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2020 Blues Festival Guide annual is shipping... order now!
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 Here's it is... our beautiful, soulful 2020 cover featuring Danielle Nicole by photographer Brita Brookes!
We know everyone is missing their live Blues! We feel your pain and we also understand there are fewer chances for you to pick up a 2020 Blues Festival Guide! Order and you can get your 2020 Blues Festival Guide magazine mailed to you!
We're shipping now and can mail your copy straight to your U.S. home or P.O. Box for $9 US & Canada and $14 Overseas.
Here's the link to order your personal copy or give us a call to place your order at 707-630-3304.
Along with blues festival, artist and label ads, blues society and blues radio listings, we feature interesting editorial like: What’s Cookin’ with Victor Wainwright, A King And A Duke by Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Jammin’ On The High C’s: On Board the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise By Mitch Woods, Living Legend: Charlie Musselwhite by Eric Steiner, Reel Away The Blues by Roger Stolle and more ...Find more details
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Photo Moments with the BFG Magazine!!
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 When you get your 2020 Blues Festival Guide (BFG) magazine don't forget to take a fun shot with it and/or with whomever and send to us! We'll feature photos with the annual BFG throughout the year and include artist and location links in the description.
Here's some photos of the BFG staff from top Lt-Rt: Kaati (Blues Festival Guide Publisher) and Michael "Sully" Sullivan (Blues Music Magazine Publisher) ©Donovan Allen; BFG Sales Manager Cheryl O'Grady-Yearnshaw with the late blues, soul queen Denise LaSalle; Rick Estrin with BFG e-Guide Editor Michele Lundeen; BFG Sales rep Tom Andrews and BFG rep Belinda Holloway; Rick Rudd and Heather Penrod-Rudd (BFG Sales and Distribution); BFG magazine Editor Irene Johnson.
*NOTE! Our 2020 annual is being sent to select festivals, blues societies and a few distributors plus we are also encouraging individual subscribers because of the unusual conditions of the Pandemic. Once you get yours, have fun and SNAP A PHOTO of you, your friends, and/or artists, etc. with your BFG and EMAIL your photo, caption, photo credit to your e-Guide editor!
**Want more info or your own hard copy? Go to this page!
The Blues Foundation is the official sponsor of our 2020 Blues Festival Guide!
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Featured Video of the Week
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Cellar Sessions: The Teskey Brothers
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CD & DVD Releases (not reviews)
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Popa Chubby :: IT'S A MIGHTY HARD ROAD
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 "You know me? I’m not what you think I am. I’m half human, half beast, 300 pounds of muscle and man, New York born native son. Grew up hard, too big to run. I came up on the streets of the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan. I sought the streets to find the love I could not get at home but all I found was trouble, heartache and despair in the barrel of a gun and the eye of a needle in my vein. Then the music saved me, the guitar saved me and I was no longer fat Teddy from the block. I was a player, a singer, a writer, and I found out people loved me for that.
I was risen from the ashes, made stronger from the fire, I was ready for the trials and the tribulations that would bring me to where I am now! 30 years is a lifetime or a blink of the eye, depends on how you look at it. For me every day, every show, every note, every flight, every story, every hug has been sheer joy. I truly believe this has all manifested for a reason.I shine as an example of the human spirit. What does not kill us surely makes us stronger and the art and music we make bares the power of an uphill climb.
My friends, Brothers, Sisters, Nieces and Nephews. My humble offering to you. 15 tracks of my very bestest. No matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter what you believe we are all the same and… It’s a Mighty Hard Road."
Signed,
Theodore Horowitz
Don Chubblione
The Master Of Disaster
The Beast From the East
 "The Flavor Is In The Fat"
Website
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Live music returns, just pull up your vehicle
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(LIMA, NY) - Perhaps the vehicle to lead us out of the coronavirus pandemic will be our cars. The car. In which we are hermetically sealed. Unless we roll down the windows, which is bound to happen as summer arrives. One thing COVID-19 cannot stop.
While the virtual internet performances of musicians can be enjoyed in the comfort and safety of our homes, they are no substitute for the live music experience. And it’s wishful thinking that the big outdoor concerts that dominate our summer social calendar will return soon.
Nationwide tours are falling apart as you read this, and social-distancing recommendations simply don't work at Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center or Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, where 5,000 or 15,000 people converge like spawning salmon in an Alaska river.
So we must think small.Live music on a summer evening returns next week. It will happen in Lima, population about 4,000, just a short drive south of Rochester. Fanatics Pub is introducing its Tuesday night Fanatics Drive-In Concert Series with a June 2 show featuring the blues of Steve Grills and the Roadmasters. The live shows – nothing virtual here – will be held in the parking lot next to the pub at 7281 W. Main St., in Lima.
Owner Jim Shelly saw the opening with the announcement of New York state's four-phase reopening plan."I knew that drive-ins were going to be part of phase one," he says, "and I saw in Europe that they were doing something similar."
Read full details at News WJCT
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Livestream Music Series Honoring Piedmont Blues Woman Elizabeth ‘Libba’ Cotten To Feature N.C. Artists
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(CARRBORO, NC) – Music Maker Relief Foundation joins with a number of other agencies to present a livestream version of the annual Freight Train Blues Music Series. The series celebrates and honors the life and legacy of Piedmont blues legend Elizabeth “Libba” Cotton. Born in 1893 in Carrboro, N.C. Cotten’s style was unique and highly regarded by many musicians. Some of her best-known compositions, like “Freight Train” and “Shake Sugaree,” have been canonized into the repertoires of American popular culture.
The music series hopes to draw attention to Music Maker’s mission and encourage people to donate to helping musicians in need, especially now.
May 29 – Phil Cook – Throughout Cook’s career as a prolific songwriter, instrumentalist and producer he has collaborated with The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bon Iver, The Indigo Girls, and Hiss Golden Messenger as well as the released of two acclaimed solo albums.
June 5 – Hiss Golden Messenger – Songwriter and bandleader M.C. Taylor’s music features elements from the American songbook — the steady, churning acoustic guitar and mandolin, the gospel emotion, the eerie steel guitar tracings, the bobbing and weaving organ and electric piano — provide the bedrock for Taylor’s existential ruminations about life.
June 12 – Lightnin’ Wells – Mike “Lightnin'” Wells breathes new life into the vintage tunes of the 1920s and depression era America employing various appropriate stringed instruments in a dynamic style which he has developed in over 50 years of performing experience.
June 19 – Thomas Rhyant – Rhyant uses music to tell the stories of those who came before him, allowing people to not only understand but emotionally connect with history.
Livestream each concert via the links below:
Facebook Live - YouTube Live - 97.9 The Hill WCHL
...More details at the Music Maker Relief Foundation
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Always the Queen - The Denise LaSalle Story out in June
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 Denise LaSalle's journey took her from rural Mississippi to an unquestioned reign as the queen of soul-blues. From her early R&B classics to bold and bawdy demands for satisfaction, LaSalle updated the classic blueswoman's stance of powerful independence while her earthy lyrics about relationships connected with generations of female fans. Off-stage, she enjoyed ongoing success as a record label owner, entrepreneur, and genre-crossing songwriter.
As honest and no-nonsense as the artist herself, Always the Queen is LaSalle's in-her-own-words story of a lifetime in music. Moving to Chicago as a teen, LaSalle launched a career in gospel and blues that eventually led to the chart-topping 1971 smash "Trapped by a Thing Called Love" and a string of R&B hits. She reinvented herself as a soul-blues artist as tastes changed and became a headliner on the revitalized southern soul circuit and at festivals nationwide and overseas. Revered for a tireless dedication to her music and fans, LaSalle continued to tour and record until shortly before her death."
LaSalle is by turns rebellious, raunchy, worshipful, and tender. Readers will feel like they're listening to a woman nearing the end of her career share the lessons she learned on her musical journey." – Library Journal
"Reading Always the Queen: The Denise LaSalle Story is like eating candy." – Southern Soul RnB
Written by Denise LaSalle with David Whiteis, the book will be published June 2020 by the University of Illinois Press.
...Find more details about the book
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San Diego Music Awards ceremony to move online July 6
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By George Varga/San Diego Union Tribune
(SAN DIEGO, CA) - The 2020 San Diego Music Awards [SDMA] isn’t going up in smoke, despite being sponsored for the first time by a recreational marijuana dispensary. But the 29th edition of the annual awards is going online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the nonprofit San Diego Music Foundation – under whose auspices the 29-year-old awards are held – announced this year’s move to an all-virtual format and the launch of the SDMA Nominees COVID Grant program.
The ticketed event was originally scheduled for March 23 at downtown’s House of Blues, before being postponed until July 6. The free online edition of the awards show will take place July 6 at 7 p.m. and can be viewed at the SDMA website, on Facebook (@sdmusicawards) and on YouTube. A 90-minute edited version will air July 11 at 8 p.m. on Fox TV 5.
Pictured here is 2020 SDMA Nominee and previous BMA Nominee and SDMA Winner, San Diego resident, Whitney Shay.
Find nominees here.
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Chasing The Blues Podcast
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Tom "The Suit" Forst Presents (plus a Giveaway!)
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SEASON 2 / EPISODE 7:
In this episode, Tom The Suit Forst interviews Fito de la Parra, drummer of the blues-rock band Canned Heat, which was pivotal in bringing the blues into mainstream music. Fito tells inside stories about the band, including tales of performing at Woodstock in 1969. Fito shares information about his book, Living The Blues: Canned Heat's Story Of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex And Survival, which he self-published in 2000, going on to sell over 15,000 copies worldwide. He also talks about one special gig they played with Mike Bloomfield at the Fillmore West, after which they asked Bloomfield to join the band.
In the podcast, Tom Forst also announces a special giveaway of a vinyl reissue of "Canned Heat Blues" by Tommy Johnson, the song that inspired the Canned Heat band name!
LISTEN HERE:
Spreaker
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Chasing the Blues Podcast has weekly episodes sharing interesting stories of the original bluesmen, the pioneers of the art form, as told through personal interviews with players from around the world: some famous in their own right, recording and touring artists, veteran sidemen, and rising new talent.
Chasing the Blues is proudly sponsored by Blues Festival Guide, which Bobby Rush calls the "road map to the blues." Chasing the Blues is also sponsored and produced by Factory Underground Studio in Norwalk, CT.
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Which Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise Hits Your Groove?
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Our Artists & Headliners Stay & Play, They Don’t Hit & Run!!
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100+ scheduled shows on 6 stages. Multiple shows by each artist, pro jams, land events, autograph sessions, artist workshops and much more…
NOW BOOKING: LRBC #35 Southern Caribbean: Oct 25-Nov 1, 2020
from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba & Half Moon Cay (Bahamas Private Island) on Holland America’s ms Eurodam. Limited Cabins Remain - Book your cabin before they’re gone! Visit Reservations or call (816) 753-7979.
Artist Lineup: Taj Mahal & Phantom Blues Band, Keb’ Mo’, Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster Six, Tab Benoit, Walter Trout, Tommy Castro & the Painkillers, Kenny Neal Band w/Tyree Neal, G. Love & Special Sauce, Shemekia Copeland, Danielle Nicole, Johnny Rawls, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Vanessa Collier, Marquise Knox, Shakura S'Aida, RUF Records Blues Caravan, Jonathon Long, Doug MacLeod, Mitch Woods Club 88, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Kelley Hunt, Daryl Davis, Eden Brent, Chuk Barber’s Soul Lounge, Mr. Sipp (Special Guest) & more! Full info @ https://bluescruise.com/35-oct-2020/
PUBLIC ON SALE LAUNCHES JUNE 8! LRBC #36 Eastern Caribbean: Jan 31-Feb 7, 2021 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Tortola, St. Thomas & Turks and Caicos on Holland America’s ms Nieuw Statendam! Visit Reservations or call (816) 753-7979 at 11am Central on June 8th to secure your stateroom. Visit Reservations or call (816) 753-7979.
Artist Lineup: Taj Mahal, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Booker T. Jones presents a Stax Revue, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue w/ Tommy Castro Band, Magic Dick, Deanna Bogart & Ronnie Baker Brooks, Tab Benoit's Swampland Jam w/Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone & Waylon Thibodeaux, Victor Wainwright & the Train w/Dave Gross, Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets w/ Darrell Nulisch & the Texas Horns, Mud Morganfield & His Allstar Chicago Band, Roomful of Blues, Tinsley Ellis, Coco Montoya, Southern Avenue, Toronzo Cannon, Joanne Shaw Taylor, John Németh & the Blue Dreamers, Mr. Sipp, Albert Castiglia, Keeshea Pratt Band, Kevin Burt, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, HOROJO Trio, Leon Blue, Professor Louie w/Miss Marie & many more! Full info @ https://bluescruise.com/36-jan-2021-eastern-caribbean/
____________________________
LEGENDARY RHYTHM & BLUES CRUISE 313 Lawrence St., Kansas City, MO (816) 753-7979 | BluesCruise.com
- More Than A Cruise… More Than A Festival… More Than You Can Imagine! -
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 - Amnesty Day International May 28
Birthdays upcoming of note:
May 28-Papa John Creech (1917-1989), T-Bone Walker (1910-1975), Gladys Knight (1944), Kaati (our BFG Owner/Publisher), John Fogarty (1945); Jun 3-Jimmy Rogers (1924-1997), Memphis Minnie (1897-1973), Curtis Mayfield (1942-1999), Heather Penrod-Rudd (BFG Sales Rep & Distribution Mgr); Jun 4-Tinsley Ellis (1957); Jun 8-James Harman (1946), Derek Trucks (1979); Jun 9-Jackie Wilson (1934–1984); Jun 10-Howlin' Wolf aka Chester Arthur Burnett (1910-1976)
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Missed your copy of the Weekly e-Guide?
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BFG Twitter-Instagram-Facebook
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Join Blues Freaks at our Tweeter feed & on Instagram
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Hey, come on over and Join over 13,000+ Blues Freaks at our TWITTER feed @BluesFestGuide
___________________________________________
  Also Follow us on INSTAGRAM See awesome, bluesy festival photos
from our team and fellow blues lovers!
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Get your Face in our Book
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Then please drop on by and"LIKE" us to get a daily dose of blues related stuff! ...
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Radio Submit Roots Blues Airplay Chart (click chart for more)
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Billboard Blues Album This week
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Billboard's Top 2 Blues Albums - Week of May 30, 2020
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 #LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT
Ruthie Foster Big Band
#2
LIVE AT THE FORUM
The Teskey Brothers
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We've Got You Covered with Live Streams & Online Concerts
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Blues Festival Guide Magazine Media Platforms Feature Live Streams, Online Concerts & more
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The Blues Festival Guide platforms are fast becoming the main portal for blues live stream and blues online concert events.
As fast as an online event is announced, the Blues Festival Guide team makes the announcement and link go live in a special section on the top-ranking Blues Festival Guide Website, as well as on their social media platforms ( Facebook with 195,000 Followers, and Instagram @bluesfestguide with 6,000 Followers). This service is provided for free to the artist as well as the viewer.
Even though music festivals and clubs are on lockdown across the globe, there are loads of brand-new music and live concerts via live stream, both small and large, local and international, that can be watched from the safety of your couch on your own TV, computer or phone.
With almost 20 years of experience delivering blues music and blues music news around the world, Publisher Kaati Gaffney says, “We are experienced digital marketers specializing in live music events. During this time of pandemic, while festivals and events are virtual, it is our pleasure to provide this service.” ...Find more about BFG or to contact us to share your events
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To view entire calendar of festivals & Live Streams, click here!
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ATTENTION:
FESTIVAL PROMOTERS
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LIST YOUR FESTIVAL ON OUR
WEBSITE FOR FREE HERE
To ensure that your festival also appears here in the e-Guide Festival Calender EMAIL |
Not all upcoming blues festivals/events are listed here at certain times of the year due to space constraints. Unless highlighted, festivals are no longer inked due to increasing spam
For a complete list and links see our comprehensive website.
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NOTE: Highlighted/Linked events are paid "Featured" ads. For complete list & links go to our website Festival page!
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*CORONAVIRUS UPSETS:
Postponed means rescheduled or 2020 is still pending. Cancelled means some have picked dates for 2021. Please check the festival links on our site for most current updates
VIRTUAL
Live from Clarksdale
May-01-2020 - Jun-01-2020, Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Spring Fling Music Festival
May-30-2020
Mobile, Alabama, USA
POSTPONED TO AUG 28-28
Interstate Blues Fest
Jun-12-2020 - Jun-13-2020
Hagerstown, Maryland, USA
Chelsea Blues, Rhythm
& Rock Festival
Jun-13-2020
London, United Kingdom
Torrita Blues Festival 2020
Jun-18-2020 - Jun-20-2020
Torrita di Siena, Italy
Juneteenth Festival of Akron
Jun-19-2020 - Jun-21-2020
Akron, Ohio, USA
Crosby Zydeco Festival
Jun-26-2020 - Jun-28-2020
Crosby, Texas, USA
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please go to our website
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Prairie Dog Blues Festival
Jul-24-2020 - Jul-25-2020
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, USA
Shrewsbury Ribs & Blues
Jul-25-2020
Blenheim, Ontario, Canada
Magic City Blues
Jul-30-2020 - Aug-01-2020
Billings, Montana, USA
Free Thursday’s
Summer Concert Series
Jul-02-2020 - Aug-27-2020
Norwich, New York, USA
TD Kitchener Blues Festival
Aug-06-2020 - Aug-09-2020
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Sunflower River Blues Festival
Aug-07-2020 - Aug-09-2020
Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
20th Heritage Music BluesFest
Aug-07-2020 - Aug-09-2020
Wheeling, West Virginia, USA
Bloomington Boogies: The Bloomington Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival
Aug-07-2020 - Aug-10-2020
Bloomington, Indiana, USA
New Blues Festival
Aug-08-2020 - Aug-09-2020
Long Beach, California, USA
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Please stay safe and optimistic!
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We are thinking of you and wishing you good health!
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RBA Publishing/Blues Festival Guide
P.O. Box 920, Arcata, CA 95518
Call 707-630-3304
RBA Publishing, Inc. in business since 1993, is a boutique blues-specific PR and marketing firm based on the West Coast. We help musicians, festivals, labels and music-related brands. Our digital campaigns target fans, industry and influencers. We are masterful at email marketing, social media, fan acquisition and long-term marketing plans. Our media services are supported by people who understand and love the blues genre. Publishers of annual the Blues Festival Guide magazine, our top-ranking website, and e-Guide newsletter with approx 30,000 weekly subscribers, we have been blues industry leaders for over 18 years. Please contact us at 707-630 3304 or EMAIL to findout how we can help you!
Information both editorial and advertising in the Blues Festival E-Guide is believed to be correct but not guaranteed. Double check info carefully before you attend any event or send money for anything. We do not do CD/DVD reviews nor write the news... we just share and report it.
We also welcome your e-Guide suggestions, critiques and questions. You can reach our E-Guide editor, Michele Lundeen via EMAIL.
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Hey blues lovers! Got 
