Fast Facts

 


It's all about Blues and Gumbo at SWGTC's "Denim and Blues" Event: Bill "The Sauce Boss" Wharton to perform at Fundraiser

 

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Bill “The Sauce Boss” Wharton

 

The Southwest Georgia Technical College (SWGTC) Foundation has a treat in store for area music enthusiasts and also those who appreciate good food.  “Denim and Blues” will be a night of cool blues and spicy gumbo with Bill “The Sauce Boss” Wharton at The Barn in Pelham.

The event will be an annual fundraiser for the SWGTC Foundation, which provides scholarships for deserving students as well as funds for equipment upgrades and facilities improvements. All proceeds from this event will benefit Mitchell County students and the Mitchell County campus.

“The support of the community is vital to the SWGTC Foundation,” said Jane Shirah, SWGTC Foundation Board member. “This is a fun event that we hope will generate resources that will be made available to benefit SWGTC students in Mitchell County. The response to The Sauce Boss last year was wonderful and we expect another great turn out for the event this year.”

Wharton has been dubbed the “inventor of gastronomical boogie woogie” and is known far and wide for his highly unique stage performances in which he simultaneously prepares gumbo while singing and playing guitar. Since 1990 Wharton has cooked gumbo for more than 160,000. He earned the name “The Sauce Boss” from his signature hot sauces, which he uses in preparing the huge pots of seafood-laden gumbo at his concerts.

Wharton is so well-known, even Jimmy Buffet sings about him in his “I will Play for Gumbo” song and he has been featured on CNN, National Public Radio, the Food Network, and is the only personality to have ever been spotlighted by “Living in Blues,” “GQ”, and “Gourmet Magazine” publications.

He takes his “swampy” Florida blues and gumbo-making show all over the country, appearing at festivals, special events, and performing arts centers. He often performs for charity events including those for homeless shelters all over the US through the non-profit organization PLANETGUMBO.

His music and Liquid Summer and Liquid Summer Habanero Hot Sauces are available for purchase on his website (along with his recipe for delectable gumbo) www.sauceboss.com.

The event for SWGTC will be held March 19 at 7 p.m. at The Barn on US Highway 19 near Pelham. Tickets are $50 per person. More information may be obtained by calling 229-227-2415.