The Blue Dogs, a country-folk-rock band from Charleston, S.C., will perform Friday at the 16th annual Morris Museum of Art Gala.
The black-tie event begins at 7 p.m. and features an exhibit by Nashville, Tenn., photographer Jim McGuire, whose portraits have graced the album covers of many country performers. The exhibit will be on display through April 26.
The Blue Dogs trace their origin to 1973, when Bobby Houck met Hank Futch in the Cub Scouts in Florence, S.C.
Mr. Houck formed The Blue Dogs at Davidson (N.C.) College as an acoustic group, naming the band after a popular fraternity drink. Mr. Futch joined his longtime friend about 1988 as a duo. Mr. Houck sang lead vocals and played guitar, and Mr. Futch sang harmony and played upright bass.
"We played a lot of traditional bluegrass and country like Flatt and Scruggs songs, even though we never had a banjo," Mr. Futch said by telephone. "We played more like Seldom Scene but with our own style.
"I grew up playing bluegrass and country music with my dad. I remember my dad taking me as a kid to the bluegrass festivals in Lavonia, Ga., and seeing Bill Monroe and Mac Wiseman and The Lewis Family with Little Roy. ..."
The Blue Dogs released their first album, Music for Dog People , in 1991. Greg Walker joined on drums and percussion in 1993, and David Stewart on electric guitar in 1998 as they went electric country and Southern rock.
The band recently released its second DVD, An Evening with the Blue Dogs and Friends .
"Hopefully, when we do a show, the audience is energetic and into our music," Mr. Futch said. "That just fuels our own energy as we feed off the crowd."
Mr. Futch also does occasional shows with Mark Bryan, a co-founder and lead guitarist of Hootie & the Blowfish, and Gary Greene, the drummer for Cravin' Melon in a combo known as The Occasional Milkshake.
Mr. Futch appears on Mr. Bryan's 2008 "solo" CD, End of the Front , and filmed the video for that CD's first single, A Fork in the Road .
Don Rhodes has written about country music for 38 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or at don.rhodes@morris.com.
GET FESTIVE
WHAT: The 16th annual Morris Museum of Art Gala
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: The Morris Museum of Art, 1 10th St.
WHAT: Museum fundraiser features music by The Blue Dogs; a preview of the exhibit Nashville Portraits: Photographs by Jim McGuire; cocktails; dancing; and artists Mr. McGuire and John Baeder.
DETAILS: The caterer is Dennis Dean, of Atlanta. A tent will be set up on the levee for dancing, and there will be more music and fine food throughout the galleries.
INFORMATION: www.themorris.org
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