Son of the blues legend Johnnie Taylor, the Kansas City-based T.J. Hooker-Taylor performs at the annual Thanksgiving breakfast dance at the National Guard Armory in Kansas City, Kansas.
Organizers claim this year's party is the 68th annual Thanksgiving blues dance in Kansas City. Many of the revelers wear their holiday finest and sip on premium liquor (libations are B.Y.O.B.; a breakfast buffet is included with the price of admission).
Taylor, whose mother is Mary Ann Hooker, has upheld his father’s legacy with a series of entertaining soul-blues albums, and he's likely to interpret a few of his father’s songs on Thursday. (Johnnie Taylor’s hits include 1968's “Who’s Making Love,” 1973's “Cheaper to Keep Her” and 1976's "Disco Lady." He died in 2000 and is buried in Kansas City.)
Given the seasonal nature of this performance, it's a safe bet Taylor will also sing “Your Babies Need a Daddy,” the title track of his 2009 album. The song's amorous narrator woos a woman by pledging that, among other things, he'll buy Christmas gifts for her five children.
Headlining on Thursday is the son of another iconic artist: Mud Morganfield, a.k.a. Muddy Waters Jr. Memphis Mike and Levee Town open the festivities.
Thanksgiving Breakfast Dance, doors open at 9 a.m. and the show begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 23, at the National Guard Armory, 100 South 20th Street, Kansas City, Kansas, 66102.
KCUR contributor Bill Brownlee blogs about Kansas City's jazz scene at Plastic Sax.
