Fonky Donkey plays foot stompin'\, hip sha kin'\, slide-guitar driven blues and roots music featuring the songs of Be n (Swamp Donkey) Brenner &\; Gil Franklin. This is music will take you from Dylan to the Delta\, via Memphis &\; the Mississippi hill country. Fonky Donkey&rsquo\;s music feels both familiar and new and will captivat e your audience.
\nFormed in the spring of 2019 and based out of Lit tle Rock\, Arkansas\, Fonky Donkey is a veteran of stages &\; festivals throughout the mid-South. Their performance resume includes the King Bisc uit Blues Festival (Helena\, AR)\, the Juke Joint Festival (Clarksdale\, M S)\, the Main Street Food Truck Festival (Little Rock\, AR)\, the Spa City Blues Festival (Hot Springs\, AR)\, the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Festiv al (Fordyce\, AR)\, the Delta Roots Festival (Helena\, AR)\, the Newport D elta Arts Festival (Newport\, AR)\, the Lum &\; Abner Music &\; Arts Festival (Mena\, AR)\, the Arkadelphia Festival of the Arts (Arkadelphia\ , AR)\, and the Blues by Budweiser Concert Series (Pine Bluff\, AR). Fonky Donkey won the Sonny Boy Blues Society's (Helena\, AR) Blues Challenge in 2019 and competed in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis\, TN\, in 2020.
\nFonky Donkey is currently preparing to release their thir d record\, &ldquo\;The Snake &\; The Apple.&rdquo\; Supported by a gene rous grant for delta blues songwriting from the Arkansas Arts Council\, Th e Snake &\; The Apple includes 11 new original songs and features guest appearances from Rachel Fields (Brick Fields)\, Nick Devlin (The Salty Do gs\; Amy Garland Band)\, DJ Lady Fingaz\, Jerry McCoy\, Jason Wilmon\, Sus an Prowse (Cliff &\; Susan)\, Brian Nahlen\, Barry &ldquo\;Big B&rdquo\ ; Brenner\, and Barlow Brenner. The first single\, &ldquo\;Down in the Blu ff\,&rdquo\; released on December 7\, 2024\, in Pine Bluff\, AR\, was acco mpanied by a limited-edition commemorative poster by award-winning Arkansa s artist Robert Bean and is now available on all streaming platforms.
\ nFonky Donkey&rsquo\;s last record\, Donkeyland\, featured eight new or iginal blues &\; roots songs. Released in March 2022\, Donkeyland inclu ded guest appearances from Joe Krown on Hammond B3 (Kenny Wayne Shepherd t ouring band) and Anna "Boss Lady" Brazeal on vocals (Moonshine Mafia). Cri tics described Donkeyland\, as a "brilliant roots and blues excursion thro ugh the heartland" and as a record "full of cool surprises." Donkeyland is available on all streaming platforms\, including Bandcamp\, Spotify\, App le Music\, and iTunes\, and received airplay on blues &\; roots radio t hroughout the US and internationally. Take a trip to Donkeyland and suppor t the record by listening\, sharing\, and adding to your playlists!
\n< p>Fonky Donkey is Ben "Swamp Donkey" Brenner (guitar/slide guitar/harp/voc als)\, Gil Franklin (lead guitar/slide guitar)\, Lynn Fitzgerald (bass)\, Lance "Bug Tussle Slim" Womack (drums/percussion/vocals)\, Kevin Lewis (sa x)\, Curtis &ldquo\;JJ&rdquo\; Adams (piano/organ).\nhttps://centralar kansaslibrarysystemcals.libnet.info/event/12629814 URL;VALUE=URI:https://centralarkansaslibrarysystemcals.libnet.info/event/1 2629814 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/centralarkansaslibrarysyst emcals/1000006957.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR