By the time Kid Ramos opened the show June 1 with Albert Collins’ “Don’t Lose Your Cool,” the focus was right where it needed to be—on the music. As Kid pointed out during his introduction to the festivities, Floyd Dixon, Pinetop Perkins and Henry Gray represent a combined 250 years of blues experience. Realizing the importance of supporting these giants with savvy veterans, Auerbach and Ramos assembled a who’s-who supporting cast to augment and complete their performances. These desert All-Stars are; Ramos on guitar; Larry Taylor (founding member of Canned Heat) on bass; Richard Innes (Fabulous Thunderbirds, Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker) on drums; Fred Kaplan (Hollywood Fats) on piano and organ; Steve Marsh (Brian Setzer Orchestra, Lyle Lovett) on tenor sax; Troy Jennings (Candye Kane, Kid Ramos) on baritone sax and Joe Banks (Dyke & The Blazers) on trumpet.

Floyd Dixon remains one of the most captivating performers to ever grace a stage and several Rhythm Room audience members remarked that he looked every bit the star in his incandescent gold suit as he strutted to the stage for his performance. Once seated at the piano stool, Floyd wasted little time reminding the enraptured crowd why they were there. “Hole In The Wall”, “Cold Cold Feeling”, “I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town”, “Glory Of Love”, “Caledonia”, “Time Brings About A Change,” “Call Operator 210”, “Rita” and the haunting “So Long” flowed from his fingertips and full throated voice as they have for the better part of six decades and he displayed as much vitality at the end of the show as when he first sat down.

His energy was infectious and he used it to drive the early songs home just as he did the tunes he recorded last year during the sessions for Fine! Fine! Thing!, his HighJohn Records debut. Music always gave Floyd inspiration and this year it again fueled his desire to perform live. From small clubs to festivals, Floyd has enjoyed turning on a new audience, as well as his longtime fans. Though he performed sparingly in 2006, each of his appearances was greeted with the respect and adulation one would naturally expect for such an accomplished musical hero.

Pinetop Perkins, who just turned 93, defies his age as well as the notion that there is such a thing as retirement. The distinguished Perkins, like Floyd Dixon, displays an uncanny amount of fire when he performs and his shows at the Rhythm Room literally transcended time and space. Songs like “Down In Mississippi”, “Since I Lost My Baby” and “Come Back Baby” revealed a fire and passion that must have been evident to Muddy Waters when he selected the pianist to join his band in 1969. Kim Wilson, co-founder of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, got such a kick out of sitting in on harp the first night that he hurried over the second night immediately following a T-Birds show in Scottsdale to be part of the action. Wilson had responded to his friend and former band-mate Kid Ramos’ invitation to participate and his presence underscored the love and respect he feels for the blues’ legendary architects.