WHO IS THIS GUY?

SHRIMP CITY SLIM (aka Gary Erwin) is a musician / songwriter / promoter / producer who specializes in "world piano blues and original songs".  Born (1953) & raised in Chicago, schooled in Mexico, Erwin now divides his time between Charleston, SC and France.  The stage name "Shrimp City Slim" was trademarked in the early 1990s.  He is marking forty years full-time in music.

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PERFORMING & RECORDING...SCS played his first paid gig at the age of ten (on drums, his first instrument) and has had a succession of mostly-original and/or blues bands since.  He has released over a dozen albums of all-original music (please see 'Discography') and performs throughout the USA and beyond, solo or in a  band setting.  

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MANAGEMENT & REPRESENTATION...From 1990-2013, Erwin accompanied and tour-managed worldwide a long list of Southeastern blues legends including Walter "Lightnin' Bug Rhodes, Drink Small, Big Boy Henry, Chicago Bob Nelson, Beverly Guitar Watkins, Neal "Big Daddy" Pattman, John Lee Zeigler, Linda "Chocolate Thunder" Rodney, and others.  RIP all of our old friends.  NB: please see 'Videos' for some savory moments from this era.

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PRODUCTION/PROMOTION...Erwin has presented live blues in South Carolina since 1985.   He created, organized, and programmed Charleston's annual two weeklong blues festival 'Lowcountry Blues Bash' in 1991.  The Bash ran every February for twenty-two (22) incredible editions (last one was 2012).

His current endeavors include the Greenwood (SC) Blues Cruise (July,  since 2000),  Blues Stage @ SC Pecan Food and Music Festival (Florence, SC, November, since 2003), Blues By the Sea (Kiawah Island, SC, April, since 2004),  Lowcountry Cajun Festival (April, Charleston, SC) and others.

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RADIO...SCS has produced blues radio in coastal SC since 1984.  His last show, "Good Mornin', Blues",  on The Bridge at 1055, WCOO 105.5 FM, Charleston, SC, went off the air in June, 2023 after seven years.  Times have changed.

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RECORD LABEL/PUBLISHING...Erwin Music (since 1988) (named after his "record store" of the same name, 1987-1996),  has released titles by a variety of Southeastern blues and roots artists on tape and CD.  Erwin is a BMI composer/author & publisher (Blue Chasqui Music).

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PRESS...SCS has been profiled in various music books & publications and has written for many others.  In particular, please reference  "Jazz and Blues Musicians of South Carolina" (by Dr. Benjamin Franklin, University of South Carolina Press) and "Making Notes: Music of the Carolinas" (Ann Wicker, editor, Novello Press).   Recent feature articles (March-April, 2021) in Back to the Roots (Belgian blues magazine), okra. (Mississippi-based Southern culture magazine), the Charleston City Paper, and others.

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IT'S OFFICIAL!...Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley decreed March 27 to be "Gary Erwin / Shrimp City Slim Day" in the Holy City. 

Other honors:  Inclusion in Lowcountry Music Hall of Fame; awards from Circulo Hispano-Americano (Charleston), H.U.H.A.C.C.M.A. (Harlem's Unsung Heroes of Afrikan Amerikan Classical Music Awards), and Comune di Gaglianico (Italy).

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Originality, energy, total love for the music and nonstop advocacy...says it all.  Thanks for checking in.

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And here are a few photos, some nice memories ...