Rory Block at Space

Schedule

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025 at 07:30 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Evanston SPACE | Evanston, IL

Advertisement
Heralded as a living landmark (Berkeley Express), a national treasure (Guitar Extra), and one of the greatest living acoustic blues artists (Blues Revue), Rory Block has committed her life and her career to preserving the Delta blues tradition and bringing it to life for 21st century audiences around the world. A traditionalist and an innovator at the same time, she wields a fiery and haunting guitar and vocal style that redefines the boundaries of acoustic blues and folk. The New York Times declared: Her playing is perfect, her singing otherworldly as she wrestles with ghosts, shadows and legends. Born in Princeton, NJ, Aurora Rory Block grew up in Manhattan a family with Bohemian leanings. Her father owned a Greenwich Village sandal shop, where musicians like Bob Dylan, Maria Muldaur and John Sebastian all made occasional appearances. The rich and diverse Village scene was a constant influence on her cultural sensibilities. She was playing guitar by age ten, and by her early teens she was sitting in on the Sunday jam sessions in Washington Square Park. During these years, her life was touched and profoundly changed by personal encounters with some of the earliest and most influential Delta blues masters of the 20th century. She made frequent visits to the Bronx, where she learned her first lessons in blues and gospel music from the Reverend Gary Davis. She swapped stories and guitar licks with seminal bluesman Son House, Robert Johnsons mentor (He kept asking, Where did she learn to play like this?). She visited Skip James in the hospital after his cancer surgery. She traveled to Washington, DC, to visit with Mississippi John Hurt and absorb first-hand his technique and his creativity. This period seemed to last forever, Block Recalls nearly forty years later. I now realize how lucky I was to be there, in the right place at the right time. I thought everyone knew these incredible men, these blues geniuses who wrote the book. I later realized how fleeting it was, and how even more precious. By the time she was in high school, her family had splintered in different directions. With nothing holding her down, she left home at 15 with her guitar and a few friends heading for California on a trip marked by numerous detours and stops in small towns. Along he way, she picked her way through a vast catalog of country blues songs and took her first steps in developing a fingerpicking and slide guitar style that would eventually be her trademark.
Sale Dates and Times:
Public Onsale : Wed, 14 May 2025 at 10:00 AM
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Evanston SPACE, Space, 1245 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Evanston SPACE

Host or Publisher Evanston SPACE

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Evanston

Weekly Wednesday Workdays
Wed, 13 Aug at 03:00 pm Weekly Wednesday Workdays

1811 Sheridan Rd, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60208

Happy Hour with Solidarity Bridge
Wed, 13 Aug at 04:00 pm Happy Hour with Solidarity Bridge

1703 Darrow Ave # 1, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60201

CALENDAR
Alice Peacock
Wed, 13 Aug at 06:00 pm Alice Peacock

Evanston Space

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Make Your Own Mosaic Nightlight
Wed, 13 Aug at 06:00 pm Make Your Own Mosaic Nightlight

Evanston SPACE

WORKSHOPS KIDS
Madsen\/Fort Duo at PRAIRIE MOON IN EVANSTON
Wed, 13 Aug at 09:00 pm Madsen/Fort Duo at PRAIRIE MOON IN EVANSTON

Prairie Moon

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Join us for an in-person hiring event  at Bright Horizons at Evanston!
Thu, 14 Aug at 03:00 pm Join us for an in-person hiring event at Bright Horizons at Evanston!

1629 Orrington Avenue, Suite C, Evanston, IL 60201

HEALTH-WELLNESS JOB-FAIRS
Latte art for beginners!
Thu, 14 Aug at 05:00 pm Latte art for beginners!

The Laundry Cafe - Evanston

ART WORKSHOPS
Make Your Own Suncatcher \u2013 Workshop with Sarita Kamat
Thu, 14 Aug at 05:00 pm Make Your Own Suncatcher – Workshop with Sarita Kamat

1625 Sherman Ave

WORKSHOPS POP-UPS
JAZZ JAM SESSION at Prairie Moon in Evanston
Thu, 07 Mar at 08:00 pm JAZZ JAM SESSION at Prairie Moon in Evanston

Prairie Moon

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Blue Monday: Nick Moss at Space
Mon, 11 Aug at 08:00 pm Blue Monday: Nick Moss at Space

Evanston SPACE

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Pianists Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi
Tue, 12 Aug at 02:00 pm Pianists Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi

Three Crowns Park

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rory Block
Tue, 12 Aug at 06:00 pm Rory Block

Evanston Space

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Evanston Jazz:  "Donovan's Garage performs in the REAL Donovan's garage
Tue, 12 Aug at 07:00 pm Evanston Jazz: "Donovan's Garage performs in the REAL Donovan's garage

The alley behind 1135 Cleveland St. Evanston, IL

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Kevin Fort Trio: Music of the Bebop Masters - From Tadd Dameron to Charlie Parker at Space
Tue, 12 Aug at 07:30 pm Kevin Fort Trio: Music of the Bebop Masters - From Tadd Dameron to Charlie Parker at Space

Evanston SPACE

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Kids Story Time
Wed, 13 Aug at 10:30 am Kids Story Time

3001 Central St, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60201

KIDS ART
Rory Block at Space
Wed, 13 Aug at 07:30 pm Rory Block at Space

Evanston SPACE

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Madsen\/Fort Duo at PRAIRIE MOON IN EVANSTON
Wed, 13 Aug at 09:00 pm Madsen/Fort Duo at PRAIRIE MOON IN EVANSTON

Prairie Moon

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Billy Branch & The Sons Of Blues Band
Thu, 14 Aug Billy Branch & The Sons Of Blues Band

Evanston Space

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Downtown Summer Sounds: Wolfman
Thu, 14 Aug at 06:00 pm Downtown Summer Sounds: Wolfman

Evanston's Fountain Square

ENTERTAINMENT CONCERTS
Live Music - Tom Feeley
Thu, 14 Aug at 07:00 pm Live Music - Tom Feeley

2902 Central Street, Evanston, IL, United States, Illinois 60201

MUSIC LIVE-MUSIC

What's Happening Next in Evanston?

Discover Evanston Events