Bio
Beverly "Guitar" Watkins is a fan of the low-down, hard-stompin', railroad-smokin' blues. Her feel- good sessions in the late 50s and early 60s may have ignited the spark that fueled the British Invasion. She'll tell you, "People are impressed to see a black woman play like a man." A guitar slinger from birth, she performs on the streets of Atlanta by blowing the crowds away with her unadulterated brand of blues.
Performance Highlights
Festivals/Venues:
Irvine Plaza, NY 1999
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, 1999
Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Davenport, IA, 2000
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY, 2000
Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago, IL, 2001
Atlanta Blues Festival, Atlanta, GA, 2001
Charleston Blues Festival, Charleston, SC, 2001
Portsmouth Blues Festival, Portsmouth, NH, 2002
Lugano Blues to Bop, Lugano, Switzerland
Carolina Downhome Blues Festival, Camden, SC
B.B. King's, CA
House of Blues, LA & Chicago
National and International Tours:
Winston Blues Revival, U.S., 1998-1999
Toured Italy and France 2001
Media Appearances
Living Blues Magazine, January/February 1998
Recordings
Back in Business (Music Maker/Cello Recordings 91007-2)
Featured on
Blues Came to Georgia (Music Maker Recording MMCD) 2001
Performance review Quotes
"Beverly Watkins is a 59-year-old who plays a red Mustang guitar behind her back like Jimi Hendrix." ~Taj Mahal, interview with The Boston Herald
Awards
W.C. Handy Award Nominee, 2000
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