In 2003, after I paid $100.00, “The State of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation Inc.” promised that my father’s name (May 21, 1901 – October 23, 1950; he came to the USA in 1922) would be engraved forever on “The American Immigrant Wall of Honor“. He imigrated in 1922.
In 2014, more than 10 years later, I wanted to see if that’s actually how it had been done. My daughter M., who, like me, is a fan of the USA, wanted to come along and said happily, “Well, then I’ll volunteer!”
So we discussed what we wanted to do in NYC, aside from visiting Ellis Island. M. definitely wanted to meet up with friends who would also be there. And she knew exactly what my bucket list always starts with:
“New York isn’t really a Blues city, is it?” she wondered. “Well, no”, I agreed, “Albert Ammons, Meade ‘Lux’ Lewis, and Pete Johnson became world-famous blues- and boogie-woogie pianists. They played at the ‘Café Society,’ but that was in 1939!” “Then we have to go to that café,” M. said. “It doesn’t exist anymore.” “Do you have another idea?” I’d been hoping for that question and had an answer ready: “Sure. The ‘Terra Blues Club’, also in Greenwich Village!”
On September 3 (a Wednesday evening), an acoustic performance by a certain SaRon Crenshaw was scheduled. No band but just a blues man, solo. Exactly my kind of thing. So I made my first transatlantic reservation via my home computer. Three days later, our reservation was confirmed!
Now, on this September 3, 2014, a mission was accomplished. Panel 715 (The ‘ij’ doesn’t exist in English: it’s ‘y’). A unique tribute to my father, but also the dark side of the blues in his and my life. No music.
What a special day! We walked into ‘Terra Blues’ feeling really good. It was just the kind of club you’d want: a long bar, comfortable seating with a great view of an intimate stage, and our reserved round table with two chairs, perfectly in the middle! The crystal-clear sound (not too loud) made it all perfect.
It was captivating; right from the first intro it turned into a wonderful one-man show. I signaled this to my daughter M. several times. Brilliant playing (‘guitar pickin’) and a warm, yet sensitive singing voice when needed. Surprisingly long songs. In my euphoria, I could barely keep track of which songs SaRon was playing and singing, partly because he usually didn’t announce them beforehand. That was also largely because SaRon has a lot of his own songs and he doesn’t play easy-to-guess ‘evergreens’. And it didn’t even occur to me to take a photo during his performance. (I probably wouldn’t have dared to anyway, since I couldn’t control the ‘flash’ on my camera.)
Afterward, I was able to tell him what I felt and thought: “What an awesome performance! You were just great!”
SARON CRENSHAW & BLIND B’ & THE VISIONAIRS (De Vorstin, Hilversum, 21 June 2026)
It was actually in the November 6, 2025, newsletter: ‘SaRon Crenshaw, American blues guitarist, is coming to De Vorstin!’ I immediately ordered two tickets: my wife R. liked to come along!
With our friends from Weesp, W. and I., who joined us on the spur of the moment, we even formed an enthusiastic quartet!
June 21, 2026, a little after three o’clock in the afternoon. It was the longest day of the year, and as we walked from the parking lot to De Vorstin on the ‘Koninginneweg’ in Hilversum, the thermometer easily hit 30 degrees (the 90’s). Inside, in the cozy little venue, there was air conditioning. The two rugs on the stage were rolled up and removed. It was now a wooden floor. SaRon Crenshaw, with his red “Lucille”* guitar, along with Blind B’ & The Visionairs**, began their performance:
Rhythmic footsteps (from SaRon’s patent leather shoes on the wooden floor), a guitar solo, and “listen!” marked the beginning of a long version of ‘Footprints in the Snow’.
“Looking out my backdoor…
Listen baby, wan’t you tell me what you see?
‘Cause these footprints in the snow don’t belong to me.”
A wonderful rendition of ‘Tin Pan Alley’, the roughest place in town. Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe!’ didn’t initially fit my ‘blues taste’ (I don’t consider him a blues man), but SaRon apparently sensed that when he said, “Nobody plays it as I do.” And that was exactly what he and the band did.
The inevitable unfaithful and misunderstood women were sung about and played up (hopefully not autobiographical), and there was a long and sensitive rendition of ‘My house ain’t a home (anymore)’. ‘My Blood Runs Cold’ (“like ice”) signaled the end of a relationship: “Give me back my name”. In ‘Old Love’, critical self-examination and a regretted choice formed the poignant ‘plot’.’
Two very diverse and memorable blues performances by SaRon Crenshaw; And, definitaly, ’third time’s the charm’.
Hopefully not with another 12 years in between!
*A tribute to B.B. King, who named all his guitars ‘Lucille’.
**Bert Kamp’s Dutch blues band. The lineup varied and includes Richard van Bergen on lead guitar, Frank(y) Duindam on drums, Boy Vielvoye on harmonica and vocals, and Frank Montis on Hammond organ and piano.
***