Famous blues club launches weekly gigs at Black Country market
A famous blues club is launching weekly gigs at a Black Country indoor market every Friday.
Henry’s Blueshouse will be running the weekly gigs at West Bromwich Indoor Market from 7-10pm every Friday with lives blues, street food and drinks available, to help support the local nighttime economy.
The live music will play from 7 to 10pm and stallholders will stay open until 9pm to offer tasty street food, cocktails and other drinks to make sure the audience don’t go hungry or thirsty.
The roots of Henry’s Blueshouse stretch back to 1968 when Jim Simpson of Big Bear Music opened it at The Crown pub on Station Street in Birmingham city centre.
The legendary venue’s most famous early band was Earth, whose members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward went on to form Black Sabbath, initially managed by Mr Simpson.
The club, which also once featured the likes of Jethro Tull, Status Quo, and Thin Lizzy, already runs live gigs every Tuesday at Snobs Bar on Broad Street, Birmingham.
Jim Simpson said: “We’re thrilled to be extending Henry’s to the Black Country and look forward to seeing music fans join us every Friday.
“A big thanks to Sandwell Council for forming this new partnership with us to bring regular live blues to West Bromwich High Street.
“We already have a great line-up of bands for January and February and will soon have bookings stretching into the spring and beyond.”
The bands appearing in January and February are:
· 16 January: Rich Dickinson's Driving Force
· 23 January: Jamie Thyer & The Worried Men
· 30 January: Slide Boy Roy
· 6 February: The Shufflepack
· 13 February: Honeyboy Hickling Blues Band
· 20 February: The Shakedown Brothers
· 27 February: Chickenbone Blues Band
Councillor Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for Regeneration and Infrastructure, said: “We were proud to open the new West Bromwich Indoor Market in 2025 and to welcome many thousands of visitors eager to discover the fantastic range of stalls and items on offer.
“Supporting businesses big and small is a key part of this, and we’re excited to have these music events with Henry’s Blueshouse coming soon on Friday evenings, to entertain visitors and create a wonderful, inviting atmosphere for everyone.”
The first band on 16 January is led by Rich Dickinson, who has a long pedigree in the blues industry and has toured with many big names including Blackfoot, Frank Marino's Mahogany Rush and Skinny Molly.
Rich also helped launch the Hendrix Signature series Marshall amp, based on Jimi's original that he owned.
