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It's that wonderful time of year
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From our house to yours....
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Happy Holidays! We've gone ahead and extended our
Once-a-Year Advertising Opportunity through Dec 25th!
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 Artists, promoters, labels, festivals, etc., here’s your once-a-year advertising opportunity to appear in our 22nd annual Blues Festival Guide (BFG) print magazine. The magazine will hit the streets April 2024.
Our BFG Early-Bird Discount allows you to save money by ordering and paying for your ad space before Dec 26, 2023 (your artwork isn't due until March) Click image at left to see ad rates and discounts! (disregard the date there and call, text or email us ASAP!
707-630-3304; Text: 775-846-8238, email.
Our popular, annual magazine makes a great marketing vehicle for you all year long.
75,000 copies of the magazine will be distributed for free throughout U.S. and Canada to festival promoters, club owners, music and book stores, labels, booking agents, bands, etc., and of course… blues fans! Thousands more are mailed to subscribers. Readers will enjoy many pages of festivals, blues history and lifestyle, industry highlights and editorial content to keep them connected to the Blues.
Of course, year-round online advertising opportunities are also available. We can also help you build a custom campaign with online and social media elements added for maximum exposure! Blues Festival Guide has the largest blues database in the world!
We’re proud that our annual Blues Festival Guide was a KBA recipient for "Print Media." Bobby Rush has even called us, "The roadmap to the Blues!"
Advertising with us is easy, affordable, and fun! We love what we do and live to share all that’s Blues related. Our Team is here to help you with your marketing, advertising, publicity, and graphics needs. We're looking forward to hearing from you soon to save you some money.
Happy Holidays,
Kaati, Michele, Heather, Joana, Goran and Irene
Contact us today: 707-630-3304; Text: 775-846-8238 or email.
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Photo Moments with the 21st Annual BFG Magazine!
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 After returning from their successful European tour, Debbie Bond and "Radiator" Rick said they finally got a photo snapped with their home-based tour van and their 2023 BFG!
Debbie shares, "Our UK tour was a big success - we were nominated by the UK Blues Federation for "Best International Blues Act 2024." Big congratulations to them! Here they are showing off the page that features them in our fun and heartfelt "Partners in Blues" story that appeared in our 21st annual.
Photo courtesy Debbie Bond
ORDER your own 21st Annual Magazine *ONCE YOU GET IT, SEND US A PIC WITH IT! BFG clients, contact your sales rep for your own copy!
Anyone can Order 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 photo, caption (100 words or less), URL if applicable, and photo credit to e-Guide editor!
The Blues Foundation is official sponsor of the 21st Annual Blues Festival Guide!
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CORRECTION: Apologies for an event name typo in our Dec 14th issue. The event should have read "Great Salt City Blues Concert Dec 26," not Salt Lake City!
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Tampa Bay Blues Festival returns To Vinoy Waterfront Park
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 (ST. PETERSBURG, FL)- The Tampa Bay Blues Festival returns To Vinoy Waterfront Park, St. Petersburg, Florida April 12-14, 2024. Join us on the tropical shores of Tampa Bay for a fabulous weekend of blues music.
Artists include Grace Potter, Beth Hart, Tab Benoit, Blood Brothers (Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia), Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Altered Five Blues Band, Robert Jon & The Wreck, Coco Montoya , Bernard Allison, Ally Venable, Cash Box Kings, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, Southern Avenue, King Solomon Hicks and Bywater Call. America’s finest waterfront blues festival, with great food vendors, full liquor bars, craft beers and wines.
Please order tickets and VIP now for three great days of blues by the bay!
Gates Friday-Saturday open at approx. 11:30am. Gates on Sunday open approx. Noon. Doors on Thursday at The Palladium open 7pm.
DAY ONE: Friday, April 12th, 2024
Grace Potter 8:30pm – 10pm; Blood Brothers 6:30pm – 8pm; Bywater Call 4:30pm – 6pm; Altered Five Blues Band 2:30pm – 4pm; King Solomon Hicks 12:30 – 2pm
DAY TWO: Saturday, April 13th, 2024
Beth Hart 8:30pm – 10pm; Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials 6:30pm – 8pm; Robert Jon & The Wreck 4:30pm – 6pm; Southern Avenue 2:30pm – 4pm; Cash Box Kings 12:30pm – 2pm
DAY THREE: Sunday, April 14th, 2024
Tab Benoit 8:30pm – 10pm; Coco Montoya 6:30pm – 8pm; Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets 4:30pm – 6pm; Bernard Allison 2:30pm – 4pm; Ally Venable 1pm – 2pm
KICK OFF PARTY: Thursday, April 11, 2024 - Doors 7pm.
Blood Brothers 8-9:30pm featuring Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia at The Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Florida.
(Artists and times subject to change)
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The 39th IBC is almost here!
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 (MEMPHIS, TN) - Congratulations to all the bands from around the globe that will be competing in the world's largest Blues cutting contest!
The Blues Foundation's 39th Annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) will be held January 16–20, 2024 on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. If you haven't gotten your tickets, or made your hotel reservations, now's the time! The Keeping The Blues Alive Award luncheon is also part of IBC week.
IBC judges are Blues professionals and aficionados with a deep understanding and historical perspective of all blues forms.
Any given panel will include members with varying opinions of Blues, covering the spectrum of Blues, from the most traditional, to soul/blues and rock/blues.
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John Primer celebrates Magic Slim and Grammy Nomination
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 John Primer is just back from Clarksdale, Mississippi after recording a new album, plus performing for Ground Zero Blues Club’s anniversary at their Biloxi location. This has been an extraordinary year for the former Muddy Waters bandleader and newly inducted Blues Hall of Famer.
Primer came to Chicago in 1964 following his dream to play with the masters. Those dreams came true when he ended up playing behind Junior Wells and as a member of the Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters bands. After Muddy's untimely death, John joined up with Magic Slim and the Teardrops for the 14 years and toured the world.
In 2022, John brought together the Teardrops for a concert at Chicago’s Rosa's Lounge to be recorded as a live album. John wanted to pay tribute to this great blues master by reuniting and recording with the living Teardrops, Jon McDonald, Earl Howell, Danny O'Connor, Lenny Media and Slim's son, Shawn “Lil’ Slim” Holt. The album, Teardrops For Magic Slim, was released in 2023, 10 years after Slim’s passing.
John is now honored to be nominated for his third Grammy Award, this time for “Best Traditional Blues Album,” the album that celebrates the life, songs and legacy of his mentor Magic Slim. John Primer and the Teardrops want to bring back into focus and shine a light on what they accomplished together. John wants the younger generation to know Magic Slim and the Teardrops’ music and realize where the music came from.
Since Magic Slim was never nominated for a Grammy, they’re hoping this nomination will shine a light on a giant in the Blues world as well as move voting members. The 66th Grammy Awards will be held Feb 4, 2024.
Join John Primer and The Teardrops on Wednesday, December 27th for a special online holiday livestream concert, 8 pm CDT.
Find tickets online here.
View the trailer here.
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Gator By The Bay to partner with Doheny Blues Fest founder
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(SAN DIEGO, CA) — San Diego's Gator by the Bay festival, which bills itself as "Mardi Gras in May," will celebrate its 21st in 2024. They will also be forming a partnership with Doheny Blues Festival founder and veteran producer Rich Sherman, who will be expanding Gator’s roster of blues performers.
The 2024 festival will be held May 9-12 at Spanish Landing Park, the event's bayside home since 2003. Sherman, who heads Orange County (California) Omega Events, will work closely with Gator's three co-founders, after which they will step back and let him lead the event into a new era.
“… Rich's track record impressed us a lot,” says Gator co-founder Peter Oliver. “He's very enthusiastic about Gator and what will happen with it in the future, and he's bringing in bigger talent than we have."
Sherman's many credits include the Doheny Blues Festival — which he founded and headed for 22 years — the Subaru Newport Beach Jazz Festival, Doheny Days, the Mammoth Festival of Beers & Bluesapalooza, the Old Pasadena Jazz Festival, the Russian River Blues & Jazz Festival, and the Rhythm on the Vine concert series in Temecula.
"I have a lot of respect for festivals that have the longevity of Gator... And I love seeing the joy the audience has for it," said Sherman. "Gator is an important event for a lot of people who attend it, for musicians who perform there and for the vendors."
Gator's expanded blues emphasis next year will take advantage of Sherman's expertise in the genre. The 2024 festival also hopes to at least partly fill the void left by the demise of the AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival, which was held from 2011 until last year. That festival, which was expertly curated by Michael Kinsman, raised $1.5 million and 21 tons of food items for the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank during its 12-year run. Kinsman stepped down after the 2022 edition, citing a COVID-19 pandemic-fueled surge in production costs and lower audience attendance. While Kinsman is disappointed by its ultimate demise, he expressed enthusiasm about Sherman coming on board with Gator.
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Greetings from the President...
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 Hello Blues Family,
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to extend warm wishes for the holiday season to each and every one of you. It has been an incredible year filled with outstanding achievements, shared passion, and, of course, the soul-stirring rhythm of the blues that binds us together.
As we celebrate the holidays with our loved ones, let us reflect on the power of music to unite, inspire, and bring joy into our lives. The blues, with its rich history and emotive melodies, has a way of transcending boundaries and connecting people from all walks of life.
Looking ahead to the new year, I am filled with excitement to see all of you at the 39th International Blues Challenge. This event promises to be a remarkable showcase of talent, where artists from around the world will come together to celebrate the essence of blues music. I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to witness outstanding performances, forge new connections, and immerse ourselves in the magic of the blues.
The International Blues Challenge not only provides a platform for incredible musicians but also fosters a sense of community and camaraderie. It is a chance for us to come together, share our love for the blues, and support the artists who continue to keep this genre alive and thriving.
The dates are January 16th-20th, let's kick off the new year with a celebration of blues that will resonate in our hearts throughout 2024.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season filled with music, laughter, and the warmth of shared moments.
Best regards,
Kimberly Horton
Blues Foundation President/CEO
SAVE THE DATES: Hall of Fame, May 8th / Blues Music Awards, May 9th
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• Reno Blues Society Mardi Gras Show & Silent Auction
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 The Reno Blues Society (RBS) annual Mardi Gras Show and Silent Auction will be held Feb 17 at Boomtown Casino/Hotel, 2100 Boomtown Garson Road, in Verdi, Nevada. Kyle Rowland will be a featured artist with the Buddy Emmer Band. Doors open at 7pm and music goes until 10pm'ish.
The silent auction raises funds for the RBS music grant program and for their sponsorship of Palisades Tahoe's Bluesday Tuesday concerts. Please email Paula Nesbitt if you can donate a prize or service.
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Which Cruise Hits Your Groove?
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Rick Vito "I Was A Bad Boy This Year"
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Joanna Connor :: BEST OF ME
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Best of Me, is the label debut from acclaimed Chicago blues guitar great Joanna Connor. Joining Joanna (guitar and vocals) on the recording is her regular “Wrecking Crew” touring band: Shaun Gotti Calloway – bass; Dan Souvigny – guitar and keys; Curtis Moore Jr. – keys; and Jason J Roc Edwards - drums and vocals. Special guests include labelmates Eric Demmer – saxophone and Jason Ricci: - harmonica; and guitarists Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith, Gary Hoey and Gulf Coast president Mike Zito: guitar; David Abbruzzese on drums and the Grooveline Horns. Best of Me was produced by Shaun Gotti Calloway, Jason J Roc Edwards, and Joanna Connor, and recorded at Studio2424 in Chicago.
“There are musicians that play together and may do it extremely well,” Joanna said about the Best of Me recording sessions. “Then, there are musicians that move as one, that share moments of creating music that is mystically telepathic. The group of musicians we assembled here created a free-flowing and fiery blend of soul, rock, funk and country, all rooted in the blues. Making this record with the go ahead from Mike Zito and Gulf Coast Records to have free reign was uplifting and inspiring."
"This recording definitely brought out the’ best of me,’ and solidified my band as a force to be reckoned with. Guitar power and nuance is evident on this record but so are convincing vocals, soul-stirring keyboard work, tighter than tight horns and a rhythm section that propels and compliments each song. The album touches on my maturing as a woman, facing mortality with grace and thanks, celebrating love won, love lost, lust and passion, the pain and pleasure of having this human experience. I hope the listener enjoys this record as much as we had making it.”
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Just In Case... plus upcoming Holidays & Birthdays
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 • December: Month of Giving!
• Dec 16-24 Las Posadas
• Dec 23 Festivus
• Dec 25 Christmas
• Dec 26-Jan 1 Kwanzaa
Birthdays: Dec 21 Peetie Wheatstraw (1902-1941), Carla Thomas (1942); Dec 22 Lil Green (1919-1954), Liz Mandeville; Dec 23 Little Esther Phillips (1935-1984); 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 (1944); 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 4-Laurie Morvan; Jan 5-Johnny Adams (1932-1998), Wilbert Harrison (1929-1994), Sam Phillips (1923-2003 founder of Sun Records); Jan 6-Kim Wilson (1951)
 Just in Case: Just in case: December 23 is "Festivus" Festivus (for the rest of us) is perfect for those who don’t have a traditional holiday to celebrate. Although it sounds paradoxical, its purpose makes a lot of sense. Not everyone has a major holiday to celebrate like Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. This holiday gives many people a non-denominational and non-commercial holiday to call their own. Festivus is for everybody!
December 24 is "National Short Film Day"... there are some amazing short films about many Blues artists and scenarios. There's St. Louis Blues, Two Trains Runnin', Shake Sister Shake, etc. Do a Google and/or YouTube search and there's always an interesting list of blues films and documentaries featured at the annual Clarksdale Film Festival happening in Jan.
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Missed your Weekly e-Guide?
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Billboard #1 Blues Albums
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Billboard & iTunes #1 Blues Album - as of Dec 21, 2023
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 #1 Billboard
BLOOD BROTHERS
MIKE ZITO & ALBERT CASTIGLIA
Live in Canada
#1 iTunes
KENNY WAYNE
SHEPHERD
Dirt On My Diamonds
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Hey, come on over and Join 14.1k+ Blues Freaks at our
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Radio Submit Roots Blues Chart
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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 highlight your festival on our web and here in the e-Guide Festival Calendar please EMAIL for ad rates
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Due to space constraints
Not all upcoming Blues festivals/events are listed here
For a complete list & links see our comprehensive website.
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NOTE: Highlighted/Linked events
are paid "Featured" ads.
Checkout our website Festival page!
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New Orleans
Cigar Box Guitar Festival
Jan-18-2024 - Jan-20-2024
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Go Mexico Tequila
Rock 'n Blues Explosions Fest
Jan-19-2024 - Jan-28-2024
Zihuatanejo & Ixtapa, Mexico
South Orange International
Blues Festival - Winter Edition
Jan-27-2024
South Orange , New Jersey, USA
Winter Blues Fest
Feb-09-2024 - Feb-10-2024
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Cincinnati Winter Blues
Experience V
Feb-10-2024
Mason, Ohio, USA
Pigz in Z Hills BBQ & Blues Fest
Feb-10-2024
Zephyrhills, Florida, USA
Mahindra Blues Festival
Feb-10-2024 - Feb-11-2024
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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| | For more festivals &
events plus tons of links
please checkout our website
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Winterfolk Blues
& Roots Festival
Feb-16-2024 - Feb-18-2024
Toronto, Canada
Poulsbo Blues & Jazz Festival
Feb-24-2024
Poulsbo, Washington, USA
Vero Beach Blues Festival
Feb-24-2024 - Feb-25-2024
Vero Beach, Florida, USA
St. Kilda Blues Festival
Mar-01-2024 - Mar-04-2024
St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
24th Annual Blues Café
Mar-08-2024 - Mar-09-2024
Rothschild, Wisconsin, USA
Blues Bash at the Ranch
Mar-15-2024 - Mar-17-2024
Bradenton, Florida, USA
Tampa Bay Blues FestivalApr-12-2024 - Apr-14-2024 St Petersburg, Florida, USA
Milwaukee Blues FestivalApr-19-2024 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
3rd Annual
Buffalo Blues & Roots FestivalApr-20-2024 Buffalo, NY, New York, USA
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21st Annual Blues Festival Guide magazine
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Are you missing us at times?
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 Hi blues peeps...Sometimes your weekly e-Guide newsletter may arrive a little late due to us, but other times some end up as soft bounces (ones that are temporarily undeliverable). We send to the soft bounces addresses after the first initial batch has completed sending, but some may still end up as soft bounces.
*As a friendly reminder, and to hopefully help this situation, please remember to set up your spam filters to allow mail from the info@BluesFestivalGuide.com and eguide+bluesfestivalguide.com@mnb.email to ensure delivery.
We hate if you don't get your newsletter that often includes time-sensitive events and special interest bluesy content we know you don't want to miss.
Here's to a music and sunshine filled week ahead.
Yours in the blues,
Team BFG
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We're thinking of you... here's to good health & good music!
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 RBA Publishing/Blues Festival Guide
P.O. Box 920, Arcata, CA 95518
Call 707-630-3304
We welcome e-Guide suggestions and questions. You can reach our E-Guide editor, Michele Lundeen (pictured here) via EMAIL.
Michele is also a singer, songwriter, performer and bandleader based in the San Diego County, California area and nicknamed the "Queen of Steam" for her high energy and passionate style.
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 the annual 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 20 years. Please contact us at 707-630 3304 or EMAIL to find out 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.
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Fair Use Act statement and disclaimer
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