PENDLETON — Two powerhouses of the blues tradition are traveling to Portland for the PDX Jazz Festival and are making a stop in Pendleton along the way to play a show at Pendleton Center for the Arts.

True Blues: Corey Harris and Cedric Watson will perform Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 thanks to underwriting by WESTAF, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Drs. Dan and Connie Marier, according to a PCA press release.

This show is expected to sell out, so early ticket purchases are encouraged online at pendletonarts.org or at the center, 214 N. Main St.

“True Blues chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues in an evening of music and conversation, vividly bringing to life this crucial wellspring of American music,” said Roberta Lavadour, PCA executive director.

Harris was featured in Martin Scorsese’s “The Blues: A Musical Journey,” which followed Harris to West Africa where he explored his familial and musical roots. Harris is a powerful singer, accomplished guitarist, songwriter and band leader who has carved out his own niche in blues. He has appeared at venues throughout North America, Europe, Brazil, the Caribbean, West Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

He began his career as a New Orleans street singer, traveling throughout the southern U.S. In his early 20s, he lived in Cameroon, West Africa, for a year, which had a profound effect on his later work. He has recorded many old songs of the blues tradition while also creating an original vision of the blues by adding influences from reggae, soul, rock and West African music.

Watson is one of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade. He is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist and songwriter.

Originally from San Felipe, Texas, (population 868), Watson was 19 when he made his first appearance at the Zydeco Jam at The Big Easy in Houston. Just two years later, he moved to southern Louisiana and quickly immersed himself in French music and language. Over the next several years, Watson performed French music in 17 countries and on seven full-length albums with various groups, including the Pine Leaf Boys, Corey Ledet, Les Amis Creole with Ed Poullard and J.B. Adams, and with his own group, Bijou Creole.

Watson plays everything from forgotten Creole melodies and obscure Dennis McGee reels to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs, and occasionally throws in a bluegrass fiddle tune or an old string band number. He is also a prolific songwriter, writing almost all of his songs on his double-row Hohner accordion. Channeling his diverse ancestry (African, French, Native American and Spanish), Watson creates his unique brand of sounds.

More information about the performance is available by calling 541-278-9201 or online at pendletonarts.org.