About this Event
Bill Wharton is a powerhouse entertainer, mixing his Bluesy slide guitar and soulful voice into an unforgettable, high energy show. His very own hot sauce spices up a big pot of gumbo while he spices up the show with his own original Blues. It’s a soul-shouting picnic of Rock and Roll brotherhood, with the audience stirring the pot, and at the end of the show, everyone eats. All across the US, into Canada, Europe and Asia, he has served hundreds of thousands of people for free at his legendary live shows. Bill Wharton mixes media like cornbread in his performance. Hot sauce, blues, chicken, funk, onions and okra, peppers and gospel, soul and seafood. . . and slide guitar, all go into the gumbo pot that we call community. All of this is the reason they call him The Sauce Boss.
Jimmy Buffett sings about him in “I Will Play for Gumbo”. Wharton’s anthem, “Let the Big Dog Eat” was included on Buffett’s “Late Night Menu at the Margaritaville Cafe” album. Albert Castiglia released his cover of the tune, and it hit #1 on blues charts. Let the Big Dog Eat has also appeared in the movies “Something Wild” (Jonathon Demme), and the Rock Doc, “Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President.” This tune and sixteen other works in the documentary earned Wharton “‘Best Original Score” from the Los Angeles Film Awards.
“Bill Wharton, a.k.a "The Sauce Boss", is a favorite attraction at blues festivals, state fairs, and clubs all over the country for two reasons: He's a wonderful player and singer, and he cooks up a mind-blowing gumbo right on stage, passing out the tasty results at set's end . . . Wharton's slide guitar is always innovative, and his high baritone matches the tunes perfectly. . . However, it could be the eatin' side of things that will permanently hook you into the Sauce Boss's universe . . ." Blues Revue Magazine
- The 443 has a $15 per person/seat required minimum purchase for our shows, which can be any combination of food and drink. If your party (or part of it) does not show up, the ticket buyer is responsible for the minimum purchase.
- The 443 is an 18+ venue
- No outside food or drink allowed.
- Ticket limit: 3 tables for two or 6 single seats.
- Be respectful to the artist on stage and considerate to your neighbors - put your phone away and limit your conversation. We are a tiny room and voices carry.
We have 3 tiers of ticket options:
Tier 1 – (YELLOW) – Most expensive tickets. Regular height tables for two around the stage and single barstools at the bar.
Tier 2 – (BLUE) – Mid-priced tickets. High and low tables for two with excellent sight lines – particularly the high tables.
Tier 3 – (LAVENDER) – Least expensive tickets. Two low tables for two (15 & 16), plus (potentially shared) high tables for single attendees (25, 26, 27)
Green squares/circles on the floor plan are bar-height tables, orange squares are regular-height tables.
* If anyone in your party needs special seating arrangements - walker, cane, service animal, wheelchair, or low table requirement - please email us after you place your order. *
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The 443 Social Club & Lounge, 443 Burnet Avenue, Syracuse, United States
