Hot Tuna Blues, with Special Guests Charlie Musselwhite and Jim Lauderdale, to Perform Feb. 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at University at Buffalo will welcome Hot Tuna Blues, featuring Hot Tuna with Special Guests Charlie Musselwhite and Jim Lauderdale, on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts, UB North Campus. The concert is sponsored in part by Monaco's Violin Shop & Music Center.

From their days playing together as teenagers to their current acoustic and electric blues, probably no one has more consistently led American music for the past 50 years than Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, the founders and continuing core members of Hot Tuna. When Kaukonen co-founded iconic '60s group The Jefferson Airplane, he invited Casady to join. The Kaukonen-Casady duo created much of the band's signature sound, and Kaukonen's lead and fingerstyle guitar playing characterizes some of their most memorable tracks. Hot Tuna was born from their jam sessions, and the group has toured and recorded steadily since. In addition to Kaukonen and Casady, the band includes: guitarist G.E. Smith, mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff and drummer Skoota Warner.

Harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite's life reads like a classic blues song: born in Mississippi, raised in Memphis and schooled on the South Side of Chicago. A groundbreaking recording artist since the 1960s, Musselwhite continues to create trailblazing music while remaining firmly rooted in the blues. His worldly-wise vocals, rich, melodic harmonica playing and deep country blues guitar-work flawlessly accompany his often autobiographical and always memorable original songs.

Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. Jim was awarded "Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year" by the Americana Music Association in 2002, and went on to receive two Grammy awards for his work in 2002 and 2007. He is among Nashville's "A" list of songwriters, with songs recorded by artists such as: Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, John Mayall, Lee Ann Womack, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill and George Strait.

He has also toured with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Elvis Costello.

Tickets for Hot Tuna Blues featuring Hot Tuna with special guests Charlie Musselwhite and Jim Lauderdale are $39 general admission, and $26.50 for students (any school). Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts Box Office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets, call 1-800-745-3000; in Canada, call 416-870-8000. For group sales, call 716-645-6771. For more information call 716-645-2787.