Blues legend Lazy Lester plays in Sarasota

The gig Doug Deming's playing in Sarasota this weekend is a little like a homecoming.

Legendary swamp blues musician Lazy Lester will be performing at the Blue Rooster. Bradenton-based Deming and his band the Jewel Tones will be Lester's back-up band.

"He is one of the first wave of the blues originators," Deming said. "There are not many of those guys left. He's 82. I saw him last year and he's still very vibrant. You'd never guess that he was in his 80s."

Louisiana-born Lester, along with Slim Harpo and Lightnin' Slim, were among the pioneers of swamp blues. The three were label mates at Excello Records and often performed on each other's records. You can hear Lester on Harpo's classic "Scratch My Back." "He's hitting a cardboard box with a rolled-up newspaper as percussion," Deming said. Lester wrote songs for both Slim Harpo and Lightnin' Slim, and his songs have been covered by artists as diverse as the Kinks, the Flamin' Groovies, Dwight Yoakam, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Freddy Fender.

Deming spent several years touring as Lester's guitarist.

"This will be like revisiting my youth," Deming said. "I was pretty young when I was touring with Lester and he taught me a lot about life, music and touring."

Details: 8-11 p.m. Dec. 12, Blues Rooster, 1525 Fourth Street, Sarasota. Tickets: $15. Information: 941-388-7539, blueroostersrq.com.

--Marty Clear

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Blues legend Lazy Lester plays in Sarasota ."