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Photo Moments with the 18th Annual BFG Magazine!
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 Here are staunch music friends and fans Marilyn Rogers and Steve Adamus checking out their BFG magazine after a socially distanced blues show at Old Town Blues Club in Temecula, California early Dec 2020.
Photo: Michele Lundeen
*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!
*Are you are a BFG client? If so please reach out to your sales person so that thy can send you one!
The Blues Foundation is the official sponsor of our 2020 Blues Festival Guide!
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What's Happening Out There?
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Thoughts about venues opening or not... share yours!
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 Hey Blues Fans!! Some blues music venues are opening up around the country. Albeit, opening then closing. What are your thoughts and/or experiences?
Here's a note from Roger Stolle of Cathead:
"A week ago, we helped self-proclaimed "King of the Juke Joint Runners," Red Paden, host the first official live music at Clarksdale, Mississippi's Red's Lounge since last March 20th.
Bluesman Terry "Big T" Williams (pictured) played behind a virus shield as masked customers hand-sanitized at the door and socially distanced inside. We limited it to 15 attendees and live-streamed the event via LiveFromClarksdale.org.
 Thanks to VisitClarksdale.com, Big T and Red received a little bit of pay, with the rest coming off the door charge and live-stream tips. It was far from a “normal” pre-Covid Saturday night, but it was still awesome."
Roger Stolle
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art
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 this blues music experience if you like, too.
Wishing you all good health and peace,
Michele
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Lisa Mann "It's the Monkeys or Me"
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"Dry Docked & Landlocked" but still Cruisin'
LRBC Jan 2021 Virtual Cruise - Sun Jan 31- Sat Feb 6
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The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise has teamed up with LRBC #36 artists to present "Dry Docked & Landlocked" a virtual Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise! Shoulda been sailin' on the Blues Cruise January 2021... but for now, we'll keep Driftin' with the Blues! It's a week full of surprise greetings, special performances by LRBC #36 artists and much more!
Airing 2 hours DAILY for 7 consecutive days: Sunday, Jan 31 through Saturday, Feb 6 at 3pm PST, 5pm CST, 6pm EST on LRBC Facebook Live
and LRBC YouTube Live
LRBC has also partnered with Can't Stop the Blues (CSTB), who will re-broadcast the virtual cruise daily at 6pm PST, 8pm CST, 9pm EST on Facebook or CSTB YouTube.
Get ready for the virtual sailing of the January 2021 Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise- about as much fun as you can have on dry land!
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2021 Clarksdale Film & Music Festival puts safety first
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 (CLARKSDALE, MS)- Clarksdale, Mississippi, readies its first-ever "pandemic edition" of the annual Clarksdale Film & Music Festival, this weekend, January 29-31, 2021.
As always, the cinematic theme of the Clarksdale Film & Music Festival centers around films with strong Mississippi connections or a blues/roots music focus. As a result, this year’s selection ranges from documentaries about Muddy Waters and Billie Holiday to films celebrating the 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival and the resurgence of vinyl records. In addition to daytime movies like these, at night, downtown Clarksdale will host its first-ever “pop-up” drive-in theater.
Friday night is Family Night with Finding Nemo — a Disney classic with a Clarksdale connection — and Saturday night is Blues Night with the world-premiere of director Ted Reed’s Blues Trail Revisited.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday feature plenty of live blues music by Lucious Spiller, Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Watermelon Slim and others. Plus, Saturday includes two history walking tours highlighting the area’s blues, literary and civil rights history.
For fans at home, Saturday will offer two live-streamed virtual panel discussions: “Clarksdale Festivals in the Age of Covid” and “Blues Music in the Age of Covid.” The discussions featuring such local luminaries as juke owner Red Paden, LiveFromClarksdale.org founder Colleen Buyers, bluesman Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and bluesman James “Super Chikan” Johnson among others.
Due to the pandemic, tickets are very limited and on pre-sale now. Attendees should expect masking requirements, temperature checks, hand sanitizing, social distancing and limited audience sizes. All health & safety protocols are on the website.
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Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience “Mardi Gras Mambo” Live from Louisiana!
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 (LAYFAYETTE, LA) - The public revelry of Mardi Gras in Louisiana is on hold until 2022, but that's not stopping us from sharing the music and culture with a joyful performance from Creole country! On Saturday, February 13th you can celebrate with Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience Mardi Gras Mambo live from Louisiana! Showtime is 5:30 PT, 7:30pm CT, 8:30pm ET.
Terrance Simien and his band have toured every Mardi Gras for more than 35 years - exporting the music to 100's of cities all over the country! However, this year, like the parades, balls and public revelry in New Orleans, their MG touring has also been put on hold. That will not stop the music from playing on with a special full band performance from the Vermilionville Performance Center in Lafayette, LA Saturday, Feb 13th, 2021 beginning 5:30 PST. There will be a backstage pass before the concert, and some very special guests joining them like Marcella Simien. The event will be streaming on watch.mandolin.com and tickets are $15 and available here. Affiliate program also available through Mandolin.
Cajun zydeco artist Terrance Simien is an energetic barefoot, bead-shaking bayou bad boy who first rose out of the swampland near Eunice, Louisiana. When the first Grammy award for Cajun/Zydeco music was finally awarded in 2007 Simien nabbed the initial trophy in the genre. Simien fronts the Zydeco Experience Band and has taken his unique danceable sound around the globe from Cuba to Canada, Mississippi to Mali, and Paraguay to Paris.
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LRBC "Driftin' & Driftin'" Happy Hour Episode 13 with Booker T. Jones & Rev. Billy C. Wirtz Live on Thurs Jan 28
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Tune in Thursday, Jan. 28 at 5p CST for Legendary Happy Hour with Booker T. Jones! Best known as the front man of the band Booker T. & the MGs, he has worked with countless award-winning artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and has earned a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Along with the band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Jones continues to record and tour internationally, both as a solo artist and as head of Booker T.’s Stax Revue.
LRBC's Driftin' & Driftin' is a close up with our Blues stars. On each episode, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz talks musician to musician with our favorite Cruise artists!
Visit Facebook LIVE via this link.
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The Last Soul Company: The Malaco Records Story
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 The Malaco story may be one of the greatest, and certainly the most improbable, of any independent record company in the history of American music. Record industry wisdom would suggest that starting a label in Jackson, Mississippi was a losing proposition from the word go. Yet, that is exactly what Tommy Couch, Sr., Mitchell Malouf and Wolf Stephenson decided to do in 1967.
Fifty years later, Malaco is the largest and most important black gospel label in the world. In the 1980s it was also the primary exponent of the soul blues genre that then ruled southern black radio. By that point Louisiana record man Stewart Madison had bought out Mitchell Malouf. A decade later Tommy Couch Jr. joined the business, becoming president in 2012.
A half century since its humble beginnings, Malaco remains the longest standing fully independent record company in American music history. The tiny upstart label that was affectionately dubbed The Last Soul Company in the 1980s has managed to outlast Motown, Atlantic, Chess, Stax, Sun, Ace and all the rest of the great indie labels that recorded and marketed the majority of great African American music.
Based on dozens of interviews, in The Last Soul Company, Grammy Award winning, 2020 Keeping the Blues Alive Lifetime Achievement Award by the Blues Foundation writer Rob Bowman weaves together the tale of a half century of Malaco soul and gospel productions, discussing the careers and the hit records of such seminal Malaco-based artists as Bobby Blue Bland, Z.Z. Hill, Johnnie Taylor, the Jackson Southernaires, the Mississippi Mass Choir, the Caravans, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, LaShun Pace, Rev. F.C. Barnes and dozens of others.
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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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 Can’t Stop the Blues is a not-for-profit, volunteer run virtual platform for the blues, founded in mid-March of 2020 as a response to the Covid pandemic.
We are here to bring money to the bands and music to the fans. 100% of all tips go directly to the artists’ own accounts. Thus far we have helped over 200 artists. Please enjoy and donate if you can.
Coming up this week only on Can’t Stop the Blues:
• THURSDAY, 1/28:
9pm EST: Marcus Trummer Band - Live From The Blues Can
10pm EST: Dirty Cello - Not Your Grandpa's Cello
• FRIDAY, 1/29:
9pm EST: Kristine Jackson - Hangin' At Kj's
10pm EST: The Basement Sessions
• SATURDAY, 1/30:
9pm EST: Kyle Rowland - A Golden Gate Blues Soc. Presentation
10pm EST: Chris Cain- A Club Fox Presentation
• SUNDAY, 1/31:
9pm EST: LRBC Jan 2021 Virtual Cruise Day 1 – Dry Docked & Landlocked*
(*plus 9pm EST Mon 2/1-Tues 2/2-Weds 2/3-Thurs 2/4-Fri 2/5-Sat 2/6)
Follow this link for the shows at Can’t Stop the Blues and Youtube
Look in our news section this week about the Pinetop Perkins Masterclass Showcase coming Jan 24th!
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Hamilton Blues Society Jam kicks off 2021
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 (HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND) Thursday, Feb 11 at Biddy front bar, 17B Hood St., Hamilton, New Zealand, it's the first Hamilton Blues Society Blues Night of 2021 and they are looking forward to seeing you all there.
Doors open at 7pm with Jam Slots from 7:30pm. Get your name in via this email if you wish to be on the whiteboard. As usual there will be merchandise, raffles, etc, so bring some extra cash.
Formed in 1995, the Hamilton Blues Society's mission is to promote the blues in its various styles and variations, and provide a platform for musicians to share their love of the blues.
Make it something special for the start of 2021 and we'll see you at Biddy's!
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CD, Single & DVD Releases
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Anthony Geraci :: DAYDREAMS IN BLUE
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 Boston-area-based pianist/songwriter Anthony Geraci’s Daydreams In Blue features Boston roots/blues music hero Dennis Brennan as the main vocalist and who also adds harmonica on two tracks. Daydreams In Blue also features special guest appearances from guitarists Walter Trout and Monster Mike Welch. This 12-song CD has Anthony writing 10 new originals, one tune penned by Dennis Brennan, Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band) and Troy Gonyea; and a classic blues composition by Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine (“Jelly, Jelly”). Anthony’s scintillating piano is the binding factor here, embellished by the rhythm section of Jeff Armstrong and Michael Mudcat Ward, two of Boston’s finest.
“This by far is the most exciting recording I’ve done under my own name,” Geraci says about the album sessions. “Having all these great musicians on the recording is a ‘Daydream’ come true. And having Walter Trout on the song, “No One Hears My Prayers,” is something that transcends beyond just a recorded track. Musicians supporting each other, willing to give themselves to others is something we should all aspire too.”
“Music- all kinds of music - defines my life; and many of my friends, whether they are musicians or fans,” he says. “Where do we retreat to when things just aren’t right? A song is where I go to. It could be a song by Muddy Waters, John Coltrane, ‘New World Symphony’ by Antonín Leopold Dvořák, or a Hank Williams tune - it’s all music. Or I go to my piano and just play."
"Daydreams Of A Broken Fool"
Website
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Kirsten Thien :: TWO SIDES
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 Many an artist has embarked on a journey of duality, to further explore the contrasts between two concepts, i.e. success and failure, struggle versus hope, and self-doubt versus empowerment. New York City-based singer songwriter Kirsten Thien titled her latest album Two Sides after discovering her tunes fitted into this premise. She assembled them akin to the A and B sides of vinyl ’45-singles,’ which further inspired her to release this collection on a vinyl long-playing LP. The eight tracks on her fifth release showcase many sides of the accomplished performer as she moves easily from rock to blues, gospel to soul, her throaty alto beautifully in sync with her skills on acoustic and electric guitar.
Well known for her provocative solo shows, Two Sides has Thien firmly placed as a band leader in front of an ensemble that includes bassist and producer Erik Boyd, drummers Steve Holley and Alex Alexander, guitarist Arthur Neilson, Tommy Mandel on keys, and some very special guests; Raul Midón, Doug MacLeod and vocalists Tarriona Tank Ball and Jelly Joseph, aka "Tank and Jelly," from New Orleans. The sessions and collaborations for the album took place over a few years, with the final masters completed just as the darkest months of the NYC pandemic lockdown approached, along with its soundtrack of sirens. The lyrics speak to the current moment despite having been completed, in most cases, years ago, as is the gift of second sight given to many an artist willing to be receptive to the muse.
"Shoulda Been"
Website
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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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Thoughts, Holidays & Birthdays
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 "Hard times ain't nothing that music won't heal..."
Birthdays upcoming of note:
Jan 28-Drink Small (1933); Jan 29-Eddie Taylor (1923-1985), Jonny Lang (1981); Jan 30-Janiva Magness (1957); Jan 31-Roosevelt Sykes (1906-1983), Chuck Willis (1928-1958), Paul deLay (1952-2007), Charlie Musselwhite (1944), Big Time Sarah (1953-2015); Alan Lomax (1915-2002 musicologist, writer, producer); Feb 1-“Baby Face” Leroy Foster (1923-1958), Sonny Landreth (1951), Lisa Mann; Feb 3-Johnny "Guitar" Watson (1935-1996), Jody Williams (1935-2018); Feb 3-Jason Ricci (1974); Feb 5-Al Kooper (1944), Victor Wainwright (1981); Feb 6-Bob Marley (1945-1981); Feb 7-Earl King (1934-2003), King Curtis (1934-1971); Feb 8-Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson (1889-1970), Floyd Dixon (1929-2006), Eddie "Guitar" Burns (1928-2012); Feb 9-Johnny Heartsman (1937-1996); Feb 11-Josh White (1908-1969), Phillip Walker (1937), Little Johnny Taylor (1943), Otis Clay (1942); Feb 12-Pink Anderson (1937-2010); Feb 13-Sugaray Rayford (1969)
 Just in Case:
Humming your favorite blues song? Well, try humming into a kazoo if you're so inspired since
Jan 28th is National Kazoo Day.
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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
___________________________________________
  Also Follow us on INSTAGRAM with 8,000+ 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 Jan 30, 2021
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  #1
ROYAL TEA
Joe Bonamassa
#2
LIVE IN BOSTON 1982: THE COMPLETE CONCERT
George Thorogood
& The Destroyers
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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
Clarksdale Film & Music Festival
Jan-29-2021 - Jan-31-2021
Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Maple Blues Awards Feb Mondays
Feb-1-2021 - Feb-22-2021
Facebook, Universal
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
Chelsea Blues, Rhythm & Rock Festival
Mar-13-2021
Fulham, London, UK
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please go to our website
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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 
