Nashville blues artist Rickey Godfrey is making a long-awaited return to coastal Carolina. On Thursday, June 29, the accomplished guitarist will be at Duck’s Beach Club, 229 Main St., North Myrtle Beach, SC, performing with Leroy Harper, Jr. & Friends. On Friday, June 30, fans will find him at iconic blues club The Rusty Nail in Wilmington, NC, with two nationally known musicians – Al Payson on bass and David Toma on drums. The show begins at 8 p.m. Cover charge is $10.
Godfrey, who has been blind since birth, is best known for his mastery on the Telecaster, but he is also featured on lead vocals and keyboard. The Greenville, SC native was a founding member of Garfeel Ruff, who released an album on Capital Records and scored the movie soundtrack for “The Hitter.” In 2013, Godfrey represented Nashville as a crowd-pleasing semi-finalist at the International Blues Competition in Memphis, TN.
He has also had several major radio hits in the Carolina beach and shag market, winning awards for both CD and group of the year. In May of 2021, he received the Chocolate Thunder Music Award in Greenville, SC. In April 2023, he was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame. He has been a sideman with Clifford Curry, Sam Moore, Rufus Thomas, Donna Fargo, Cash McCall, Billy Preston, Junior Walker, Johnny Neel, and many more.
Godfrey has been featured in numerous festivals, including the Lowcountry Blues Bash, Cape Fear Blues Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival (with Chocolate Thunder), and Macon, Georgia’s GABBA Fest.
About the Cape Fear Blues Festival, which has featured Godfrey twice, the artist says, “I love playing this festival, especially at The Rusty Nail. The fans are real music lovers, and the place has a great sound to it! And these two guys I’m playing with this week are super!”
Bassist Al Payson, from the outskirts of New York City, moved to eastern North Carolina several years ago. He started working with Jose Feliciano in 1997 and played his live shows from 2008 to 2015.He has also toured with the Burr Johnson Band and currently performs with the Rhythm Bones – well known to fans of the Rusty Nail.
Drummer David Toma is a Charleston, SC native and a regular in the west Texas blues scene. He has performed with Anson Funderburgh, Kenny Neal, Coastline Band and Cory Luetjen & the Traveling Blues Band. Also, a former member of the Rhythm Bones, he recently formed the 69 Ramblers, currently touring the southeast.
More information about Rickey Godfrey can be found on his Facebook page (Rickey Gulliver Godfrey). The Rusty Nail is located at 1310 S. 5th Avenue, Wilmington, NC; telephone number is 910-251-1888. The address for Star Tavern is 4310 McCorsley Avenue, Little River, SC. Telephone: 843-281-0685.