Greenville native Rickey Gdfrey will return to his roots Saturday when he performs at 7 p.m. at Daddy Joe's Beach House & BBQ. One of Nashville's premier blues guitarists Rickey Godfrey will make a special appearance Saturday night at Daddy Joe's Beach House & BBQ.

Godfrey, a Greenville native, will perform at 7 p.m. in an edition of the restaurant's popular music patio sessions. He is a former member of the popular 1970s band Garfeel Ruff. He won several Carolina beach music awards with his own Rickey Godfrey Band in 2005 and 2006.

Godfrey is good friends with Gaffney native Kenneth Wright, a singer and songwriter in Nashville. He has worked with Wright and recently performed with the Greenville band Chocolate Thunder at the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival in July.

His friendship with Wright prompted Godfrey to contact Daddy Joe's owner Shag Stepp about performing at the barbecue restaurant while traveling through South Carolina this weekend.

"I grew up in Greenville and I occasionally go back there to play in the local clubs where I get to hang out with many of my old friends," Godfrey said. "Since 1993, I've lived in Nashville, where I play mostly blues and classic soul gigs with the great players here."

Blind since birth, Godfrey started studying classical piano and voice at the age of 7 while attending the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg. He began playing the guitar at 13.

He joined his brother, Ronnie, to form Garfeel Ruff in 1974. The band released three records with Capitol Records and performed the soundtrack for the movie, "The Hitter."

Godfrey works these days with musicians like former Delbert McClinton saxophonist Don Wise, singer and guitarist Donnie Winters of the Winters Brothers, and New York soul singer Angel Rissoff.

Godfrey is presently writing songs for his upcoming blues album. He performs a solo act as well as working with his trio and five piece bands.

"People say I'm mostly a blues and soul guitarist, and I suppose that's true. But I see myself as a more versatile guitarist," Godfrey said. "I don't just listen to R&B and rock. I listen to jazz, country, blues, gypsy music, classical, which gives my playing a lot of influences."