Lewis headlines Pine Street Saloon music series

June 5, 2013

Kenny Lee Lewis, lead guitar for the Steve Miller Band, headlines the inaugural act of a special summer music series called “North County Line” starting June 6 at Paso Robles’ historic Pine Street Saloon.

The local Lewis will be joined by Grammy Award winner Louie Ortega, Matthias Clark and Willy Nilly.

The North County Line series will benefit The Link, a nonprofit family and youth development organization in north San Luis Obispo County.

“We are excited to be able to help a worthy cause like The Link,” said Pine Street Saloon co-owner Ron  French. “And we are also happy to bring top-flight entertainment to the North County scene.”

All performances start at 9 p.m. and are joint productions of the Pine Street Saloon and PioneerTroubadours.com, a premier video and movie site owned by actors Robert Duvall and James Caan.

Other shows in the North County Line series will include Scott Helmer  on June 13, with 100 percent of door revenue going to The Link. Helmer is touring the country after opening shows for Heart, and kicking off his very personal “Support Your Cause Tour,” his personal effort to raise $1 million for organizations that do good work.

Also on the docket in subsequent weeks on dates to be announced are singer/songwriter Mark Sellers, who has opened for Taylor Swift and Leon Russell; Travis Howard of Kix Brooks’ band (Brooks and Dunn); “Country Gentleman” Tennessee Jimmie Harrell, who is said to be able to sing all the words to every country western song ever written; and MiddleJohn, who has opened for the likes of Bob Dylan, Canned Heat and Elvin Bishop.”

The Pine Street Saloon is considered by historians to be one of the oldest buildings in downtown Paso Robles, circa 1860.  It was one of more than a dozen saloons lining Pine Street between 10th and 13th Streets. A long list of notorious outlaw and famous music icons, movie stars, and other colorful characters have bellied up to the saloon’s bar.

Jesse James and some of his gang, men that rode with Poncho Villa, early ranchers, and railroad men all visited this old building.

Country music’s Merle Haggard tells stories about the saloon from his early days, and new country superstar Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson’s daughter Paula, Bernie Taupin (Elton John’s partner), and the legendary Ramblin’ Jack Elliott have either hung their hats or preformed there.

Go to PineStreetSaloon.com