Staff Photo by John Rawlston
Blues guitarist Bernard Allison, right, performs with his band at the Bessie Smith Strut on Monday.

From the newspaper’s office on East 11th Street, we’ve got an excellent view of the preparations for the Bessie Smith Strut going on down on M.L. King Boulevard.

Despite my injured limb, I’m still excited about the evening. Rather than strut tonight, I’m finally going to let myself just sit and absorb all the musical goodness.

All three stages have a lot to offer. There are solid seats at Miller Plaza. Bessie Smith Hall has room to sprawl and is centrally located (i.e. easy access to all the food vendors). The MLK Stage is ... well, that one’s a little harder, but Jason “Lefty” Williams is playing there, and once you know more about him, you’ll see why he’s reason enough to trek down to the end of the street.

I didn’t know who Williams was until earlier today, but now that I know a little bit more about him, I’m excited to see what he can do. Williams is an Atlanta-based Southern blues/rock guitarist with more than two decades of experience. He’s self-taught since he was about 4 years old.

He was also born without a right hand. So some might see that as a severe musical handicap, but check out Williams’ Web site (www.lefty-music.com) or myspace page (www.myspace.com/lefty_music), and you’ll quickly realize his music isn’t hampered in the least.

As a musician, myself, I’ve often wondered what I would do if I were to somehow lose the use of one of my hands, and when I saw a YouTube of Williams performing his song “Thank You” off his album “Snake Oil,” I felt ashamed of myself. His obvious skill and dexterity gives me a booster shot of hope that even if the worst should happen, it’s no reason to give up on music.

Even if you’re not a musician, however, I think you’ll be impressed by his classic blues rock stylings. When Williams takes the MLK Stage at 5:15 p.m., he’ll be joined by a backing band including Steve Saunders (drums/vocals) and Daniel Broome (bass/vocals).

Just because I’ve highlighted Williams doesn’t mean there aren’t amazing artists on every stage. His story just happens to be really remarkable. I trust you’ll all get your fill from the entire range of artists gigging tonight.

See you out there. And if you aren’t using your wheelchair and see me limping by, feel free to let me hijack it and give my feet a rest.

E-mail Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com