Blues lovers, rejoice and get thee to Blind Lemon Blues, The York Theatre’s new musical celebrating the legacy of legendary musician Blind Lemon Jefferson. The astonishing cast’s talent and charisma threaten to blow the roof off of The Theatre at Saint Peter’s (a particularly heady accomplishment given that the performance space is several stories underground!)

Lemon Henry Jefferson was born in east-central Texas in 1893 or 1894, depending on who you ask. Blind since birth, he performed as a street musician with a tin cup, as well as at frequent gigs in Dallas. Jefferson was plucked from obscurity by Paramount Records for whom he recorded over 80 tracks between 1926 and his death in 1929. Circumstances surrounding his passing are murky – did he die after getting disoriented during a Chicago snowstorm, or did his chauffeur not pick him up, or was he poisoned by a jealous lover? In fact, much of his life is shrouded in mystery, and the creators of Blind Lemon Blues wisely focus primarily on the music rather than the man – and what music!

Set at the final recording session of Jefferson’s musical contemporary Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter (Cavin Yarbrough), the show takes the form of a series of reminiscences about Blind Lemon Jefferson, played by Akin Babatunde, who not only stars, but is also the show’s co-author with Alan Govenar. In addition, Babatunde directs and choreographs the proceedings seamlessly through two hours (plus intermission) of nearly non-stop music. The show swirls and struts to a nearly non-stop cavalcade of blues and gospel songs, revealing the richness of these musical styles and a whole range of human experience: joy, pain, laughter, loss, and hope.

The stunning musical arrangements by Babatunde (what a busy guy!) and Grammy-nominees Yarbrough and his wife, ensemble member Alisa Peoples Yarbrough are particularly commendable. The intensely tight vocal harmonies are pure joy, and each member of the superlative ensemble gets a chance to shine. There’s a wonderful scene as Blind Lemon and his protégé T-Bone Walker (Timothy Parham) collaborate on a new song, and the three ladies, Peoples Yarbrough, Inga Ballard and Carmen Ruby Floyd nail every glorious double-entendre as they recreate performances by iconic blues singers Lilian Miller, Hattie Hudson, Ida May Mack and Bobbie Cadillac. Also paramount to the show’s success are Skip Krevin’s guitar stylings.

Blind Lemon Blues features an embarrassment of riches as the show parades through over 60 songs, several of which have become standards, having been covered by artists as disparate as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The White Stripes, and B.B. King. In fact, King calls Jefferson a major influence on his singing and guitar playing. Chances are, though, that the vast majority of audience members will enter the theatre unfamiliar with Blind Lemon and his music. Big thanks to The York, for providing us with an introduction to Jefferson’s musical gems brought to life by this wonderful cast.