Tucson musicians to honor bluesman George Howard with concert

The Tucson Musicians Museum started getting calls from local musicians in the days after its founder and beloved Tucson bluesman George Howard died in April.

Longtime bands whose names still resonate with Tucson music fans and artists just finding their way wanted to be part of any community memorial being planned. They didn’t care what part they played; they just wanted to add their voices to the choir of folks mourning Howard’s passing.

On Sunday, May 21, more than a dozen acts, including a youth bluegrass band from Chandler, a pair of Grammy-nominated world musicians and one of Tucson’s most popular and longest-running blues bands, will perform in the “George Howard Celebration of Life” memorial concert at the Hotel Congress Plaza, 311 E. Congress St.

“I think (Howard) would have loved it,” said Liz Walter, secretary of the TMM board of directors. “It’s the least we could do for him. Everybody loved him so much. I have been overwhelmed with the love and just the respect they had for George.”

“I think George would be happy,” added Jim Travis, Howard’s friend of 20-plus years who helped organize Sunday’s event.

Howard, a regular on Tucson stages since the early 1980s, died of cancer on April 14. He was 72.

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Sunday’s event, which was coordinated by Travis, TMM and the Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation, will include performances by TuneSmith; Howard’s old band Mojo Zydeco Cannibals; Grammy-nominated world musicians R. Carlos Nakai and AmoChip Dabney; Tucson’s legendary Bad News Blues and Neon Profit bands; and the blues band Black Cat Bones.

Also on the lineup: Tucson bass player and cellist/middle school music teacher Drew Nickles; the eight-piece horn-centric jazz/blues band The Coolers; the funk and soul band Soul Essential; blues bands Midnight Blue and Soaring Hawk; the rock band Znora; and the Chandler youth bluegrass band Jam Pak.

Sunday’s celebration of life begins at 2 p.m. and runs through 9. Admission is a suggested $10 donation through hotelcongress.com, with proceeds benefiting the Tucson Musicians Museum.