The PennZone

LANCASTER, Pa. - PennZone -- In a career spanning more than five decades, one memory has stayed with Curtis Salgado since the beginning: two unforgettable shows he played alongside Chicago blues powerhouse Otis Rush in Oregon in the 1970s and a game of pool the two shared during their time together. Salgado was in a band called The Nighthawks, which was backing Otis Rush at the EMU Ballroom at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites were also on the show. A few days later, he went to Portland, this time to play with the Robert Cray Band, backing Rush at The Euphoria Tavern. It was there that Salgado played a game of pool with Rush, who won. "If memory serves me well, Robert Cray and Richard Cousins joined in too, and we all played pool. Otis Rush kicked all our asses," recalls Salgado. Now, that memory is immortalized in song. On October 23, 2026, Salgado will release "I Played Pool with Otis Rush," featuring special guest guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks, a tribute both to Rush and a love letter to the city of Chicago where his sound was born.

Born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, Otis Rush moved to Chicago in 1949 at age 14 and built his reputation playing the city's South and West Side blues clubs. A multi-GRAMMY nominee, he won the GRAMMY for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1999 for Any Place I'm Going and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis, TN, in 1984. Rush died on September 29, 2018.

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"I was in Rome, Italy, in August 2025 visiting my friend Marco Meucci, who plays keyboards with me when I'm working in Europe. I happened to tell him that I once played pool with Otis Rush. And, with a touch of poetic license, the song came together pretty quickly," says Salgado. "I love Chicago blues, and I love Otis Rush's music. I wanted to record this song as a love letter to the city of Chicago and, especially, to Mr. Otis Rush. I knew immediately that my friend Ronnie Baker Brooks, a second-generation Chicago Blues musician, was the perfect guitarist for the song. I'm grateful for his shared enthusiasm in support of this tribute to a blues hero of mine."

"I am honored and pleased to have played guitar with my friend Curtis Salgado on this very cool song… what a great way for us to get together and celebrate one of the greatest Blues guitarists and singers of all time. I hope you can feel our sincerity and love through this song for Mr. Otis Rush. Enjoy!" — Ronnie Baker Brooks

"Chicago-based southpaw bluesman Otis Rush was one of the most thrillingly passionate and expressive singers and guitarists in any genre of music. Among his many devotees is the equally soulful Curtis Salgado, who has collaborated with guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks to celebrate both Otis and a too-fleeting time when we blues acolytes could rub shoulders with our heroes on their terms and turf. (Of course as the son of blues great Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie didn't have to go any further than the dinner table for that)," says Richard Shurman, Producer/Historian. "Pool was a favorite non-musical pastime for Otis, and no doubt he'd smile to see it play a big part in this fond, wry portrait."

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Salgado has received fourteen Blues Music Awards, including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, multiple Soul Blues Male Artist awards, Soul Blues Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Walk a Mile in My Blues." His reverence for the deeply soulful sounds of Rush comes through as both a fan and a fellow musician. Salgado is an international touring and recording artist who has earned recognition as one of the most respected voices in American roots music over his fifty-year career.

"Through his music, Curtis hopes to 'flip the switch of curiosity' for listeners, inspiring their desire to dig deeper into the history," says Sallie Bengtson, President of Nola Blue Records. "This announcement comes on the anniversary of Rush's passing in 2018, to honor the significance and shine a fresh light on an iconic figure in blues history."

Pre-save here: https://snd.click/ix9l

For more information: curtissalgado.com | facebook.com/CurtisSalgado

Founded in 2014, the mission of Nola Blue Records is to amplify artists whose work reflects both deep musical roots and compelling personal narratives.