Bobble Tiki loves a good story about overcoming long odds. It’s one of the reasons he thinks he should receive extra credit from his bosses here at the Weekly Volcano for making it to work on time on Mondays. Few, if any, expect Bobble Tiki to pull off the feat on a regular basis. When he does, Bobble Tiki feels it’s worth a pat on the back.

For a real story of overcoming long odds, blues fans in our area need look no further than Saturday, Dec. 6’s show at Jazzbones in Tacoma, when Portland, Oregon-based Curtis Salgado takes the stage. As far as Northwest blues legends go, they don’t get much bigger than Salgado, who served as the inspiration for John Belushi’s creation of the Blues Brothers, and spent time early in his career fronting Robert Cray’s band — including holding down the main vocal duties on Cray’s debut album.

Salgado has the blues swagger, the vocal chops and the harmonica magic to put him on a level few musicians reach. It’s the reason he’s been able to maintain a long career in the music industry, and the reason fans all over T-town are once again overcome with excitement at the prospect of seeing Salgado on stage this weekend. Born in Everett and birthed on blues-worn stages up and down the West Coast, Salgado is the type of musician you don’t get a chance to see every weekend.

Those who realize this fact should make it a point to check out his show this Saturday at Jazzbones.

But we were talking about overcoming long odds, and Salgado has certainly done his share of that. Diagnosed with liver cancer in 2005, and living in true blues musician form without health insurance, Salgado kicked, fought, screamed and called in plenty of favors to get a liver transplant that doctors told him was needed to save his life. Then, even after the transplant, doctors discovered the liver cancer had spread to his lungs — typically a sure death sentence. However, Salgado’s life once again defied the odds, and after removing only one marble sized tumor from Salgado’s lungs, the blues man seems to have kicked the cancer bug.

“That was pretty much a bitch slap. My day changed,” says Salgado of hearing the initial diagnosis. “I ended up getting the liver they said I’d never get, but then the liver cancer showed up in my lungs. Then all bets were off. But here’s the funny thing, they went in and only found one little tumor. They were like ‘we accept miracles here at the Nebraska Medical Center (where Salgado received treatment) and this is a miracle.’”

Almost a year later, Salgado is still cancer free and going strong. Now that’s what Bobble Tiki calls overcoming long odds.

“I’ve been blessed,” says Salgado. “I’m just happy to be alive. I’m just happy to be able to play music. I was given seven months to live.”

Salgado’s joy for life and music will be evident from the stage at Jazzbones this Saturday — as he lays a heaping helping of blues (including material from his recently released album, Clean Getaway) on the adoring masses in attendance. Whenever Salgado plays Tacoma, it’s always a sight to be seen — and heard.

Take it from Bobble Tiki, this time around will be no different.

As usual, Bobble Tiki doesn’t care what you do this week because he doesn’t even know you. Unless you can tell Bobble Tiki why Mrs. Tiki banished him to the couch on Thanksgiving night for drinking straight from the gravy boat, then Bobble Tiki’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to meet you. Check out this Web site for all your South Sound Interweb needs, and consider that close enough. If you got any closer to Bobble Tiki you could see the black cloud of unfulfilled potential that follows him. 

[Jazzbones, Saturday, Dec. 6, 8:30 p.m., $14, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]