pre-concert dining between 6.00pm and 7.30pm from our pizza oven. To view the current menu visit here.
Please purchase your concert tickets first before booking a table. We will not accept any table bookings that do not have a corresponding ticket purchase.
Then return to the event page to book your table, by selecting the date of your event, number of diners and time you require table. The times shown are the only vacancies left. Please complete your email and phone number as this is required to ensure your table is allocated. You will receive confirmation of your booking by email and text.
If on the date you have chosen no tables are available - no times will be shown and the booking system will revert you back to todays date - PLEASE ENSURE YOU BOOK THE CORRECT DATE!
PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE RELIES ON THE INCOME FROM DINING TO ENSURE WE CAN BOOK ALL THE GREAT ACTS PERFORMING.
Income from the provision of pizzas is very important to the venue and if you have booked a table it is a requirement that all people sat at tables order food - a salad alternative is available to pizzas. Please do ensure that all individuals will be ordering on your table - if this is not the case please cancel your table so others who are looking to dine can do so. Our apologies to raise this but recently we have had many tables (some very large) where less than 50% of those sat at tables have ordered food. Financially this is a real problem to the sustainability of the venue.
- All seating at tables must purchase a pizza - so please do not book a table if everyone is not eating.
- Please ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before the time slot allocated to order your pizzas prior to your booking time.
- Tables not seated within 15 minutes of the allocated time may be lost and allocated to other audience members wishing to order pizzas.
- If you wish to book a table for 6 or more please email info@acapela.co.uk
Please note that all of our pizzas are made fresh to order and cooked in an authentic wood-fired oven. It may take up to 45 minutes to be served during busy periods.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO BOOK A TABLE YOU CAN STILL ORDER PIZZAS ON THE NIGHT (USUALLY ON BUSY NIGHTS NO LATER THAN 7.15PM) AND WE WILL SERVE THEM TO YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE SAT IN THE VENUE - IN A PIZZA BOX.