Chicago Blues Festival: Let the jamming begin
Music fans will have a lot to celebrate June 12-14 at the Chicago Blues Festival — the largest free blues festival in the world. Past performances by greats like Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and B.B King make the event an annual favorite and the largest of the Chicago’s music gatherings.
Located in Chicago’s Grant Park and started in 1984 in memory of Muddy Waters, the festival has since expanded from one stage and 165,000 attendees to six stages and upward of 800,000 fans. This year’s line-up is sure to please, with a tribute to the great Robert Nighthawk, and a 70th-birthday celebration for master performer Eddie C. Campbell.
The city will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Chicago’s own successful Blues label, Earwig Music, with performances by Johnny Drummer & the Starliters and Liz Mandeville & the Blue Points.
Saturday will feature performances by the women of blues, with soul singer Bettye LaVette. Sunday night highlights Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, who have played back-up for Amy Winehouse and been sampled by modern artists like Kanye West and Jurassic 5.
Musicians can jam at the Gibson Guitar Crossroads stage (at Jackson and Lake Shore Drive), where an on-site trailer will offer 13 interactive guitar stations. Younger fans will enjoy the Diddly Bow making and storytelling sessions, daily jams at the Mississippi Juke Joint, and even a guitar workshop at the Roadhouse.
Having influenced popular music like rock and roll, R&B and hip-hop, the Blues continue to draw a big following. What better place to enjoy then than in Chicago, considered the Blues capital of the world, and at the unbeatable price of absolutely free?
Posted on Apr 18, 2011 by D.J. Siegel
