In this 38th edition, the bond with the city of Memphis grows even stronger: once again, the Porretta Terme music festival will host the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Band, directed by Kurt Clayton, bringing the authentic spirit of American soul to the stage. Among the guests, 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 an unmistakable style that blends blues, rock, funk and soul. His tribute album to his brother Little Jimmy King (a guest at Porretta in 2000 in one of his extremely rare European performances) is nominated for a Grammy.

Lenny Williams, best known as the lead vocalist of Tower of Power during their golden era in the early 1970s. 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 embarked on a successful solo career, becoming an absolute reference in contemporary soul thanks to songs like “Cause I Love You”, considered a timeless classic.

Then Curtis Salgado, the artist who inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers, the boogie-woogie showman Mitch Woods as a guest of the Bononia Sound Machine, and from the “chitlin’ circuit” — the club circuit for Black audiences — we will have Karen Wolfe, Stefanie Bolton, Bigg Robb and more to be announced.

Over the years, Porretta has hosted some of the greatest names in soul: many arrived in Europe for the first time thanks to the festival, while others — true legends — were rediscovered in small towns of the American deep south and relaunched before an international audience. The press has often described the “miracle of Porretta” as one of the most authentic musical events of recent decades.

Artist Biographies

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 an unmistakable 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 gained increasing international recognition, establishing himself as one of the most expressive and technically impressive guitar players of our time. His tribute album to his brother Little Jimmy King (a guest at Porretta in 2000 in one of his extremely rare European performances) is nominated for a Grammy.

Lenny Williams, best known as the lead vocalist of Tower of Power during their golden era in the early 1970s. 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). The two super hits “So Very Hard To Go” and “Don’t Change Horses (In The Middle of The Stream)” were written by Lenny Williams and Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

After leaving the group, he embarked on a successful solo career, becoming an absolute reference in contemporary soul thanks to songs like “Cause I Love You”, considered a timeless classic. He is appreciated for his unique ability to combine emotional intensity, flawless vocal technique and a strong sense of groove.

Stefanie Bolton hails from Memphis, Tennessee, known for her warm, elegant and highly expressive voice, deeply rooted in the city’s soul tradition. She began singing at a young age and was musically shaped by the rich local gospel and R&B scene.

She has worked as a backing vocalist, songwriter and support vocalist for numerous artists in the Memphis area and beyond, standing out for her ability to blend classic soul sensibility with a modern interpretive flair. Her solo album Stefanie (1996) is considered a cult favorite among fans of independent ’90s soul, thanks to its 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, R&B, modern blues, contemporary gospel and southern soul. He describes his own 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 imposing stature reinforces this image of a larger-than-life yet welcoming figure who makes people smile, have fun and gets the crowd involved.

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 their second CD titled “God Don’t Make Mistakes”. After the group disbanded, Karen’s musical career took a new direction — first as a backing vocalist, 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, 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 an ensemble of 12 versatile and highly talented musicians who perform regularly 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 significant contributions to Memphis music and music history in general.

It is directed by Kurt “KC” Clayton, a two-time Grammy-nominated producer, composer, arranger and artist. He is the president of the Memphis chapter of N.A.R.A.S. (The GRAMMY’S). 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 the musical tradition of Memphis alive and honoring its key artists. Through 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 stunning voice and powerful harmonica sound of the multi-award-winning soul, blues and R&B singer Curtis Salgado have thrilled audiences around the world for over 30 years.

Born in Everett, Washington, Curtis Salgado grew up in Eugene, Oregon. By his early 20s, he was already making a name for himself on the Eugene bar scene with his band The Nighthawks, and later as co-leader of the Robert Cray Band. Salgado quickly developed 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 calls him “a blues icon” with “an enormous voice”.

In 1977, Salgado met actor John Belushi while the comedian was filming Animal House. Salgado and Belushi spent hours playing old records, with Belushi absorbing the music like a sponge. He used his newfound 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 for 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 album “Briefcase Full Of Blues” is dedicated to Curtis Salgado. He first came to Porretta in 2019, returning in 2021 and 2024, and is back this year by popular demand.

Curtis Salgado, Vocals, Harp
Luca Tozzy, Guitar
Ivano Sebastianelli, Bass
Marco Meucci, Piano
Eamonn Flynn, Hammond B3
Fabrice Bessouat, Drums
Laurence Le Baccon & Julie Dumoulin, Backing Vocals

Mitch Woods. In the United States, Woods is considered one of the finest 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. Woods had already received another nomination at the Living Blues Awards as a pianist.

Mitch Woods is a New Yorker who began playing classical music at age eleven before moving on to blues and its derivatives. Today he is a warm-voiced singer and a pianist with dazzling technique and a spectacular musical vision — qualities he has 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 the Northern California club scene before quickly becoming a nationally recognized name. Here at Umbria Jazz he will perform as a solo act.

Among Mitch’s reference points are some of the great figures in American music history: Fats Domino, boogie piano pioneers like Meade Lux Lewis, the great New Orleans pianists like Professor Longhair, and Louis Jordan, who was 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-running bands on the Bologna music scene. With an imposing horn section, the groove and solidity of a well-tested rhythm section, the soul and stage presence of two extraordinary singers, combined with a sparkling and emotion-packed repertoire, they deliver a unique and extremely engaging show spanning the classics of the great soul singers (Otis Redding, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Blues Brothers, etc.) to hits from iconic ’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 at the Blue Note in Milan. In November 2005, the Bononia Sound Machine completed a mini-tour in England, performing in the cities of Leeds and Harrogate.

Lorenzo Bombacini, Baritone Sax, Band Leader
Alessandro Casolari, Guitar
Maurizio Rubiu, Bass
Raf Bafunno, Keyboards
Renato Raineri, Drums
Max Marchetti, Tenor & Alto Sax
Alberto Pietropoli, Tenor, Alto, Soprano Sax and Flute
Alessandro Morini, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Federico Zardi, Trumpet
Vic Johnson, Vocals, Harp
Chiara Sorrentino, Vocals
Elena Villani, Vocals

Tad Robinson. New York roots and a soulful spirit. No fewer than 10 Blues Music Award nominations and concerts at the most important international blues festivals. With a style influenced by Junior Wells and Junior Parker and a voice inspired by the great soul singers — from Otis Redding, Syl Johnson, Al Green to Teddy Pendergrass. His last five albums released on Severn Records featured the support of the label’s acclaimed house band and horn and string arrangements by the legendary producer-arranger Willie Henderson.

In 2019 he recorded “Real Street” in Memphis with the HI Rhythm Section under the direction of Scott Bomar. The sound led him to successfully experiment with the alchemy of the great Memphis classics, and it is a true delight for soul enthusiasts. At Porretta he will be backed by the seasoned Özdemirs, featuring the Hammond organ of Alberto Marsico.

Tad Robinson – voc / harp
Alberto Marsico – organ
Kenan Özdemir – guitar
Erkan Özdemir – bass
Levent Özdemir – drums
Diego Borotti – tenor sax
Christian Altehülshorst – trumpet

Thornetta Davis. From Detroit comes Thornetta Davis, considered the undisputed queen of rhythm & blues in the Motor City. In 2017, her album was nominated for Best New Artist Album at the Blues Music Awards, followed by further nominations in 2023, 2025 and 2026 as ‘Female Soul Blues Artist of the Year’. She will be accompanied by the ZBlues Band, one of the most skilled European bands delivering a tight sound rooted in the contemporary blues tradition.

Thornetta Davis, Vocals
James Cornelius Anderson, Percussion
Fabio Ziveri, Piano, Hammond B3
Sergio Montaleni, Guitar
Rita Girelli, Bass
Giuseppe Tortorelli, Drums
Andrea Scorzoni, Tenor Sax
Federico Zardi, Trumpet
Alessandra Moretti & Elisa Marchisio, Backing Vocals

John Ellison “Mr Some Kind Of Wonderful” & The Carpenter Ants Band. John Ellison, singer and songwriter of the legendary Atlantic Recording group Soul Brothers Six, is the composer of the classic song “Some Kind Of Wonderful”. “Some Kind Of Wonderful” is one of the most recorded songs in the history of music. To date, “Some Kind Of Wonderful” has been covered by seventy-five artists and has received over six million radio plays, making it one of the most recorded songs in music history.
John Ellison has received over thirty lifetime achievement awards for his contribution to music.

In 2015, John Ellison was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame, his home state. On May 5, 2024, John Ellison was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall Of Fame, the hometown of his group Soul Brothers Six. John Ellison’s name was recently added to a plaque on the Boulevard de las Estrellas in San Agustín/Maspalomas (Gran Canaria, Spain).

John Ellison, Vocals, Guitar
Michael Lipton, Guitar
James Theodore Harrison, Bass
James Willie Little Jr., Drums

Sandy Carroll. Originally from Stantonville, Tennessee (two hours east of Memphis), she made a name for herself singing and accompanying herself on piano in the nightclubs of the reborn Beale Street. No other American city is a musical melting pot quite like Memphis. Blues, soul, rock, country: all these foundational genres blend together to create a unique sound — the Memphis Sound. “I believe that my years on tour and working on Beale Street gave me that sound”, says Carroll. Her late husband Jim Gaines was a producer for Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana and Steve Miller.

Jerry Phillips. Son of Sam Phillips, the visionary founder of Sun Records and the Sam Phillips Recording Service who helped give birth to rock ‘n’ roll by launching artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Phillips today represents the continuity of a truly unique musical legacy.

Currently at the helm of the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, Jerry Phillips has preserved and revitalized his father’s sonic philosophy over the years: authenticity, the pursuit of analog sound, and the celebration of the African American roots of American music. For this extraordinary contribution to soul, rhythm & blues and rock ‘n’ roll culture, the Porretta Soul Festival will present him with the prestigious Sweet Soul Music Award 2026 during the evening of July 24. Jerry Phillips is a musician, producer and custodian of Memphis’ historic musical tradition. Raised in the creative environment built by his father Sam Phillips, he has collaborated with numerous artists and worked as a producer and sound engineer, keeping alive the innovative spirit that made Sun Records famous.

He recently released his debut album, “For The Universe”, capturing the spirit of classic rock ‘n’ roll that he grew up with. Over the years he has contributed to the continuity of the Sam Phillips Recording Service, the historic studio founded in Memphis in 1960, now considered one of the landmark venues of American music alongside Sun and Stax. Under his guidance, the studio has preserved the original analog approach and the pursuit of a warm, human and emotional sound, remaining a reference point for international artists and producers to this day.

With this award, the Festival aims to celebrate not only the figure of Jerry Phillips, but the cultural and sonic legacy of a family that played a decisive role in the birth and development of modern African American music, building a bridge between blues, rock ‘n’ roll, soul and R&B.

Albhy Galuten. This year the Porretta Soul Festival pays tribute to Albhy Galuten by presenting him with the Sweet Soul Music Legacy Award, a recognition that celebrates not only an extraordinary career, but a decisive contribution to the evolution of contemporary music. Galuten is a figure often little known to the general public, but fundamental in the history of world music. He is one of those creators who changed the sound of our time while working behind the scenes: producer, arranger, songwriter, technological innovator, talent scout and visionary.

The name of Albhy Galuten is inextricably linked to the Bee Gees and the musical revolution of the 1970s. It was he, together with Barry Gibb and producer Karl Richardson, who built the sound that would conquer the world with the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever. Immortal songs such as Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, How Deep Is Your Love and More Than a Woman are not merely disco songs: they represent a global cultural transformation. Galuten contributed to the arrangements, production and sonic conception of that musical language which fused: soul, rhythm & blues, pop, funk, cinematic orchestration and studio technology.

The result was universal music, capable of transcending continents, generations and cultures. Beyond disco: a universal producer. To reduce Albhy Galuten to disco would be a huge mistake. Throughout his career he has collaborated with artists from vastly different musical worlds: Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb. His strength has always been his ability to understand the soul of American music: from the soul of Memphis to the country of Nashville, from international pop to rock, and on to jazz and orchestral music.

A pioneer of music technology, Albhy Galuten was also one of the trailblazers of the digital revolution in music production. Long before the era of streaming and digital music, he foresaw that the future of music would pass through: digital technology, music computing, new audio technologies and the Internet.

He worked on developing advanced systems for music recording and distribution, helping to radically transform the way we listen to music around the world today. For nearly forty years, the Porretta Soul Festival has preserved and celebrated the great tradition of international soul music, becoming one of Europe’s key reference points for the Memphis Sound.
Honoring Albhy Galuten means recognizing a man who has been able to connect different musical worlds: African American soul, global pop, the singer-songwriter tradition, country, dance and music technology. It means celebrating someone who has built bridges between tradition and innovation.