For 40 years Johnny Winter has been a guitar hero without equal. Signing with Columbia Records in 1969, he immediately laid out the blueprint for his fresh take on classic blues with a powerful combination of authentic Texas funk and his ownhigh energy interpretation for the legions of fans just discovering the blues via the likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Constantly shifting between primal country blues in the vein of Robert Johnson to scorching electric slide guitar, Johnny has always been one of the most respected singers and influential guitar players in rock. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s he was the unofficial torch bearer for the blues, championing and aiding the careers of his idols like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Today Johnny Winter is enjoying an unparalleled resurgence performing to sold out shows worldwide even after a long life full of honors and accomplishments. His latest highly acclaimed release Roots (Megaforce/Sony) has only added to his Texas-sized reputation. Joining him on this CD is his scorching, road-tested touring band consisting of guitarist Paul Nelson, bassist Scott Spray, and newly added drummer Vito Liuzzi.

Opening the show for Johnny is Volker Strifler, whose highly acclaimed CD, The Dance Goes On, plants his style firmly in the blues, with added elements of Americana, tagtime jazz, rock, Caribbean Island rhythms and pop. He is a stunningly unique and creative guitarist who has an innate understanding of the language of music.  His songwriting and arrangements skillfully communicate that "blues" is feeling more than a style, while his compelling, soul-saturated voice conveys the stories in his songs with a sensitivity that connects his audience with the hardships, joys and sorrows of life's shared experiences.

Doors at 7; show at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $40, $30 & $25

Ballet Folklorico Tradiciones is presenting the 9^th Annual Festival del Folklor, Leyendas de Mexico, at The State Theatre with a special presentation by Jilijondop y las Jilis. Tickets are available through Ballet Folklorico at 209-524-1054 or at The State Theatre box office at 209-527-4697. Tickets may be purchased at the box office the day of the show.

Tickets are $15

The official tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper is returning to The State just in time for Modesto's Graffiti Summer celebration, and the annual downtown Classic Car Parade sponsored by North Modesto Kiwanis. Drive your '57 T-bird up and down the streets hallowed by generations of cruisers and when the parade is over, drop into The State for over two hours of unbridled, high-voltage entertainment featuring all of the hit songs of the ‘50s including That'll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Oh, Boy, Rave on, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, and many, many more. John Mueller's "Winter Dance Party" is the official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper's final tour in 1959, and the only show endorsed by the Holly, Valens and Richardson estates. Mueller, the critically acclaimed former star of the U.S. touring version of the London/Broadway hit musical "Buddy..the Buddy Holly Story," performs as Buddy Holly and Jay P. Richardson, Jr. fills his legendary father's shoes as the Big Bopper. Jay is actually the Bopper's son! Ray Anthony performs as Ritchie Valens and is a renowned star of the "Legends of Rock and Roll" show at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas.
"Flawless....rings as clear and true as a chord from a Fender Stratocaster."  -- The Chicago Tribune  "One of the best concerts I've ever seen." -- Larry Holly (Buddy's brother)  "Watching Jay Richardson is just like watching his Dad." -- Dick Clark

Doors at 7:30 p.m.; show at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20, $25, $30 and $35

The Texas Tornados are some of the most famous and enduring faces of the Tex-Mex music genre. Now enjoying the band's second incarnation, original members Flaco Jimenez (a Grammy-winning accordion player) and Augie Meyers (organ) are joined by Shawn Sahm (son of the late Doug Sahm) on guitar and vocals. The three front men, backed by the original Tornados rhythm section, have delighted audiences the past few years by delivering classic Tornados tunes with musical legitimacy, while not losing the sense of fun the original lineup was so famous for.  Whether playing "'Hey Baby, Que Paso' or 'Dinero'," or a new track from their 2010 release, "...the key to the Tornados' bouncy, catchy sound is the interplay between Jimenez's accordion and Myer's organ. Hearing and seeing two masters work their instruments with such ease is truly a pleasure... the Texas Tornados will definitely leave you wanting more. Theirs is fun, feel-good music that you can't help smile and dance.

Doors at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25, $28 and $35

The Modesto Community Concert Association and the New Christy Minstrels Foundation join together to bring the New Christy Minstrels to the historic State Theatre. This concert will benefit both groups in their effort to continue to present live performances in order to connect musical artists with all ages of audiences. The world-famous group, The New Christy Minstrels, is still under the direction of Randy Sparks, and the group is as good as they were in their hey-day. They won a Grammy for their very first album and have Gold Records galore. The group, now officially eight members strong, is a mix of old and new and it's now the best collection of performers ever to have been billed as The New Christy Minstrels. Each performer adds a diverse and unique talent to the pool. "We're still alive, we're still creative, and still eager to please, so we make a deal with the audience: We'll do all the old songs you came to hear, if you'll allow just a couple of newer ones," says the group's leader Randy Sparks.The same songwriter who penned their hits: Today, Green,Green, Saturday Night, Denver and Mighty Mississippi, etc. is still at it, and the Randy Sparks magic is quite happily alive and well. No performing group has ever spawned so many successful musical careers as the New Christy Minstrels.  "For over fifty years we have been the best talent show ever," says Sparks. " We still are."

Visit their informative web site:
www.thenewchristyminstrels.com
along with their Foundation web site:
www.newchristyminstrelsfoundation.org

Doors at 6:30 p.m.; concert 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25

Ray Benson, a tall, tall man (6' 7" to be exact), and an immediately  identifiable baritone, formed the Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970 and played his first "big show" opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna. Shortly thereafter the western-swing, boogie and roots music outfit moved to California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Van Morrison helped get the band  its first record deal by mentioning them in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine.  By 1973, Asleep at the Wheel was quickly rolling along and they've never stopped, or even slowed down,  in the more than 40 years since their 1973 debut album Comin' Right At Ya.  At the invitation of Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm, their next move was to Austin, Texas, where the famed band still calls home. The roster of the band's nearly 90 past and present members includes many of the finest musicians in the business, many of whom have gone on to perform and record with artists such as Bob Dylan, George Straight, Rod Stewart, Van Morrison and Ryan Adams. Twenty-five feature albums later, Ray and the band are still performing to a still-growing fan base at sold-out shows across the U.S.

Doors at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $28; $35 and $40