When hot licks and intense emotion fuse, the blues can be an incredible experience.

Tonight, students and State College residents will get the blues once again: blues guitar wizard Bobby Radcliff and his band will be rocking Mr. C's, with Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band opening the show at 8:15.

Radcliff, a 38-year-old native of Washington, D.C., is touring to support his just-released major label debut, Dresses Too Short. He has been playing the blues professionally for 20 years.

"I started off playing along with Ventures records when I was about 12 in 1963 -- I always liked the sound of the guitar," he said. "When I finally heard the blues, I was blown away by the emotional feel of it; it was something that I could really relate to. It had the emotional content AND the great guitar sound, so it was sort of like the best of both worlds."

He said he took classical lessons as a child, but they were mainly a source of frustration.

"I've got a learning disability. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I had a hard time with math and music notation," he said. "I couldn't play chords for the first few years, which certainly didn't make my self-esteem any better. I have a weird style as a result of that, though, so maybe it helped me in the long run."

That style, Radcliff said, is basically "interspersing leads and chords --Magic Sam did a lot of that."

At 16, Radcliff left for Chicago to find his idol, Magic Sam Maghett. The friendship that resulted changed Radcliff's whole outlook on his music, he said.

"(Magic Sam) was very much a source of inspiration for me, both as a musician and as a person," he said. "He encouraged me to be my own kind of person, and it made me feel good. It's funny, though -- I wound up emulating him because of it! Today his style is just a part of me."

Radcliff's meeting with another modern blues legend, Ronnie Earl, who played at Mr. C 's in February, led to his current recording contract.

"I think I met Ronnie first in late '84 -- early '85, back when he was with Roomful of Blues," he said. "He's a good friend and a big fan of the music. He helped me out a lot in connecting with Black Top (Records) and (producer) Hammond Scott. I have a debt of gratitude to him."

Mike Desmond, co-owner of Hotel State College and Company, credits Earl for suggesting this show as well.

"I had a couple of requests and he was highly recommended by Ronnie Earl," Desmond said. "They share the same management."

Since the release of his new LP, the New York based guitarist has been showered with rave reviews, something that has taken this down-to-earth musician a little off-guard.

"Even though I worked real hard on the record and was real satisfied at the end, I was getting freaked out by all of this press!" he said with a laugh. "It's a little overwhelming! I mean, I NEVER thought I'd be in Guitar Player and Rolling Stone, t Radcliff said he is very positive about the current blues revival.

"I think it's a really good state of affairs," he said. "I think that people really need the emotionality of the blues; they're tired of pure product. They need something that addresses their feelings, and that's where the blues comes in."

He said he also feels freed by the lack of artistic restrictions that the blues promotes.

"I'd like to feel like I've got my own approach; I don't want to get backed into a musical stereotype," he said. "I don't have to live up to anyone's standards except my own."

Tickets are $7 at the Hotel State College desk and $9 at the door.