The reigning queen of traditional country blues, Aurora "Rory" Block is a singer and guitarist of smoldering intensity. Identified as a national treasure by the New York Blues & Jazz Society, Rory is a five-time W.C. Handy Award winner.

Born into a musically gifted family residing in New York City's Greenwich Village, Rory took up classical guitar at age 10 and taught herself folk styles to accompany her fiddle-playing father at festivals and clubs. In that environment she had the unprecedented opportunity to meet and play music with such blues greats as Son House, Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Bukka White, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. On her own since the early 1970s, through over two dozen albums and an almost constant touring schedule, Rory has become one of the world's most important preservers of the roots of American music, in the Mississippi Delta country blues tradition.

Tonight Rory applies her fiery, haunting touch to originals and old blues and gospel tunes from her new CDs, From the Dust (Telarc) and the Blues Music Award-winning Robert Johnson tribute, The Lady and Mr. Johnson (Telarc).