Gator Country

Besides Lucille, Koko is the only woman on the tour. "Me and all the guys, the way it's always been, you know. I don't get no red carpet laid out for me, nowhere, no time. I just do what I have to do. I just get out there and take care of business. Sometimes I don't even have a dressing room. I ain't bashful at all. I don't back up for none of 'em. I'll step over 'em."

Although there are some logical connections among these old friends, it's impossible to predict just who will step on stage with whom on any given night. They mix it up, keep it fresh, play it by feel. As in "Maybe I don't feel like doing my own set, plus sitting in on someone else's." No guarantees, but one: You will have a chance to see and hear some of the greatest blues practitioners alive today. And there ain't a record, CD, or cassette that can duplicate the experience. Not even on Alligator.

The South Florida Blues Music Festival '93 takes place at 5:00 p.m. Sunday at Bayfront Park Amphitheater, 301 Biscayne Blvd., 358-7550. Admission costs $20 and $22.50.