Ayanna Hobson and Little Buster’s Soulbrothers Band

OK, 2003 is the “Year of the Blues,” and October is the National Federation of the Blind’s “Meet the Blind” month. There’s probably no better way to celebrate the synergy than to attend this benefit concert, with proceeds going to the NFB. The brainchild of Little Buster, who lost his sight at the age of six yet learned to master the guitar (B.B. King once said, “Little Buster is the only musician that can fill my shoes”), the Rhythm and Blues Expo aims to prove that blindness and leading a fulfilling life aren’t mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, Buster, the original headliner, has been sidelined with a stroke; Ayanna Hobson, a vocalist on his record label, steps into his shoes (and King’s, by transitive property) to perform Buster’s material with his Soulbrothers Band.