Blues star Anson Funderburgh performs with Andy T Band at Ace’s

Anson Funderburgh has been regarded as one of the greatest blues guitarists in the country for nearly 49 years, whether he’s playing with his own band, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, or with the all-star blues band Golden State/Lone Star Revue, which tore up with a fiery set at the Bradenton Blues Festival last year.

Funderburgh is back in Bradenton this weekend, and even though he’s a major blues star in his own right, he’s listed as a “special guest” for the show at Ace’s on Saturday night.

Funderburgh will play with the Andy T Band featuring Alabama Mike.

The band’s main drivers are veteran Nashville guitarist Andy Talamantez and dynamic San Francisco singer Michael A. Benjamin, who (despite being based in California) goes by the stage name Alabama Mike.

Funderburgh’s relationship with Talamantez goes way back. In 2011, Talamantez and Nashville blues artist Nick Nixon formed the Andy T ̶ Nick Nixon Band, and Funderburgh produced all three of the band’s studio albums.

Talamantez is a Los Angeles native who moved to Nashville in 2008 and has been a gigging musician since his teens. After performing part-time while he worked in the aerospace industry for 23 years, Talamantez took the full-time music plunge in 1997.

His first seven years as a touring musician included two years with Smokey Wilson and five years with Guitar Shorty, and he toured internationally with other major blues acts.

Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 21, Ace’s Live, 4343 Palma Sola Blvd., Bradenton. $12 advance, $15 day of show: 941-795-3886, aceslivemusic.com.

This story was originally published October 17, 2017 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Blues star Anson Funderburgh performs with Andy T Band at Ace’s."