By Jessica Tuggle
jtuggle@hometownnewsol.com
SEBASTIAN - Earl's Hideaway in Sebastian will get some welcome exposure after a visit from some serious soul singers.
Curtis Salgado, an award-winning vocalist, songwriter and harmonica player, and his band will perform on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. at the Sebastian bar close to the river.
Mr. Salgado was the winner of the 2010 Blues Music Award for soul blues Artist of the Year. His music has been described as raw and heartfelt, a mixture of blues, funk and rhythm and blues.
"Our presentation is high-class musicianship. We're a professional, tight, bad-ass rhythm and blues band with hardcore soul," Mr. Salgado said.
He has been touring and performing with various groups as a professional artist since the 1960s and has continued to hone his craft even amid health challenges, a press release said.
Mr. Salgado has been fighting cancer since 2006 and has undergone three surgeries, including a liver transplant, in his battle.
His most recent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his lung was in July, but after a four-week recovery period, he was back on the road and back to singing the blues.
"I feel blessed, bottom line," Mr. Salgado said.
His health issues have redirected his life and no longer does he base his worth on the size of a concert crowd or the number of albums sold.
"You can't take it with you. I'm lucky to be alive and playing for five people," Mr. Salgado said.
About 70 percent of his concerts are original music. His newest album, "Soul Shot," is by Alligator Records.
"I wanted to make a soul record that you can listen to and dance to," Mr. Salgado said in a press release.
The tracks include slow-burning ballads and driving rocking tunes.
For more information about Mr. Salgado, visit www.curtissalgado.com.