Tom Bennett, the one-man band, will perform this Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Kayenta outdoor theater at 8 p.m. The outdoor theater is the perfect venue for the harmonious folk, country, and blues Bennett creates with his blend of guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and foot percussion.
Bennett is an authentic folk-blues one-man band. Born and raised in the rural north Georgia countryside, he was given his first harmonica by an old lady from West Virginia at age nine. Many long hours were spent on the hayfields of a ranch in Eagle Crest learning the blues. At age 19, he left the South and headed west seeking religion. He fell in with Mormon polygamists, studied Tibetan Buddhism, and eventually became a cocaine dealer in Salt Lake City. He was arrested at 26 years old, and after going through rehabilitation and the legal system decided to make things right and began working for the Boys and Girls Club. He was a club director when he began playing the guitar at age 32. He was discovered by a touring blues band and invited to join them on the road as the opening act. He has stayed on the road since, completing many national tours after having recorded his debut album, “The Man Who Shook the Trail of the Devil’s Hounds” on Sweet Salt Records. When he is not on tour, he rests in the southern Utah desert near the town of St. George. Bennett is a local favorite and has created quite a fan club and following.
The theater is located in Kayenta Coyote Gulch Art Village at 800 Kayenta Parkway in Ivins. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit Bennett’s webpage, or find him on Facebook. For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, visit the Kayenta Arts Foundation website.
