Kenny Neal, Louisiana swamp bluesman, is embarked on a new venture to bring blues and gospel to community TV and is now taping shows to be broadcast on a local Palo Alto, California station and available on the Internet.

Neal, a native of Baton Rouge, began playing music at a very young age. The oldest of ten children, he learned the basics from his father, singer and blues harmonica player, Raful Neal. At 13, he joined his father’s band and began paying his musical dues. Four years later, he was recruited and toured extensively as Buddy Guy’s bass player. Today, Kenny Neal stands tall among the younger generation of blues players. His individual brand of blues, featuring a combination of Louisiana swamp blues, funky rhythms and soul-deep vocals, powered by his slashing guitar playing and loping harmonica, puts him at the forefront of contemporary blues players. In 2005, his album with Billy Branch, “Double Take” won the W. C. Handy Award for best Acoustic Blues Album of the Year.

In 1991, Neal starred in the much-acclaimed musical “Mule Bone” written by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes and won the prestigious Theater World Award for “The Most Outstanding Talent On and Off Broadway.” In 1993, he toured Africa as a representative for the United States performing in seven countries.

“Neal’s Place” will feature local and international blues and gospel artists in a half hour format of talk and performance. There are two shows in the can now and Producer and Host Neal reports that he is now booking additional artists for upcoming shows. The segment featuring the first guest, the legendary Fillmore Slim, is now available at selected times. The second segment with Joe Louis Walker is also now being broadcast. Information and the calendar is at www.kennyneal.net.