reba russell

Anyone who knows anything about the delta blues knows about the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and anyone who knows anything about the King Biscuit Blues Festival knows that it’s not complete until Heaven Came to Helena is performed. Enter Reba Russell: blue eyes dancing with mischief, she flashes an irresistible pirate smile, clutches the microphone, and launches into a set that assures her audience, in no uncertain terms, that this is a woman born to sing the blues. “October came and so did the rain…” The crowd is on its feet. “Came down with the blues on the Arkansas plain.” Some people sing along, some people sway, and some raise their hands like they’re in church. Bubba Sullivan, one of the festival’s founders, observes, “When that Reba’s on stage, she makes things happen.” <!–...