For a city that spawned the late great bluesman, Rory Gallagher, and which commemorates him in its streetscape, Cork has had no real outlet for lovers of the blues genre. That is, until March of last year when the Lee Delta Blues Club was formed as a non-profit organisation.
The motivation, says founding member Pat Horgan, of the Dizzy Blues Band, was to fill an obvious gap in the city's music scene and offer musicians who want to play the blues, and people who want to listen, a dedicated choice.
Until now, Pa Johnson's pub had been the unofficial blues headquarters in Cork where musicians and blues lovers gathered on the last Tuesday of each month. Beyond that, there was little else.
The Lee Delta Blues Club has started to make an impression and now has an estimated 200 members. There are blues gigs once a month at the Spailp∅n Fβnach or the Savoy Theatre.
The club's aim is to attract blues acts to Cork as an add-on to their Dublin or Belfast appearances and as the reputation of the club has started to spread, established American stars like Candey Kane & Her Blues Band have obliged, even though they had to play Cork just two days after the Manhattan terrorist attack. The good news, says Horgan, is that the club is here to stay and there will be a full programme for next year.
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