Horseman's

We just got home from seeing the best musical secret in the western states. If you live in the Sacramento area, if you love music and a good time, then you shouldn’t miss the Horseman’s. The top blues musicians in the world show up in a little rec center in North Highlands three or four times a year, all due to the magnificent efforts of Big Mike Balma. This guy really knows music and has worked hard to bring us the very finest available.

The doors open at 1PM, by 2 o’clock the place is rockin’. There’s always “down home” cooking, featuring salmon, greens, beans, and sweet potato pie. The patio is full of people laughing, eating, drinking, and carrying on.

This time we were treated to the very entertaining John Lee Hooker, Jr., the masterful Ronnie Baker Brooks, and then Lucky Peterson rounded up the evening with great guitar, organ, and guest appearances. All three are incredible showmen, born into the business, with famous fathers in the blues world. The show was billed as The SOB’s – sons of the blues.

Since we discovered this gem five years ago, we’ve only missed one show because we were out of the country and one because of a blizzard between here and there. Otherwise, we are always there. We drive down from Reno early in the morning and either camp out in their parking lot in our RV or drive back home that night. It’s a long trip, but totally worth it to us.