Feelin' blue

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Here's your summer checklist. Do these things, and you'll be able to strut back onto campus in the fall saying you had one fine summer:

• Get a perfect tan.

• Go to a Southern California beach and "get some" from a beautiful member of the opposite sex.

• Go on an argument-free road trip with friends.

• Get professional instruction on the finer points of blues jammin' from three talented, shades-wearing soul singers.

Luckily for you, at least one of those goals is attainable, and Saturday is your lucky day.

The first annual Desert Blues concert hits Centennial Hall, and it couldn't come at a better time - right after the first day of finals. If ever there was a time to be down in the dumps and need some uplifting tunes, that time will be this weekend.

The event is sponsored by the UA Office of Summer Session. The 7 p.m. concert, which will be accompanied by a workshop earlier in the day, will kick off a summer-long series of UAOSS events that aim to have you sticking to campus like the nasty remains of a swatted summer fly stick to a glass window.

The three blues singers that will be performing at the event - John Jackson, Del Rey, and James "Sparky" Rucker - are at the top of their industry and will teach you the blues like you've never known them before.

Jackson's music is said to be a mixture of country, jazz, gospel, and folk music, along with blues. Just picture Garth Brooks with sunglasses wearing a priest's robe while a backup saxophonist does his thing in the background. According to a UAOSS press release, he's said to be the world's top living blues player in the world.

Del Rey began strumming the guitar when she was four years old. As a teen, she turned to blues music and found great success. She has released four CDs in her career as either a solo artist or lead vocalist in a group.

Rucker is a veteran. He's toured internationally for more than 30 years, spreading his distinct style around the world. Rucker picked up his main influences while taking part in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.

All three will run a workshop at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Centennial Hall. In the four-hour workshop, which costs $50, the musicians will teach the intricacies of their trade.

The concert costs $15 for general admission and $12 for CatCard-holding students.

Workshop tickets can be purchased by calling the UAOSS at 626-8200. Concert tickets are available at the Centennial Hall box office.

Each musician will play a 45-minute set starting at 7. For blues junkies, the sound check is at 5 p.m.

So by midnight on May 8, as you drift off to sleep with the troubles wrought by finals banging on your head, you'll be able to rest easily - one-fourth of the way to a perfect summer, before it's even officially begun.

And should your summer fall somewhat short of perfect, at least you'll know the right way to sing about it.