Talkin' Blues About Us
and what our guest artists have had to say about the show
Once upon a time, but not long ago, the German blues quarterly Blues News had this to say about the city of Cologne: "Cologne is a blues no-man's land. While there's plenty of rock, pop and jazz on offer, blues lurks somewhere in the shadows. Many touring blues musicians go out of their way to avoid it ..."
This all changed when, on October 6, 1992, the first Talkin' Blues Show got underway. Richard Bargel, an artist and blues musician, founded the program and has been organizing and hosting the show during each of its eight seasons. Talkin' Blues is a non-profit event; the idea is to promote the blues in all its shapes and colors under the motto "Keepin' The Blues Alive". In eight years, Talkin' Blues has become a successful event which draws fans from all over Cologne and the surrounding region. Local, national and international blues artists come and play, then answer questions about themselves and their careers in a talk show-style interview onstage. The seven-piece Talkin' Blues House Band open the show and occasionally accompany the headlining act during his or her performance.
The organizers and staff at Talkin' Blues get no salary, the House Band and musical guests are reimbursed for their expenses only. This policy helped keep the price of admission down to a very "audience-friendly" 5 DM for the past several years. In 1999, the admission price has gone up slightly to 7 DM (about $4) and a year later to 10 DM (about $5). The following list of internationally-known blues acts who've appeared proves that TB is just about the best "value for money" deal around:
Luther Allison, Charlie Musselwhite, Phil Upchurch, Johnny Copeland, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Calvin Owens, Angela Brown, Johnny Heartsman, Big Jay McNeely, Larry Garner, Dave Hole, Mighty Sam McClain, Joanna Connor, Axel Zwingenberger, Götz Alsmann, Tom Principato
– to name but a few.Another rise of the admission price up to 10 DM (about $5) became necessary in January 2000 since one of our main sponsors wasn't willing to support us as much as before. But, of course, the show must go on!
In addition, Talkin' Blues has found a partner named DeutschlandRadio. This nationwide radio network has taped many of our concerts for broadcast on a one-hour radio program.
With average crowds of 120 - 150 each Tuesday, Talkin' Blues ranks as one of the most successful regular events in the greater Cologne area and has become an attractive venue for agencies, record labels and musicians when planning tours.
And this says it all:
info@talkinblues.de