Shawn Holt & The Teardrops

“One of the most prodigious lineups of local blues stars in recent memory gathered March 28, [2013] to pay tribute to their departed friend Magic Slim. “A Night For Magic” commenced in true torch-passing fashion with Slim’s guitar-wielding son, Shawn Holt, leading a second-generation lineup of The Teardrops that proved conclusively he has what it takes to manintain the family legacy. Clearly, Shawn picked up plenty from his treetop-tall father; the rolling shuffle “It’s Alright” and an easy-surging treatment of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Help Me” were loaded with biting guitar from the Les Paul-wielding Holt, also an effective vocalist over drummer B.J. Jone’s pounding backbeat.”

“Lil Slim plays with just a thumb pick (similar to his dad’s style of playing), plucking out most of his notes with his thumb and occasionally using his other fingers, but no flat pick, so he is able to get that tone that you just can’t get any other way. This was blues played with a rich sound, easy on the ear. One journalist has called him the “fastest thumb in the West.”