The Sunday performance of local blues bands at the Hangar 9 was more than just a way to raise money for the medical expenses of bluesman Martin Big Larry Albritton, it was a tribute to a man who has influenced local musicians, Robbie Stokes, guitarist for St. Stephens Blues, said.

Albritton is in Carbondale recovering from an operation. He said he wanted to thank people such as Hangar 9 owner Richard Simpson, a man who gave him money to get his career back on track in Chicago a few years ago.

They are the reasons I am in Carbondale today, he said, and I will die in Carbondale.

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The evening began with the local music of St. Stephens Blues. The band played some old blues tunes such as Five Long Years. Stokes added a new dimension to the classic song. His soulful rendition was comparable to Buddy Guy’s version. Stokes has a great ability to play slow blues, capturing its emotion with his style. He understands the feeling of the blues and is able to bring that out in his performance.

One of the highlights of the evening was when Albritton took the stage with St. Stephens Blues for a very stirring version of B.B. King’s The Thrill is Gone. The bluesman was in obvious pain from his operation, but he still put on a spectacular show.

The Jim Skinner Band, from Carbondale, played a few original songs and some traditional blues numbers. Lead vocalist Jim Skinner took command of the entire place with his powerful vocals. His voice reminded one of the energetic style of blues legend Otis Rushing. Skinner’s band plays a style of Chicago blues that is filled with emotion. His energy spilled out to the crowd as he got them dancing and singing along on Hey Bartender, an original song.

The last act was the Alright Blues Band, winner of Best New Band at the Southern Illinois Music Awards earlier this month. The band features a horn section that gives the music an orchestrated style. Its version of B.B. King’s How Blue Can You Get did justice to the original. The horns gave the song the same musical sound that makes King’s music so unique.

Albritton has been performing for 46 years. He has shared the stage with such artist as Albert King, Etta James, Koko Taylor and B.B. King.

Albritton formed Big Larry and the Mellow Fellows in 1956. His brother joined the band and took it to Chicago as Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows in 1980. Albritton decided to stay in Southern Illinois because he was not able to make the move to Chicago. In 1989, he received financial support to move to Chicago, where he formed the Chicago Blues and Rhythm Kings.

There are some people who are perfect expressions of the blues. Albritton is such an individual. From the moment he stepped on stage, he transformed the entire evening into a unique blues experience. His presence brought the emotional element of the blues to the stage. Albritton is not someone who sings the blues. He is someone who lives the blues and is able to convey that through his singing.

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Dressed in a sparkling blue jacket, white shirt and matching white tie, he looked like the blues. It was obvious just by looking at him that he was a bluesman. Albritton said he wears the clothes of the blues. Blues artists used to spend all of their money to buy nice clothes to look good on stage, he said.

Blue jeans are not the blues, he said.

Albritton said the blues are for everyone, black or white, because the blues are colorblind, he said.

When someone tells you your mother died, you got the blues, he said. When you’re hungry at three in the morning and there is no food in the refrigerator, you got the blues.

The crowd was a great group of people that appreciated the music, but most of all, it had respect for Albritton. The crowd was there to help a man who has given the community so much. It was not a large audience, but it was an enthusiastic group which came to pay respect to a bluesman in need of their help.