Griffin Kelly/Adirondack Daily Enterprise
(SARANAC LAKE, NY) — Shawn Holt was born into the blues. His father Morris, better known as Magic Slim, was a renowned guitarist and singer with an authentic Chicago style. Magic used to take Shawn on tour with him when he was just a little boy.
“I grew up around a lot of music, especially a lot of blues musicians,” Holt said. “My father would take me on the road, and I guess it just kind of stuck with me. I remember vans and hotels and huge festivals. I guess it was in my blood.”
Shawn Holt and the Teardrops will perform at the Waterhole (48 Main St., Saranac Lake, New York) on Sunday at 7 p.m. The show is hosted by and is a benefit concert for the local arts center, BluSeed Studios.
The Teardrops were formerly led by Magic. Holt started playing guitar in the group when he was a teenager. Magic died in 2013 because of heart, lung and kidney problems. Holt had to step up and lead the band without his dad there.
“I had to record a CD months after my father died,” he said. “We were all crying in the studio, but we put pure emotion into that record, and it won two awards. My father is my biggest influence and inspiration — him and life itself.”
