Steve Wildsmith

Etta Britt

It’s not enough that Chris Ford, owner of Sweet P’s BBQ and Soul House, serves up some of the best food around these parts. Seriously — the greens and the mac-and-cheese are scrumptious enough accompaniments to the pulled pork and the chicken and the ribs and the smoked meatloaf? Apparently not, because Ford and crew are putting together another concert series down at Sweet P’s, located at Willow Point Marina on Old Maryville Pike/Old Knoxville Highway, right there on the Blount/Knox County lines.

Called “Even Thursdays Get the Blues,” the series (following on the heels of the “Friday Night Juke Joint” and “Songwriters in the Soul House” series) will feature “the best in regional and local blues artists … concerts will be held at the restaurant every other Thursday on the even days of the month. All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m.

First up on Oct. 18: Etta Britt, an R&B crooner who’s worked with Delbert McClinton, Marty Stuart, Billy Joe Shaver and REO Speedwagon and got her start in music as a member of the country trio Dave and Sugar. her new album is titled “Out of the Shadows.”

Other performances include:

• Nov. 8: The Chuck Beattie Band
• Nov. 15: The Mumbles (taking place on an odd-numbered date because of Thanksgiving)
• Dec. 6: The Andy T. Band featuring Nick Nixon

As always, the shows are free. Call 865-247-7748 for more info.

Feel like makin’ a drive down Old Knoxville Highway on Saturday? If not, then maybe you should make plans to do so — because once you cross the county line, where the road name changes to Maryville Pike, you’ll want to pull off at Sweet P’s BBQ and Soul House, 3725 Maryville Pike. Technically, the restaurant has a Knoxville address, but by virtue of the locale, Blount County has just as much of a right to claim it.

Anyway … where was I? Oh, yes. Saturday, my friends, is the inaugural Sweet P’s Sm0kin’ Day Fest, starting at noon and lasting until 8 p.m. There’s live music from Grand Theft Maidcart, Soulfinger and JC and The Dirty Smokers (read a recent interview we did with JC Haun here).

In addition, there will be an all-you-can-eat pig roast … a cornhole tournament with prizes (call 247-7748 to reserve your team’s spot; $20 entry fee per team) … a banana pudding eating contest (call to reserve a spot) … and a whole lot more.

Tickets are $20 in advance (purchased at Sweet P’s) and $25 the day of. For more information, call 247-7748.

Sweet P’s, incidentally, is owned by Chris Ford, who spent eight years as the lead vocalist and guitarist for Knoxville-based soul-funk-rock outfit Gran Torino. Over on our Myspace page, we have photos in our East Tennessee bands folder of Gran Torino’s Disc Exchange performance, back in 2002, when the group released its final studio album, “The One and Only.” Check ‘em out here.

Also, you can check out Sweet P’s on Facebook.