On Saturday, January 28, Hendersonville Theatre will host its first concert of its 2023 Hometown Sound Music Series featuring Mac Arnold, a world renowned blues musician, and his band Plate Full O’ Blues.
Tickets are $25 and available online at HVLtheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (828) 692-1082. Groups of 10 or more receive a 10 percent discount.
South Carolina native Mac Arnold began playing music in the 1950’s when he and his brother built a guitar from a steel gas can, broomsticks, wood, nails, and screen wire. Arnold’s first band, J Floyd & the Shamrocks, included a young James Brown on piano. He moved to Chicago in 1965, where he joined the Muddy Waters’ band.
As part of the Muddy Waters Band, Arnold helped shape the electric blues sound that inspired rock and roll of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Regular guests of the band included Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Elvin Bishop. The Muddy Waters Band (as a unit) shared the stage with the likes of Howlin’ Wolfe, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Junior Wells, Big Joe Williams, and Big Mama Thornton.
Arnold formed the Soul Invaders in 1967 where he would back up iconic musicians such as B.B. King, The Temptations, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker, Little Milton and many others. Arnold later moved to Los Angeles to work for ABC Television as part of the set band for Soul Train. Arnold also provided his distinctive bass lines for the theme song of the hit television show, Sanford and Son.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Arnold has won numerous awards including the 2006 Folk Heritage Award and Best Historical Album of the Year 2010. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate of music from the University of South Carolina and was inducted into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.
By the nineties, after retiring to Pelzer, South Carolina to become an organic farmer, he eventually formed his band Plate Full O’ Blues in 2006. The band consists of Austin Brashier on guitar and vocals, Max Hightower on harmonica and vocals, Rick Latham on drums, Mike Frost on bass and Arnold on vocals and gas can guitar.
Showtime is at 7:30 pm. The concert’s run time is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with one 15 minute intermission. Hendersonville Theatre has made masks optional for patrons, and no proof of vaccination is required to attend a performance.
Since 1966, Hendersonville Theatre has provided an inviting and nurturing environment for live theatre, as well as high-quality, affordable entertainment for the residents of Hendersonville and surrounding areas. Hendersonville Theatre is wheelchair accessible, with free parking behind and in front of the theater.
Hendersonville Theatre is located at 229 South Washington Street. For tickets or more information contact us at 828-692-1082 or online at HVLTheatre.org.