Entertaining” may not be the first word associated with the blues. But you couldn’t find a more entertaining blues show than long-timer Bobby Rush and youngblood Jontavious Willis this weekend at the Dakota in Minneapolis.
In his late 80s, Rush is the last active bluesman of his generation, along with 85-year-old Buddy Guy. “But Buddy didn’t have 397 records,” Rush pointed out Friday night at the Dakota, claiming he has released that many.
While Guy is a skillful showman, Rush is a masterful entertainer, part comic, part storyteller and part musician. He came out talking on Friday — for a good eight minutes before he played a note. Rush likes to share his life story, which is featured in the compelling new autobiography “I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya,” which he sold and signed after the concert.