Salgado headlines finale of Ranch concert series

"Clean Getaway," the title of Curtis Salgado's latest release, says more about the man and his life than one could possibly imagine. Salgado, who finishes the "Live at the Ranch" Summer Concert Series at Black Butte Ranch Sunday, September 5, at 6 p.m., should know.

Three years ago Salgado was diagnosed with liver cancer and told he had eight months to live unless he got a liver transplant. With no health insurance, Salgado turned to and got a little help from his friends - Steve Miller, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, and Taj Mahal just to name a few - to perform numerous benefit concerts to help Salgado pay for the life-saving transplant.

"I was told I had eight months to live unless I got a liver transplant," Salgado recalls, "and I'm thinking how in the world am I going to pay for this? Then the benefit happened and the rest came from personal donations. Bonnie Raitt paid my rent while I was in the hospital, she's just the best."

Salgado was born in 1954 in Everett, Washington. His family later moved to Eugene, Oregon where he started listening to jazz, soul, and blues. By 1972 Salgado became a part of the Eugene blues scene and became a member of the band Three Fingered Jack. He later hooked up with another up-and-coming blues artist, guitarist Robert Cray. In six years as lead singer with the Cray band, Salgado had the privilege to sit in with the likes of Muddy Waters, Albert Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Kim Wilson, and many others.

In addition to being a great vocalist, Salgado is regarded as one of the best blues harmonica players in the world.

In 1977 when the filming of "Animal House" began in Eugene, Oregon, John Belushi caught Salgado at a local nightclub. Salgado took Belushi under his wing and taught him R & B and blues, and with Dan Aykroyd, "The Blues Brothers" were born. At the time, Salgado had mixed emotions regarding the success of The Blues Brothers.

"Those guys aren't blues people to me. They're guys putting on," he said. "Listen, if you're in that kind of situation, you can hire a great band behind you, and they hired a killer band. Donald "Duck" Dunn, Steve Cropper, those guys have played with Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Johnny Taylor. Anybody who could carry a tune could have sung in front of that band and sounded pretty good."

The 1978 release "Briefcase Full of Blues" was dedicated to Curtis Salgado.

In a twist of fate, Salgado left the Cray band before it broke through nationally, when Cray went on to record the massive hit album "Strong Persuader" in 1986. By that time Salgado was fronting his own band, The Stilettos, touring nationally and recording well-received CDs of his own. He also, for a short while in the '90s, was lead singer for Santana, and sat in with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Jeff Healey.

After the release and success of "Clean Getaway," Salgado won the 2010 Blues Music Awards "Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year" award and is feeling good about being alive.

"I'm playing music with the most incredible people," he said. "People are supporting me, and the record company is supporting me, even in these tough times in the business. So I've got nothing to complain about. To me, I've won the lottery, I've won all the Grammys, I'm alive!"

Tickets for the Curtis Salgado show are $18 in advance, and $20 the day of the show. Children aged 6-12 years old are $10, five and under are free. Tickets may be purchased at the Black Butte Ranch Welcome Center or by calling 541-595-1510. For more information visit http://www.blackbutteranch.com.