Phil Wiggins & The Chesapeake Sheiks + Jim Lloyd

The formation of the Phil Wiggins & The Chesapeake Sheiks was inspired by hearing and playing with great songsters like Nat Reese, Howard Armstrong, The Mississippi Sheiks, The Big Three Trio and others. The Chesapeake Sheiks play Blues from the Piedmont and Delta as well as the music of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Louis Jordan, Slim and Slam, and others.

DC native, champion of the Piedmont blues style, and acoustic harp player Phil Wiggins has spent much of his career playing with guitarist John Cephas. With Cephas’ death, Wiggins has begun to stretch out the groupings and style of his performances, including playing with Corey Harris, Nat Reese, and (in Reese’s honor for reminding Wiggins how great the black string and swing bands of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s were), this current aggregation – The Chesapeake Sheiks.