Written by Jim Bille

After twenty plus years Lucky Peterson finally made it back to Houston last Saturday night and played at the legendary Houston Heights club Fitzgerald’s. This was probably the most fitting venue for Lucky’s return considering the club’s history of showcasing some of the best blues acts to be found anywhere for over the last forty years.

The word prodigy can be overused sometimes but not in Peterson’s case. He was discovered by blues legend Willie Dixon when he was five or six years old and was playing on Johnny Carson’s Tonight show by the time he was seven. Not to mention performing on the Ed Sullivan show as well. So I think it’s safe to use the word prodigy when referring to Lucky Peterson.

Peterson’s music is probably best described as blues, but he does venture into more of a funky R&B style with a good shot of jazz quite often. He pretty much mashes these music types all together and comes up with his own style that is unique and over the top entertaining, especially when performed live.

Peterson jumped back and forth from Guitar to Hammond B3 organ during the night and was masterful at both. His organ playing blends a Jimmy Smith type of groove with some really hip and contemporary sounding blues and modern funk. On guitar Peterson is top notch. His blues prowess really shined while performing original numbers or special treats on guitar for the Fitzgerald crowd as in a remarkable Stevie Ray Vaughan medley which was most apropos considering he was performing on sacred SRV ground.

As mentioned, Peterson has been around now for a number of years but has been rarely seen in Texas lately. He himself admitted to me that he has been spending much of his time in Europe. Just check him out on YouTube and you’ll see him performing all over the old world but very little coverage of him can be found from our side of the pond. Either way there was a pretty good size Houston crowd on hand to take advantage of this rare musical event.

One special audience member, Houston’s own blues diva Trudy Lynn, was invited on stage by Peterson. Along with Peterson back on the Hammond organ, Lynn proceeded to treat the crowd to two incredible numbers that featured her dominate and soulful vocal style. It was a reunion of sorts for the two since they have performed together in Europe as mentioned by Lynn. This was a great addition to an already fantastic show.

Hopefully Lucky Peterson won’t be such a stranger to Houston in the future. He was definitely on my bucket list and it took a very long time to check him off.