HELENA-WEST HELENA – Essie “The Blues Lady” Neal celebrates the CD release of her new album “Shape Up,” with two performances at the Delta Cultural Center on Friday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 5, as part of the DCC’s Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival programming.

The popular Little Rock-based entertainer performs throughout the year, bringing the blues to audiences of all ages, from festivals across the state and well-known nightspots like Juanita’s, Cajun’s Wharf, and the Afterthought to educational venues as part of the Arkansas Arts Council’s Artists on Tour project and the Blues in the Schools programming at West Memphis and Jonesboro. It is, she says, her way of doing her part “in keeping the blues alive.” She takes the stage in the “Main Street of the Blues” gallery at the DCC Visitors Center at 141 Cherry Street at 2 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.

Admission is free.

Born and raised in the small Grant County town of Prattsville, Neal remembers how important music was to family life from her earliest days, and how it quickly became an important part of her life.

“No matter how hard the trials and tests of each day might have been, after the chores were done and the family gathered around to make music and sing, the overwhelming joy from the music made the problems of the day seem small,” Neal recalled.

“I became interested in the guitar around age 12 or 13, and when my dad was convinced I was going to stick with it, he bought me my own personal guitar,” she remembered, explaining that her father, Richard Smith, and a musician friend of his named Vance Jenkins were important to her early training on the instrument. Her father acted as her regular instructor, and Jenkins would aid when he visited the family.

“He’d show me a few licks here and there,” she recalled, pointing out that a good ear also served her well. “A lot of my music was self-taught by listening to records and striving to replicate what I heard. So far as style, B.B. King has definitely influenced me more than anyone else. Albert King and Little Milton have also influenced me."

Playing outside her home provided some eye-opening education for both Neal, who performed in an all-girl group with her sisters, and for audiences, most of whom had never seen a young girl coaxing such sounds from an instrument.

“Initially, the majority of people were in total disbelief when I shouldered my guitar and began to play the blues,” Neal said, explaining that the initial shock was often replaced by appreciation and encouragement. “I was well-received by most – and told that I did not look like a guitar player, but rather a school teacher or even a Sunday school teacher.”

Those Neal felt the most opposition from early on were fellow guitarists.

“Honestly, I did feel a chill from the male guitar players initially – as if I had stepped into a zone that was entitled ‘Males Only,’” she recalled. “Thankfully, I do not feel that chill very often these days. I find myself being the only female blues guitar competitor in a group of males from time to time, but for the most part they treat me really nice and are, quite honestly, very helpful. I am pleased to finally be gaining their respect as a blues musician.”

Today, any complaints about Neal and her guitar – which she named “Ruckus” – generally come from her family – chiefly around meal-time.

“You can believe me when I tell you this guitar has brought me pure joy through the years; however, you can also believe me when I tell you my husband and kids haven’t always shared this joy,” Neal said. “Simply put, if I start playing my guitar, dinner will not be served that day. And even if it were served, it would be burned. I lose all track of time when I play, so I’ve been banned from playing my guitar and cooking at the same time.”

Neal is straight-forward in relating her history as a musician, and laces her stories with good humor. It is similar to the way in which she describes her music, and, in particular, her new disc, “Shape Up.”

“I would describe it as dealing with real-life issues, with a touch of humor. It contains both traditional and non-traditional blues tunes, and is a little more danceable than the first one. I think my guitar picking is featured more in this one also.”

Neal’s debut album was the well-received “Attitude-it is.”

The DCC will present two other concerts on Saturday, Oct. 6. Helena’s own Live Wire Band and Friends take the stage at the Miller Hotel performance hall at noon. Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Dave Riley and harmonica man Bob Corritore will offer a CD release performance from their new “Travelin’ the Dirt Road” at 3 p.m. Admission to both performances is free.

The DCC will also present its annual Blues Symposium on Oct. 6 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Beth El Heritage Hall. Music writers David Evans, Bob Cochran, and Steve Cheseborough will be presented in an educational program designed to complement the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival performances.

Also during the festival, blues guitar great Hubert Sumlin will be presented with the DCC’s Sonny Payne Award for Blues Excellence – called the “Sonny.” The award recognizes an individual or individuals who have strongly influenced the blues music of the Arkansas Delta. The Sonny Award presentation is to be a part of Sumlin’s performance with The Willie “Big Eyes” Smith Band on Saturday evening, October 6, during the final evening of the three-day Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly the King Biscuit Blues Festival).

Gallery hours at the DCC Visitors Center at 141 Cherry Street and the nearby DCC Depot at 95 Missouri Street are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturday. “King Biscuit Time,” the nation’s longest-running blues radio program, is hosted each weekday at the DCC Visitor’s Center by “Sunshine” Sonny Payne, from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. “Delta Sounds,” hosted by DCC Assistant Director Terry Buckalew and Payne, is broadcast each Friday at 1 to 1:30 p.m. An additional broadcast of “King Biscuit Time” is also slated for 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, as part of the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival celebration.

For more information, interested persons can call the Delta Cultural Center at (870)-338-4350 or toll free at (800)-358-0972 or visit the DCC online at www.deltaculturalcenter.com.

The Delta Cultural Center shares the vision of all seven agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage – to preserve and promote Arkansas heritage as a source of pride and satisfaction. Other agencies within the department are the Historic Arkansas Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Arkansas Arts Council, and the Natural Heritage Commission.

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