Gil Correia used to fall asleep listening to the sounds of a steel guitar wafting from his grandfather's country-western bar, "The Stockade Club" in Bridgewater, but he didn't exercise his own musical talents until the age of 45.

He's made up for lost time, however, and fourteen years after teaching himself the blues, he plays with national acts and Grammy Award-winners and is helping to bring them to the Onset Blues Festival.

"Every year it gets a little bit bigger," Correia said in between sets at Saturday evening's Onset Blues Festival and Cape Verdean Festival kickoff fundraiser, referring both to the festival, and to his role in the event.

Correia said he began emceeing the Blues Festival about 12 years ago. The Saturday night concert was a preview of the performance scheduled for this August 7.  Joined by special guests, vocalist and "queen of the blues" Toni Lynn Washington and his mentor Ricky "King" Russell, as well as his band The Bluegils, Correia proclaimed his 'right to sing the blues' after what he alludes to as 'many years of hard living' in his song "I've been a bad, bad, bad, bad boy."

"The blues gives you a lot of room to express yourself," said Correia.  "As long as you've got the key and the beat," (the blues follows a standard rhythmic and harmonic progression "base") you just do your thing."

And Correia's won accolades from his peers for doing his thing.

"I really think he's a talented musician," Washington said. "He's so easy to work with.

And, along with the amenities of Onset, Correia has helped to attract his fellow performers to the area.

"People here are so warm and especially friendly," said Washington.  "They've always been that way with me here."

"We did the festival last year and had a ton of fun," said Russell.  "The location, the crowd was great.  Gil and the committee have brought people from all over.  It grows every year and its become nationally and internationally known.  People want to come and play."