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From your BFG Blues Family
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Happy Holidays & Farewell to 2020
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Warmest wishes for good health, cheer and peace on this Christmas Eve. As 2020 draws to a close, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of our friends and supporters — as we wouldn't be here without all of you!
It's the gift of music that binds us together, it's a universal language, a shared experience among a variety of cultures that stretches across the globe. It's an art form that touches our hearts and reaches deep into our souls. Music speaks to our essence as human beings, it teaches us about other cultures and each other, and for many, it touches on the human experience. For some it’s the joy of release, for others it's their life, and for most of us, it instills a true sense of community.
Peace and Blues from all of us at the Blues Festival Guide,
Kaati, Cheryl, Heather, Tom, Irene, Goran, Joana & Belinda
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Can't Stop The Blues (CSTB)
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This Week on Can't Stop The Blues
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 Your CSTB Family is here for you this holiday season! Because so many of us can’t get together with friends and loved ones this year, we will be broadcasting on Christmas Eve and Day at our usual time- 9:00 pm eastern. Join Kid and Lisa Andersen, Terrie Odabi, Tommy Castro, Nick Moss and more for an all-star series of holiday specials! Good times, cheer and great music to brighten the days for everyone!
Follow this link for the shows at Can’t Stop the Blues:
• THURSDAY, 12/24
9pm EST: Merry Greasemas! Christmas At Greaseland
10pm EST: Terrie Odabi’s A Very Soulful Christmas
• FRIDAY, 12/25:
9pm EST: Christmas With Castro - Tommy Castro & The Painkillers
10pm EST: Nick Moss Holiday Blues Spectacular
• SATURDAY, 12/26:
9pm EST: Alabama Mike - A Golden Gate Blues Soc. Production
10pm EST: Breezy Rodio - Chicago South Side Session
• SUNDAY, 12/27
9pm EST: Mitch Woods is The Boogie Woogie Traveler!
10pm EST: Alvon Johnson - A Club Fox Presentation
Also find us on Can't Stop The Blues YouTube!
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Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival Jan 13-16, 2021
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(Photo by Greg Logan)
(NEW ORLEANS, LA) - The Queen of the Cigar Box Guitar, Samantha Fish, is joined by a star-studded lineup playing handmade instruments in the most musical city in the world! The Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival will be held Jan 13-16, 2021 at Chickie Wah Wah & The Howlin' Wolf (907 South Peters St., New Orleans, Louisiana). Email for ticket availability, Pay-Per-View options, etc.
The festival is a unique celebration of the art, music, and cultural history of homemade stringed instruments in the city where those rudimentary devices played a key role in the early development of both the Blues and Jazz musical traditions. Samantha Fish leads an exciting slate of entertainers, along with Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee Jonathon Long, Cigar Box Serenaders, J. P. Soars, Steve Arvey & Rebecca The Songbird, John Nickel, Amzie Adams Band, Ivor Simpson Kennedy, Trashtronaut and more.
Wednesday evening is the kickoff from 7-11pm. Thursday is the “Throwdown” from 7-11pm and final voting in the International Cigar Box Guitar Video Playoffs will also be held that evening (the winners will be announced on Saturday evening). Friday there will be a “Builder’s Forum & Contest from 11am-2pm, an “Afternoon Showcase” at 3-6pm and a “Spotlight” 7-11pm. Saturday there’s a “Hootenanny” from 3-6pm and the “Saturday Night Shindig” from 7-11pm.
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Top 20 Blues, Rock and Roots Albums from "Rock & Blues Muse"
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 Despite the pandemic, 2020 brought so many outstanding blues, rock and roots albums. Top 20? It should be Top 30. We tried very hard to narrow our list down to Top 20 but we could not bring ourselves to cut one more album. So there’s 22. Call it the most unpredictable and challenging year yet and our number of albums fits right in. There’s just too much great music this year. That’s a great thing, something we are all grateful for.
With a record-breaking number of votes from fans, from the Rock and Blues Muse Group, and our editorial staff, our faith in music fans has been reaffirmed. We know that the fans have been and are keeping the music we love alive and that they’ll be there ready to jam when the pandemic has been contained and we can gather safely again. For now, add every one of these albums to your listening rotation.
This list is in no particular order. We do not believe there is a best or least-best. Each album is just as great as the other.
…See descriptions, reviews, web links and the list that includes Walter Trout, Sonny Landreth, Allman Betts Band, Larkin Poe, Ruthie Foster, Joe Bonamassa, Shemekia Copeland, Kirk Fletcher, Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite, Marcus King, Bernard Allison, Albert Castiglia, Mike Zito, Anthony Gomes, Dion, Tinsley Ellis, Alastair Greene, Robert Jon & The Wreck, Savoy Brown and UK artists When Rivers Meet, Lynn Jackaman and King King
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St. Louis Blues Musicians pick their favorite blues films
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Kevin C. Johnson - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
For many, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom could shoot straight to the top of the (short) list of favorite films about the blues. We asked some St. Louis blues artists about their favorites.
Little Dylan, blues performer
Bessie, 2015 HBO biopic starring Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith — "I thought they were really consistent with 'Bessie.' I really appreciated that movie in every aspect. The acting was really good, and the character development Queen Latifah went through, it showed."
Marquise Knox, blues performer
The Life of Riley, 2014 documentary about B.B. King — "We've heard so much about the blues being this and being that and about the guys being great and all of this, but we never get the chance to see them as ourselves. B.B. had a point in there that I wouldn't have put in there, but it made me wanna be real with myself. He said, 'I'm a womanizer' and shows pics of women and what went down in his life. That was humbling. It was the first time a bluesman expressed himself in a way that didn't make himself sound flashy. And he talked about his mother, who died young. She had diabetes. I'm paraphrasing, but he talked about how it killed her and pointed back to himself and said now it's killing her baby."
Ms. Hy-C, blues performer
Cadillac Records, 2008 biopic starring Adrian Brody as record executive Leonard Chess (with Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, Gabrielle Union, Beyoncé) — "I like it because it was able to take me back in the days before my time. It was telling a real-life story of how the music industry used to be. That's what I got out of it. I enjoyed the singing and the chance to see the pros and cons of how the business is. I could relate to that a little bit." …Find the full list of cool picks of films here
*Editor's note: The annual Clarksdale (MS) Film Festival is coming up in January. Always a treat... I wonder what they will have in store for us this year!
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National Museum of African American Music Grand Opening set for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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 (NASHVILLE, TN) - The National Museum of African American Music is officially slated to open on Martin Luther King Jr. day, Monday, Jan. 18, on Broadway in Downtown Nashville. The museum’s grand opening was originally set for earlier this year but was postponed due to COVID-19.
The museum’s board members and staff, elected officials and community leaders will participate in a socially distanced ribbon-cutting ceremony at the museum’s entrance at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway that day.
The National Museum of African American Music museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to all dimensions of the contributions African Americans have made to American music. NMAAM will serve a global landscape by celebrating and honoring the legacy, impact, and influence of African American music on musicians and consumers around the world and countless musical genres.
The 56,000-square-feet museum houses five interactive galleries dedicated to 50 genres of African American tunes, including blues, jazz, hip-hop, and rap, and includes more than 1,400 artifacts showcasing generations of musical history created and inspired by the work of African Americans. It also features seven content galleries, including six permanent galleries and one rotating gallery that chronicle black musical traditions from the 1600s through modern day, incorporating more than 50 genres of music, from spirituals, gospel, and jazz, to hip-hop, blues, R&B, and more.
More information on the exciting new addition to Nashville’s musical landscape can be found at the museum’s website.
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CD, Single & DVD Releases
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T. Warner :: LET ME TAKE YOU OUT
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 Tony Frank Warne (T. Warner) was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. His professional musical career started at the age of 14, playing in local clubs around the gulf coast.
Moving to Los Angeles in 1999, T. Warner became a much sought-after television director while staying connected to his first love, “the blues.”
In the summer of 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, T. Warner, recorded the pandemic relief song, “Let Me Take You Out,” from his forthcoming album, T. Warner 2020 Style. T. Warner produced the soulful track on his label Klicktrack Records.
The song is digitally distributed on all platforms and is being shipped to radio stations around the world.
 "Let Me Take You Out"
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Christmas Blues - A Cool Compilation of various artists & bluesy holiday tunes
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Thoughts about venues opening... share yours!
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 Hey Blues Fans!! We see some blues music venues are opening up around the country. Albeit, opening then closing then opening, etc.
Here's a note from blues friend and fan:
"Our last live performance we attended prior to becoming a SIP was on March 11th for Colin James here in Sacramento.
In July, my birthday month, at the urging of a friend that it was outside and OK, we went to a performance by a local band at a restaurant that was partially indoors/outdoors. Everyone was wearing a mask except the performers. However, we were seated by a door that was used by waiters, customers, etc. as the only entrance inside for food, bathroom, etc. I was completely uncomfortable with everyone milling around & couldn’t enjoy myself, especially when someone I knew would come up to me directly in my face to say  “Hi.” Haven’t gone to another since and don’t plan to until the vaccine is widely generated.
That being said, I have great empathy for the clubs, performers, etc. who have been left out in the cold, so to speak. In addition, not attending any live music events has affected my personal mojo and I can’t recall when I felt truly happy last."
Jan Kelley
Sacramento, CA
We're interested in your thoughts:
- Have you attended or performed any live shows since the pandemic and where?
- If so, how was the vibe (i.e. joyous, awkward, attendance, etc.)
- If not, when will you feel comfortable attending?
Email me 100 words MAX and make sure to put "VENUES OPENING" in subject line (so it doesn't get lost in my email). Tell us where in the world you're located. Feel free to send me a pic of your favorite blues music experience if you like, too.
Wishing you all good health and peace,
Michele
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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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 LRBC#35 Southern Caribbean: Oct. 24~31, 2021 From Ft. Lauderdale, Fl To Willemstad, Curacao; Oranjestad, Aruba & Half Moon Cay (Bahamas Private Island) On Holland America’s Ms Eurodam. Cabins & Info HERE
 LRBC #36 Eastern Caribbean: Jan. 29~Feb. 5, 2022 From Ft. Lauderdale, Fl To Tortola, St. Thomas & Turks And Caicos On Holland America’s New Flagship Ms Rotterdam. Cabins & Info @ HERE
Visit Reservations Or Call (816) 753-7979 To Reserve Your Cabin!
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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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Hello Blues Bands and Solo/Duo Artists
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 Please give yourself a FREE link on our top-ranking website: BLUESFESTIVALGUIDE.COM
Here is the direct link to post your info: (easy and free – takes 2 minutes).
Your info will appear in our LINK DIRECTORY — another way for fans and industry folks to find you!
Plus, with the holidays near, this seems like a win-win for fans and gifts of your merch!
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*SEND US YOUR PIC WITH THE BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE MAGAZINE!
 Don't have your 2020 magazine? Order one here! Once you receive, have fun, get creative and SNAP A PHOTO of you, your friends, and/or artists, etc. with the BFG magazine and EMAIL your photo, caption (120 words or less), a URL if applicable, and photo credit to your e-Guide editor!
*NOTE: If you are a client of ours please reach out to your sales person for one.
We Encourage Individual Subscribers. However, if you know of a location that's open that we can send a box to, please let us know.
The Blues Foundation is the official sponsor of our 2020 Blues Festival Guide!
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Thoughts, Holidays & Birthdays
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Hanukkah Dec 11-18 / Christmas Dec 25
Kwanzaa Dec 26 / New Year's Eve Dec 31
Birthdays upcoming of note:
 Dec 24 Lee Dorsey (1924-1986); Dec 25 Joe Louis Walker (1949); Dec 27 Tracy Nelson (1944); Dec 28 Roebuck "Pops" Staples (1914-2000), Johnny Otis (1921-2012); Dec 29 Matt "Guitar" Murphy (1929-2018), Terry Hanck; Dec 30 Bo Diddley (1928-2008); Dec 31 Odetta (1930-2008); Jan 1 Frank Stokes (1888-1955), Estelle "Mama" Yancey (1896-1986); Jan 2 Little Smokey Smothers (1939-2010), Rubin “Rube” Lacy (1901-1969); Jan 5-Johnny Adams (1932-1998), Wilbert Harrison (1929-1994), Sam Phillips (1923-2003 founder of Sun Records); Jan 6-Kim Wilson (1951); 8-Elvis Presley (1935), Tampa Red (1904), Bill Graham (1931 promoter at legendary Fillmore); Jan 9-Barbara Carr (1941), Jimmy Page (1944); Jan 10-Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (1935-2018), Sam Chatmon (1897-1983), Jerry Wexler (1914-2008 founder of Atlantic Records)
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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 13,800+ Blues Freaks at our TWITTER feed @BluesFestGuide
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  Also Follow us on INSTAGRAM with 7,500 BluesersSee 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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Print & Digital Versions Available
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18th Blues Festival Guide Magazine Print & Digital Editions
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 (ARCATA, CA) — RBA Publishing offers the 18th annual Blues Festival Guide magazine in both print and digital formats as well as our weekly Blues Festival e-Guide newsletter.
Blues legend Bobby Rush calls our magazine: The Roadmap to Everything Blues. Indeed, the articles offer something for everyone, all blues related, of course. This year’s engaging editorial is once again from aficionados in the blues community.
- Living Legend: Charlie Musselwhite By Eric Steiner
- Blues Movies Reel Away the Blues By Roger Stolle
- The Healing Blues By Anita Schlank, Ph.D.
- What’s Cookin’ with Victor Wainwright
- The Jus’ Blues Music Foundation
- Jammin’ On the High C’s On Board the LRBC By Mitch Woods
- A King and A Duke By Reverend Billy C. Wirtz
- Festivals Receive KBA
- Blues: An African Sonic Response By Pascal Bokar Thiam, Ed.D.
To order a hard copy mailed to your home, send $9 to RBA Publishing Inc. P.O. Box 920, Arcata, CA 95518. To read the 64-page magazine online, visit our website and find our digital version in the upper lefthand corner.
Blues Festival Guide is a division of RBA Publishing, Inc, which specializes in blues publishing, publicity and marketing.
...Click here to read cool mini descriptions of these fine articles
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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 Dec 26, 2020
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#1
ROYAL TEA
Joe Bonamassa
#2
STRAIGHT TO YOU: LIVE
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
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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 8,000 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:
Please click through the festival links on our site for most current updates
Can't Stop The Blues
Thurs-Sun 9PM EST
Facebook, Universal
Samantha Fish Cigar Box
Guitar Festival
Jan-13-2021 - Jan-16-2021
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Great British Rock
& Blues Festival
Jan-15-2021 - Jan-18-2021
Lincolnshire, Skegness, UK
Clarksdale Film
& Music Festival
Jan-29-2021 - Jan-31-2021
Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Whitby Rhythm &
Blues Festival
Feb-20-2021
Whitby, North Yorkshire, UK
Southport Blues,
Rhythm & Rock Festival
Feb-21-2021
Southport, United Kingdom
Bluesberry Festival
Mar-06-2021
Covington, Louisiana, USA
Cleethorpes Blues,
Rhythm & Rock Festival
Mar-06-2021
Cleethorpes, United Kingdom
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please go to our website
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Chelsea Blues, Rhythm & Rock Festival
Mar-13-2021
Fulham, London, UK
Looe Blues, Rhythm
& Rock Festival
Mar-19-2021 - Mar-21-2021
Looe, United Kingdom
Juke Joint Festival
& Related Events
Apr-15-2021 - Apr-18-2021
Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Baton Rouge Blues Festival
Apr-16-2021 - Apr-18-2021
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Temecula Blues Festival
Apr-17-2021
Temecula, California, USA
Bob Sykes BBQ & Blues Festival
Apr-24-2021
Bessemer, Alabama, USA
15th Clarksdale Caravan
Music Fest
May-8-2021
Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Leeds Blues, Rhythm
& Rock Festival
May-09-2021
Leeds, United Kingdom
Kimbrough Cotton Patch Soul Blues Festival
May-14-2021 - May-16-2021
Holly Springs, Mississippi, 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 
