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Welcome to the church of Ruthie Foster.

More than 850 souls showed up Saturday night at the Carolina Theatre for a show billed as Guitar Blues, featuring Jorma Kaukonen, Robben Ford and Ruthie Foster.

But Foster, a young soul singer/songwriter from Texas, dominated the proceedings from the beginning with her celestial soul.

"She's very inspirational," said potter Diane McPherson, who drove three hours from Greenville, S.C., for the show. "I've thrown a lot of clay to Ruthie's music."

Foster opened the service with "Joy on the Other Side," a folksy gospel original from her latest release, "The Truth According to Ruthie Foster." With a voice that blends Joan Armatrading, Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, you could feel Foster winning over the crowd, new converts whooping enthusiastically as her spirit and her vocals moved them.

Her Sister Rosetta Tharpe-inspired version of the gospel classic "Up Above My Head" proved she's the high priestess of the funky soul church.

Foster's version of "Traveling Shoes," ending with a heavenly howl, earned her a standing ovation.

She introduced Kaukonen, the big deal on this tour from his days with Jefferson Airplane and then as half of Hot Tuna with bassist Jack Casady.

Kaukonen continued in the gospel vein, opening with "True Religion" from Tuna's 1969 live album "Hot Tuna."

He's the cleanest player in blues, every note polished to a brilliant sheen, then left to resonate fully before he moves on to the next.

A fan of the Rev. Gary Davis, Kaukonen's covers of "Hesitation Blues" and "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" had the gospel fervor and spirit of Davis' versions with the added benefits of Kaukonen's impeccable finger-picking skills .

After a brief intermission, Robben Ford, founder of the legendary jazz quartet The Yellowjackets, opened the electric portion of the show with a blazing version of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful." But from that point on, Ford's set was just average: technically proficient, but not very exciting.

The temperature shot way up when Ruthie Foster came back out on piano, backed by Ford's three-piece band, to perform the rocking gospel soul cut "Stone Love" from her new release.

Ford's much more exciting as a sideman than a leader, backing her with a screaming guitar. Foster matched him vocally, singing like a woman possessed - by the spirit of the blues.

Kaukonen returned, tearing off a ripping version of "Rock Me Baby" on his cherry-red signature Epiphone Riviera electric. Foster came back out on guitar, blasting away with soulful intensity on Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody."

The encore was another Dylan song, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," treated like a hymn, with Kaukonen channeling Dylan in a soft nasal snarl. Ford's solo was transcendent, the best thing he'd done all night. Kaukonen's vocals invoked the spirit of Dylan invoking a higher power, then Foster took it still higher until Ford's final, celestial solo laid it to rest. The house lights came on, and a stunned crowd stumbled up the aisles, full of the spirit, and the blues.

Grant Britt is a freelance contributor.