“. . . remarkable guitar and harmonica duets, ...that literally pull people out of their seats"
                                              Washington Post

Back by popular demand! National Heritage Fellows John Cephas and Phil Wiggins toured the world as ambassadors of a unique American music. Now they return to share their special brand of Piedmont blues, gospel, Delta blues, R & B and Folk with NW New Jersey.

NEA Heritage Award winning guitarist “Bowlin’ Green” John Cephas and “Harmonica Phil” Wiggins will bring their classic brand of the Piedmont Blues to the Centenary Performing Arts Guild in Hackettstown, Saturday, Feb 2 at 8PM. Cephas and Wiggins return to CPAG by popular demand, after a sold out concert in February, 1999 .

The Piedmont Blues comes from a region, which lies roughly from the Blue Ridge Mountains to
the eastern Littoral. This sensational duo plays the country blues in the passionate, compelling musical tradition which arose in the American South at the turn of the century. “The music makes you wanna dance!” says John Cephas.

Recently having completed a world tour, courtesy of the U.S. State Department and Library of Congress, Cephas and Wiggins have performed in Africa, South American, Russia, China, Italy, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The 1987 Annual W.C. Handy Awards honored Cephas and Wiggins as “Blues Entertainers of the Year,” and their album, Dog Days of August as “Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year.”

The call and response interplay between the harmonica and the guitar, the complimentary rhythms, and the microtonal slurs generated by “stretched” guitar strings and “bent” harmonica notes are quintessential elements of the blues. Cephas and Wiggins choose a repertoire not only for musical impact but also to highlight the cultural and historical content of their genre. Infectious rhythms, supple melodies and brooding slide-guitar work combine with impassioned and virtuosic harmonica solos to make some of the evening’s most memorable music.

“Feel-good blues of the first order!”
                 The Boston Globe

Tickets for Cephas and Wiggins