Jazz artist Alphonso Sanders coming to Dawson Main Street Theatre

DAWSON — A treat is in store for jazz fans in the Dawson area.

The Dawson Main Street Theatre and Cultural Arts Center will be welcoming back to Terrell County jazz musician Alphonso Sanders for “A Night on Main Street” at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

“I believe the event will sell out,” said Wynita Cannon, the theatre’s events director. “We have had a great response from the community.”

Sanders, currently the fine arts chair and director of the B.B. King Recording Studio at Mississippi Valley State University, received degrees in music from Mississippi Valley State, Valdosta State University and the University of Mississippi. He has performed at many events including the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Lucerne Blues Festival, the Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival, the Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle Blues and BBQ Festival and many of the Delta Blues festivals, his biography says.

Sanders has also performed with artists such as Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry, Mulgrew Miller, Jerry Jemmot, Rhonda Richmond, Cassandra Wilson, Paula West, Debra Brown, Bobby Rush, David Lee Durham, The Four Tops, David “Honey Boy” Edwards and Steve Azar.

As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied abroad in China where explored Chinese music and visual arts.

His biography goes on to say Sanders was recipient of the 2010 Mississippi Arts Commission Folk Arts Fellowship and the 2011 Mississippi Humanities Award. He appeared in Big City Rhythm & Blues magazine in 2011, the book “Musicians Up and the Delta” and the “Down In The Woods” documentary of Willie King. He is also an award winner from the 2009 and 2010 International Blues Challenge and was selected by the Delta Blues Society as the 2013 Blues Musician of the Year.

His most recent recording projects are “Mississippi Influences” and “Twice As Nice.” For the past 30 years as a musician, he has been involved in music composition and songwriting, covering various styles of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and country. Additionally, he is currently involved with the HWY 80 Songwriters Fest in Meridian, Miss. as a facilitator and performer.

Also, Sanders often performs as quest artist and bandleader with the “Yalobushwackers” on Thacker Mountain Radio and is the founder and host of First Thursday’s Jazz/Blues Night at the B.B. King Museum.

Sanders’ appearance in Dawson is being sponsored by Golden Peanut. Tickets are $25 and include a barbecue dinner. There is an option to purchase a $15 ticket just for the show.

The theatre is located at 152 N. Main St. For more information, or to make reservations, call (229) 995-5329 or visit dawsonmainstreettheatre.com.