Shire Hall in Howden.

There was a palpable air of expectation in the air as the second sell out

crowd of the year, the first was for Paul Jones and Dave kelly, filed into

the hall.

From the opening bars of the first tune by the Ram Jam Band, up on stage on

their own, it was apparant those expectations were going to be fulfilled,

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on stage. . . . .Geno washington!!"

And what a welcome he got, here was a consummate performer of indefinable

age, he told us he was 37, we believe him, skills honed over the years,

homage paid to Ray Charles and James Brown, that voice, a blues set

including  a wonderful version of Little Red Rooster, a stirring rendition

of Van Morrisons Gloria and all too soon the interval.

A second set of soul classics scheduled for an hour turned into a

celebration incorporating Everybody Needs Somebody, Spell On You, I Feel

Good and many others that lasted an enthralling hour and forty minutes. What

floor space there was, was constantly occupied, the raked seating has

rarely, if ever, had so many people up on their feet on it for so long. The

crowd response to Washingtons exhortations were vocal and more than

enthusiastic, needless to say the encore elicted the chant of  'Geno'.  .

..'Geno' more and more people on their feet and then it was all over, what a

show!

Another first for the Shire Hall, as far as this writer is aware, was the

long queue of people outside the dressing room waiting for signatures on

books and cd's, even a potential booking for a wedding in Scotland!

Mark Rodger