TRAVERSE CITY -- There must be an exciting musical energy in Grand Rapids these days, since bluesman Donald Kinsey felt drawn to it.
Kinsey -- who will perform with the Kinsey Blues Band at Streeters on Saturday -- played lead guitar for Bob Marley in the 1970s. Before that he learned the blues hitting the road at age 17 with one of the masters, Albert King. And as a child he spent summers on the dusty roads and country churches of small Mississippi Delta towns where his father Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey had grown up.
"There's a big support of blues in Michigan and right here in Grand Rapids," said Kinsey, who moved to the furniture city about seven months ago.
"I just wanted to get into something new," he said about his move to Michigan. "I needed new energy. I've met a lot of good musicians from here."
Kinsey grew up just south of the Windy City in Gary, Ind. Some of his earliest memories are of playing with his father, as did his older brother Ralph and his younger brother Kenneth. He still plays with them regularly as The Kinsey Report between his solo projects.
Donald's been touring with his own band for a long time, but at age 54 he's recording his first solo CD. He's also producing an album for Grand Rapids-based reggae band Mystic Dub.
Kinsey spoke of his childhood, playing at different places around Sardis, Miss., about 60 miles south of Memphis, Tenn.
"I'm glad I got to walk some of the roads my dad walked when he was young," Kinsey said. "I look at that and it really helps me put the puzzle together."
On summer Sundays, he'd play at the church of his grandfather, a Pentecostal minister.
"When I play the blues, I try to pull in all that energy," he said. "Every opportunity I get, I go find a church. I still love to play at church."
His father was the one who suggested Donald tour with Albert King. King had played in Gary and heard the Kinseys play. Big Daddy told his 17-year-old son it was a great opportunity.
"My dad said, 'I think this would be a good thing for you,'" he said.
He still keeps in touch with reggae friends like Toots & the Maytals and Peter Tosh. One of his brothers recently said Earl "Chinna" Smith, who played with him in the Wailers, had been trying to get hold of him. He hopes to get back to Jamaica sometime to work with those old friends.
He said his home base these days is Billy's in Grand Rapids' Eastown district.
But it's not like you can just hop in your car and go see him there any weekend. He's touring a lot over the summer and his next two dates at Billy's are Aug. 2 and Oct. 11, he said.
"To keep busy and keep my music is all I need," he said.
When Kinsey performs, he generally adds in some reggae along with the blues.
"I try to use everything I've been a part of," he said. "That's what makes me what I am."
Donald Kinsey and the Kinsey Blues Band will be at Streeters on Saturday with East Bay Blue also playing. The show will begin at 8 p.m. and tickets are $10. They are available at Streeters or online at streetersonline.com.
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