Shawn Holt and the Teardrops to play Whippany

In a real sense, the blues are in Shawn Holt’s blood.

Holt’s father, the late Morris Holt, performed under the name “Magic Slim.” From the 1970s until his death in February 2013, Magic Slim was acclaimed as the heir to such great Chicago blues artists as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

Shawn Holt hopes to keep that legacy alive. His debut CD, “Daddy Told Me,” received the 2014 Blues Music Award for best debut album.

“I’ve got that award on the shelf with my father’s awards,” says Holt. (That shelf may need an extension: Magic Slim won seven awards from the Blues Music Foundation, including a posthumous award in 2013 for best male traditional blues artist.)

“The (debut album) award meant a lot to me,” continues Holt. “The competition was stiff. But it made me feel that I was going in the right direction.”

Holt is maintaining that direction by touring with his father’s band, the Teardrops. The group will play the Splatter Concert series at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center in Whippany on Sunday, March 29.

The story of the two generations of the Holts is, in a way, the story of the blues in miniature. Morris Holt was born in Mississippi in 1937, the son of sharecroppers.

He made his way to Chicago in 1955 with his friend Sam Maghett, who performed under the name “Magic Sam.”

However, within a few years, Magic Slim was back in Mississippi. “I always understood that the first time he went to Chicago, he wasn’t ready,” Shawn Holt says. “When he went back, he was ready.”

Magic Slim formed the first version of the Teardrops, which included his brother Nick Holt, in 1965. The group recorded its first single, “Scufflin’ ” a year later.

Several other singles followed, culminating in the release of his debut album, “Born Under a Bad Sign” in 1977. That was the first of more than 35 albums Magic Slim would record for a variety of labels.

Shawn Holt started his own career as a musician when he was 17. Though he toured with his father, he was not considered an “official” member of the Teardrops. “My father always encouraged me to find my own sound,” Holt says.

Holt (who, for a time, performed under the nickname Lil’ Slim) did eventually developed his own style of guitar-playing that involved using only a thumb-pick. He also varies Chicago blues with other styles, such as Delta blues and blues-rock.

In January 2013, Holt was officially made a Teardrop. “I guess by that time, he felt I was good enough,” he says. But only a month into that tour, Magic Slim was hospitalized in Philadelphia, where he died in February 2013.

Since then, Holt has made it his mission to pick up the torch from his father. “For a while, we (the other members in the band) were a trio. But it never crossed my mind not to call them the Teardrops.”

Holt is aided by the presence of John Primer, the powerful vocalist who recorded some of the most memorable sides by Magic Slim. “I grew up seeing John record with my father,” Holt says. “He’s taught me so much.”

For the Whippany performance, Holt will draw on the originals he wrote for “Daddy Told Me,” as well as covers of vintage blues songs by his father and others.

“You can keep a daily journal of your experiences and turn them into songs,” Holt says. “I haven’t picked cotton, and I’ve never worked on a railroad, so I can’t write about that. But I have enough other experiences to turn into songs.”

Holt is proud to do his part to keep the blues alive. “I think the blues is as strong as it’s ever been,” he says. “I just hope musicians don’t try to dilute it as much as some people think they should. The audience is there for the real blues.”

SHAWN HOLT & THE TEARDROPS

WHAT: Holt and his band will play a brand of Chicago-style blues that reflects the influence of his late father, Morris “Magic Slim” Holt. The group received the 2014 Blues Music Award for best debut album for the CD, “Daddy Told Me.”

WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday, March 29. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Ukrainian American Cultural Center, 60 N. Jefferson Rd., Whippany

TICKETS: $25. $5 for ages 13 to 17, free for ages 12 and under.

INFORMATION: 973-585-7175 or www.splatterconcerts.com