Charlotte’s Double Door Inn, which turns 40 in December, is
known for hosting an eclectic array of blues artists from legends like Steve
Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, and Nappy Brown to more contemporary players on their
way up (and down) the rungs of popularity. Heck, people are still talking about
the night Eric Clapton stopped in to jam after his arena concert. The club has
grown more eclectic over the years hosting top-notch Americana, R&B, funk and jam acts and singer-songwriters. But I would guess what the
Double Door hasn’t had on its stage before is an 11-year-old headliner. That
changes Thursday when Charlotte’s Wallace Foutch makes his Double Door debut. The
all ages show (a rarity for the venue) starts at 8 p.m. to accommodate families
with youngsters.
According to Foutch’s father, Wallace Sr., his son has been
playing paid gigs since he was eight. He plays piano, drums and sings. The
precocious tween not only rocks out Queen and Grand Funk Railroad classics and covers
contemporary artists like Muse, he’s writing his own material.
Kids making music isn’t new of course. There was Michael
Jackson and Stevie Wonder and even Shirley Temple. I’ve recently been hearing
about a 14-year-old blues guitar wunderkind, Quinn Sullivan, who Buddy Guy has
taken under his wing. You can’t see the future when you stumble on a talented
kid in a YouTube video or at a state fair talent show. We’ve all seen the “Before
They Were Stars” clips on VH1’s “Behind the Music” of Christina Aguilera or
Justin Timberlake. Who knows who’ll be a star tomorrow and the field is even more
populated in today’s world of schools of rock.
But Foutch certainly has potential. His vocal and technical
chops are evident in his many YouTube videos.
Booking a gig at
the Double Door already? Foutch could have a bright future in music. Tickets for Thursday's show are $8 at www.doubledoorinn.com.
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