In this 38th edition, the bond with the city of Memphis is further strengthened: also this year the music festival in Porretta Terme will host the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Band, directed by Kurt Clayton, bringing to the stage the authentic spirit of American soul. Among the guests is Eric Gales, a blues-rock guitarist with a soul heart. He is considered one of the most virtuosic players of his generation. A left-hander who plays a right-handed guitar “upside down,” he has a distinctive style that blends blues, rock, funk, and soul. His tribute album to his brother Little Jimmy King (guest in Porretta in 2000 in one of his very rare performances in Europe) is a Grammy nominee.
Lenny Williams is best known as the lead singer of Tower of Power during their golden era in the early ’70s. With his powerful, warm, and incredibly expressive voice, he helped define the band’s sound on landmark albums such as Tower of Power (1973) and Back to Oakland (1974). After leaving the group, he launched a successful solo career, becoming an absolute reference point in contemporary soul thanks to songs like “Cause I Love You,” considered a timeless classic.
Then there is Curtis Salgado, the artist who inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers; the boogie-woogie tightrope walker Mitch Woods, guest with the Bononia Sound Machine; and, from the “chitlin’ circuit”—the network of clubs for Black audiences—we will welcome Karen Wolfe, Stefanie Bolton, Bigg Robb, and others still to be confirmed. Speaking of younger performers, for the eighth time in Porretta we will have the delightful Sweethearts, 22 Australian girls from a music high school in Geelong (Melbourne). More names are still to be confirmed. Since 1988, the festival has become the most prestigious European event entirely dedicated to soul and rhythm & blues, with particular attention to the Memphis Sound.
Over time, Porretta has hosted some of the greatest names in soul: many came to Europe for the first time thanks to the festival; others—true legends—were rediscovered in small towns of the U.S. Deep South and relaunched before an international audience. The press has often spoken of the “Porretta miracle” as one of the most authentic music events of the last decades.
Artist Bios
Eric Gales is a blues-rock guitarist with a soul heart. Born in Memphis in 1974, he is considered one of the most virtuosic players of his generation. A left-hander who plays a right-handed guitar “upside down,” he has a distinctive style that blends blues, rock, funk, and soul. Often compared to Jimi Hendrix for his energy and innovative approach, he has been active since a very young age and has released numerous critically acclaimed albums. In recent years he has earned growing international recognition, establishing himself as one of the most expressive and technically impressive interpreters of the modern guitar. His tribute album to his brother Little Jimmy King (guest in Porretta in 2000 in one of his very rare performances in Europe) is a Grammy nominee.
Eric Gales is a blues-rock guitarist with a soul heart. Born in Memphis in 1974, he is considered one of the most virtuosic players of his generation. A left-hander who plays a right-handed guitar “upside down,” he has a distinctive style that blends blues, rock, funk, and soul. Often compared to Jimi Hendrix for his energy and innovative approach, he has been active since a very young age and has released numerous critically acclaimed albums. In recent years he has earned growing international recognition, establishing himself as one of the most expressive and technically impressive interpreters of the modern guitar. His tribute album to his brother Little Jimmy King (guest in Porretta in 2000 in one of his very rare performances in Europe) is a Grammy nominee.
After leaving the group, he launched a successful solo career, becoming an absolute reference point in contemporary soul thanks to songs like “Cause I Love You,” considered a timeless classic. He is admired for his unique ability to combine emotional intensity, impeccable vocal technique, and a strong sense of groove.
Stefanie Bolton is from Memphis, Tennessee, known for her warm, elegant, and highly expressive voice, rooted in the city’s soul tradition. She began singing at a young age and developed her musical foundation in the rich local gospel and R&B scene.
She has worked as a backing vocalist, songwriter, and supporting singer for numerous artists in and beyond the Memphis area, standing out for her ability to blend classic soul sensibility with a modern interpretation. Her solo album Stefanie (1996) is considered a small cult favorite among independent soul enthusiasts of the ’90s, thanks to intense songs and sophisticated arrangements.
Bigg Robb—born Robert “Bigg Robb” Smith—is a soul/funk/R&B artist from Cincinnati, Ohio. His style is a fusion of Midwest funk, modern blues, contemporary gospel, and Southern soul. He himself defines his music as “BIGG SOUL.” Bigg Robb is seen as a key figure in the revival and evolution of Southern soul: a bridge between ’80s/’90s funk, classic soul, and modern sounds. His physical presence reinforces the idea of an imposing yet welcoming performer who makes people smile, have fun, and fully engage.
Karen Wolfe entered the world of Southern soul singing as a backing vocalist for the legendary Denise LaSalle. She had recorded her first album with a gospel quartet called “The Harmonettes.” The group later changed its name to “Direction” and recorded its second CD titled God Don’t Make Mistakes. After the group disbanded, Karen’s musical career changed direction, first as a backing vocalist and then as a solo artist, becoming one of the stars of the “chitlin’ circuit,” the club circuit for Black audiences.
Karen has shared the stage with artists such as Bobby Rush, Millie Jackson, and Johnny Taylor, and recently had the honor of celebrating Denise LaSalle’s induction into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2025. She was inducted into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame in 2025.
The Memphis Music Hall of Fame All Star Band is a 12-piece ensemble of versatile and highly talented musicians who regularly perform at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Each band member deserves an article of their own. This band was created to honor and celebrate the great artists who have been inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, many of whom have made a significant contribution to Memphis music and to music history in general.
It is led by Kurt “KC” Clayton, a producer, composer, arranger, and two-time Grammy-nominated artist. He is the president of the Memphis chapter of N.A.R.A.S. (The GRAMMYs). He has worked with Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, ConFunkShun, and the Oscar-winning rap artists Three 6 Mafia.
The band plays a fundamental role in keeping Memphis’ musical tradition alive and honoring its leading artists. Thanks to their passion and talent, they help spread the importance of Memphis music and celebrate its significant contribution to music history.
The Memphis Music Hall of Fame Band line-up:
Kurt “KC”Clayton (Keyboards/Music Director)
Garry Goin, Steve Bethany (Guitars)
Dwight Sanders (Bass)
Darryl Sanford (Keyboards / Organ)
Carlos Sargent (Drums)
Alan Clayton (Tenor Sax)
Paul McKinney (Trumpet)
Victor Sawyer (Trombone)
Shunta Mosby, Dani McGhee, Candy Fox (Background Vocals)
Curtis Salgado. The original Blues Brother. He was the inspiration for John Belushi. The riveting voice and powerful harmonica sound of award-winning soul, blues, and R&B singer Curtis Salgado have won over audiences around the world for more than 30 years.
Born in Everett, Washington, Curtis Salgado grew up in Eugene, Oregon. In his early 20s, he was already making a name for himself in the Eugene bar scene with his band The Nighthawks, and later as co-leader of the Robert Cray Band. Salgado quickly evolved into a musician and singer of remarkable depth, with vocal and musical influences including Otis Redding, O.V. Wright, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson I and II, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, and Magic Sam. NPR has called him “a blues icon” with a “huge voice.”
In 1977, Salgado met actor John Belushi while the comedian was filming Animal House. Salgado and Belushi spent hours listening to old records, with Belushi absorbing the music like a sponge. He used his new knowledge of the blues to create The Blues Brothers. Once Salgado joined forces with The Robert Cray Band, he shared stages with many of his heroes, including Muddy Waters, Bobby Bland, Albert Collins, and Bonnie Raitt. He was the frontman of Roomful of Blues, singing and touring with them from 1984 to 1986. Forming his own band, he released the first of his ten solo albums in 1991.
The first Blues Brothers record, Briefcase Full of Blues, is dedicated to Curtis Salgado. He came to Porretta for the first time in 2019, then returned in 2021 and 2024, and by popular demand he is back again this year.
Curtis Salgado & Soul Shot band
Curtis Salgado , Vocals, Harp
Luca Tozzy, Guitar
Ivano Sebastianelli, Bass
Marco Meucci, Piano
Fabrice Bessouat, Drums
Laurence Le Baccon & Julie Dumoulin, Backing Vocals
In America, Mitch Woods is considered one of the best modern interpreters of traditional genres such as blues, rock & roll, boogie, and jive. His album recorded at the New Orleans festival earned him a nomination at the 2019 Blues Blast Awards for Best Live Album. He had already won another nomination at the Living Blues Awards as a pianist.
Woods is a New Yorker who began studying classical music at age eleven, then moved on to blues and related styles. Today he is a warm-voiced singer and a brilliantly skilled pianist with a spectacular vision of music—qualities already showcased in previous appearances at Umbria Jazz.
With his historic band, the Rockets 88’s, founded back in 1980, Mitch was first active in clubs across Northern California and soon became a successful name nationwide. Here at Umbria Jazz he will perform in a solo format.
Among Mitch’s reference points are major figures in American music history: Fats Domino, boogie piano pioneers like Meade Lux Lewis, great New Orleans pianists such as Professor Longhair, and Louis Jordan, who became the meeting point between swing and rock & roll. According to Keyboard Magazine, “Woods lays down an authentic 50s-vintage rock piano groove, comparable in power and rhythmic nuance to classic recordings by the young Jerry Lee Lewis.”
Bononia Sound Machine is one of the longest-standing bands on the Bologna music scene. With an imposing horn section, the groove and solidity of a well-oiled rhythm section, and the soul and stage presence of two extraordinary singers, their show is unique and deeply engaging. Their sparkling repertoire—full of emotion—ranges from classics by great soul singers (Otis Redding, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Blues Brothers, etc.) to songs by major ’70s funk bands (Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band).
They have performed several times at the Porretta Soul Festival and sold out the Blue Note in Milan. In November 2005, Bononia Sound Machine went on a mini-tour in England, performing in Leeds and Harrogate.
The Sweethearts. An all-female band, 22 girls on stage, students from the Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College of Geelong, Victoria, a town not far from Melbourne, Australia—a music school that has become a breeding ground for talent. They are making their eighth appearance at the Porretta Soul Festival, where they first arrived in 2002. They play and sing new soul—a fusion of styles ranging from classic Stax soul to a more pop-adjacent Motown vibe. In 2013, they starred in the sitcom Heart of Soul, which received a nomination at the International Emmy Awards.
The documentary film Heart & Soul aired on Australia’s ABC3 in thirteen episodes, three of which were entirely dedicated to the girls’ stay and concerts in Porretta, Vergato, and Grizzana. The Emmy is the most important international television award. It is considered the equivalent of the Oscar for cinema and the Grammy for music.
