Curtis Salgado "Album Release Show" at The Domino Room

Midtown Events brings you Curtis Salgado "Legacy Rewind: Live In '25" Album Release Show Friday, April 17 at The Domino Room in Bend! Doors 7pm, show 8pm. This is an all ages show.

CURTIS SALGADO

Award-winning vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter Curtis Salgado is revered worldwide for his ability to wring every ounce of soul out of every song he performs. Salgado is famed not only for his powerhouse live shows and eleven albums, but also for his passionate and insightful original songs. He has been nominated three times for the Blues Music Award for Song Of The Year, winning in 2018 for Walk A Mile In My Blues from The Beautiful Lowdown. In 2025, he added two additional Blues Music Awards to his extensive collection, which now totals 13, including the B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year.

Born in 1954, Salgado grew up in Eugene, Oregon with music all around him. After attending a Count Basie performance when he was 13 he decided that music was his calling. After getting his hands on a harmonica, Curtis began devouring the blues of Little Walter and Paul Butterfield, and taught himself to play. By his early 20s he was making a name for himself in Eugene’s bar scene, first as the vocalist/harmonica player of The Nighthawks, and later sharing lead vocals as a member of The Robert Cray Band.

In 1977, comedian/actor John Belushi was in Eugene filming Animal House. During downtime, Belushi caught a typically ferocious Salgado performance and introduced himself during a break. Once Salgado started sharing some of his blues knowledge and playing old records for him, a fast friendship grew. Belushi soaked up the music like a sponge and used his new awareness to portray “Joliet” Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers, first as a skit on Saturday Night Live, then a best-selling record album (which was dedicated to Curtis) and finally as a major motion picture (Cab Calloway’s character in the film was named Curtis as an homage).

Once Salgado joined forces with Robert Cray and began playing together as The Robert Cray Band, he found himself sharing stages with many of his heroes, including Muddy Waters, Bobby Bland, Albert Collins and Bonnie Raitt. After Salgado and Cray parted ways in 1982, Curtis went on to front Roomful Of Blues, singing and touring with them from 1984 through 1986. Back home in Oregon, he formed a new band, Curtis Salgado & The Stilettos, honed his band to a razor’s edge, and released his debut album in 1991 on the JRS label. After recordings for Rhythm Safari and Lucky Records, Salgado signed with Shanachie Records in 1999, releasing four critically acclaimed albums.

His Alligator Records debut, Soul Shot, came out in 2012 to widespread critical acclaim. He followed up with The Beautiful Lowdown in 2016 and Rough Cut, the potent, stripped-down acoustic album (with guitarist Alan Hager) in 2018. In 2016, many critics declared The Beautiful Lowdown—featuring 11 original songs—as the best of his career. According to Salgado, Damage Control is even better. In 2024, Salgado returned with Fine By Me, this time on Little Village Foundation label, the latest evidence of wielding his impressive songwriting and vocal skills to a wide variety of styles. His music has dashes of blues, gospel, R&B, jazz, funk, rock ’n’ roll and soul at any given moment. Salgado understands the power of clever turns of phrase and how that burrows into the hearts of his audience.

Salgado has performed at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, The Chicago Blues Festival and The Tampa Bay Blues Festival. He has also played The San Francisco Blues Festival, Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival, Denver’s Mile High Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival and The W.C. Handy Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Internationally he’s toured in Saipan, Guam, Canada, England, throughout Europe, Brazil, Chile, Panama, The Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

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