| A
benefit for Gus Thornton |
By Big Dave
 You
may already know how great a music town St.
Louis is! It has music every night of the week,
in every genre. But what really sets St. Louis
apart from other music cities I've visited is
the powerful feeling of 'music community' this
town has. It's a really amazing sight to behold,
and was powerfully evident on Sunday, March
8th, at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.
Hundreds gathered for the Gus Thornton benefit,
to show their love for one of St. Lou's most
beloved musicians! I ran into Gus at this event,
and asked him, 'Gus, can you tell you are loved
by St. Louis?' I can tell you, Gus was amazed
at the outpouring of family, friends and fellow
musicians who crowded into BB's to show their
support. Besides being a stellar musician, Gus
is one of the kindest guys in the music world,
and all the good he's done came back to him
on this Sunday afternoon
Gus
Thornton is a local legend who's performed with
Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and so many
others. A East St. Louis native who's known
for long associations with blues guitarist Albert
King and pianist Johnnie Johnson, Gus currently
works regularly with singer Kim Massie - you
can find her and Gus at the Beale on Broadway
almost every Tuesday & Thursday night. Gus
has a history of heart problems and recently
had a new pacemaker installed, racking up some
substantial medical bills while simultaneously
being forced to take time off from gigging during
recovery, which meant a double hit to his finances.
The benefit, organized by Tom Maloney and Art
Dwyer of the Soulard Blues Band, helped raise
money to help with Thornton's medical and living
expenses. Enjoy
our photo gallery of the Gus Thornton benefit
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