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From our House to Yours...
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At Thanksgiving time especially, we find ourselves not only taking time to reflect, but compelled to share how thankful we are for what we have in our lives. We are reminded to relish in all of life's gifts, large or small, and we discover peace and renewal in the process.
From our house to yours, we want you to know that you are our gift, not just today, but every day we are so very thankful and grateful for YOU, our clients, readers, blues lovers, and blues friends. We are here – together in commonality — we are Blues family and you help make our world go ‘round.
Wishing you and yours a joyful, peaceful and healthy holiday. 
Your Blues Festival Guide Team,
Kaati, Michele, Heather, Irene, Joana, Goran
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Photo Moments with the 22nd Annual BFG Magazine!
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 Here's Los Angeles based Johnny Main & The 44's after they delivered their big, greasy, blues to an enthusiastic crowd at Monterey Court in Tucson, Arizona.
Main's soulful voice and guitar tone and solos are a thing of beauty.
Photo: Marilyn Stringer
Order your very own 2024 Blues Festival Guide now! Take a picture of yourself, friends, and/or artists, etc. with the BFG magazine... have fun with it! Send pic via email with a caption (100 words max), URL if applicable, and photo credit to michele@bluesfestivalguide.com.
BFG clients, contact your sales rep for your own copy!
The Blues Foundation is official sponsor of the 22nd annual Blues Festival Guide print magazine!
Blues legend Bobby Rush calls
BFG: "The roadmap to
everything blues."
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(CHICAGO, IL) - This Giving Tuesday, Chicago Blues Revival is raising funds to support two vital initiatives: our Musicians Fund, which provides direct assistance to musicians in need, and our newly renamed education program, The Blues Institute, launching in January 2025. As a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the entire blues community, we focus on strengthening community engagement, offering direct support to artists, and educating the next generation about the rich legacy of Chicago blues. Every donation helps keep the blues alive and thriving.
Facebook | Donation Form
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3rd Annual 7 Days of Giving to Music Education
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 Keeping the Blues Alive is a proud partner of Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving back to the causes you care about. To celebrate the program, we have created the "7 Days of Giving" auction with unique items available for seven days through Giving Tuesday on December 3, 2024.
From November 26 - December 3, you will have the opportunity to bid on some collectible and one-of-a-kind items such as signed guitars, lithographs, autographed vinyls, and more, all to benefit music program materials, instruments, and repertoire!
Join us this giving holiday season as we continue our mission of preserving music education for the next generation! Details here.
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Holiday Events coming up...
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 A Merry Mansion Hill – A Musical Christmas Celebration Fundraiser!
(NEWPORT, KY) – You’re invited to “A Merry Mansion Hill,” a special Christmas Fundraiser on Sunday, Dec 1, at Mansion Hill Tavern, 502 Washington Ave, Newport, Kentucky. Music starts at 4pm. The musical lineup includes Johnny and Gina Band with Jamie Carr, Bob Herrman and Friends, Prestige Grease, Doug Hart Band, Noah Wotherspoon Band and Casey Gomez.
Find tickets here.
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Join Ben Levin in celebrating the holidays (CINCINNATI, OH) - Ben Levin presents a Holiday Blues Revue album release party. Join Ben to celebrate the holidays and the release of his new album Dec 5th at The Redmoor, 3187 Linwood Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio. Ben will be featuring his five-piece band alongside special guests Candice Ivory and Sonny Hill. Doors open at 6pm, music goes at 7-9:30pm. Tickets are only $15 in advance and $20 day of show. If you have a request for a number of seats not available, please send your request via email. |
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Down On The Corner: Adventures In Busking & Street Music
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 The very idea of street busking is one of the most romantic images in popular music, whether you’re thinking of the blues in Chicago, rock ’n’ roll taking shape under streetlights in New York, or whoever’s playing for tourists on Royal Street at this very moment. Veteran journalist Cary Baker takes an overdue look at the phenomenon in this book and in doing so, he creates a workable alternative history of popular music—where the street players are the heartbeat that powers it all.
Baker is known as a publicist whose career goes back to working with R.E.M. in their heyday. But he’s first and foremost a blues scholar, and some of his liner notes are probably in your collection if you have a proper one. So, he rightly puts the blues at the forefront of his story, opening with a history of Maxwell Street in Chicago, which remained an under-the-radar blues hotbed well into the ’80s. But the book goes on to study a wide variety of artists in other genres and argues for their influence on bigger-named artists.
Offbeat/Brett Milano
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This small Ohio radio station is helping save the blues
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 (MARION, OH) — Each weekday morning, Ray Macklin, known as “Silky Ray” in the blues music world, helps Marion wake up with soulful vocals, sliding guitar riffs and syncopated rhythm.“Good morning, good morning,” Macklin announced over the air on a recent Tuesday morning as he cued up a setlist of blues songs. “It’s TruBlues, baby.”
The local FM station, WDIF, played rock music for around 20 years, but was struggling to stay afloat. So nearly a decade ago it made a bold decision: to embrace soul music. Macklin helped usher in the distinct sound when he became a host at TruBlues975 in 2016.“Marion is a rock ‘n’ roll country town. And when we first went on the air, people were like, ‘Oh no, it’s not going to make it’,” Macklin recalled from his host chair. “Well, second year, everybody started listening and our listenership went up, not just in Marion, but overseas.
”Now around 4,500 people out of Marion’s population of around 35,000 listen daily. Part of that is the rarity of the station’s existence: they’re the only all-blues station in the state, according to Macklin. But he believes the real reason the genre survives here is because the people in Marion need its emotional release.“We’ve had factories close and move. But the people in Marion are so resilient … Blues tends to release things that’s in your soul. It’s deep down inside of you. And you feel it. It pulls it out,” Macklin said.
...The station organizes a blues festival each summer, with acts from across the region, and it launched the nonprofit “Marion Makes Music” to pass on the love of soul to the next generation. They donate instruments to schools and families and offer free music lessons.
Story & photo by Kendall Crawford. Continue reading here…
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• West Michigan Blues Society Holiday Bash
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(GRAND RAPIDS, MI) - The West Michigan Blues Society hosts their annual Holiday Party on Dec 8th at Billy's Lounge (1437 Wealthy St SE) in historic Eastown, Grand Rapids, Michigan from 1-5pm. They're excited to host Mathias Lattin who won the 2023 International Blues Challenge Band and Best Guitarist at the tender of 20-years old; conceivably making him the youngest to win both.
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* BLUES SOCIETIES*
Send us your Event info so we can share with readers (max 125 words).
Toot your horn and promote and support your talented regional
artists. And who are your Blues Challenge winners?!
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Which Cruise Hits Your Groove?
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#42 Eastern Caribbean Jan 2025: Soldout! Join Wait List
#43 Sea of Cortez Oct 2025: Pre-Book Now
#44 Eastern Caribbean Jan 2026: Pre-Book Now
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#42 SOLDOUT!
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
EASTERN CARIBBEAN
JAN 26 ~ FEB 2, 2025
Sailing on the Holland America Rotterdam from Ft. Lauderdale, FL
to Tortola (BVI), St. Thomas (USVI) & Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic).
or call (816) 753-7979
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PRE-BOOK NOW!
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
#43 SEA OF CORTEZ
OCT 25 ~ NOV 1, 2025
 Sailing on Holland America’s Koningsdam from San Diego, CA to Cabo San Lucas, Loreto & La Paz. A $500 fully-refundable deposit per cabin holds your space in line. Detailed instructions announced around early December. Additional passengers may be added once you select your stateroom. (816) 753-7979 to prebook early and receive priority cabin selection!
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PRE-BOOK NOW!
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise #44 EASTERN CARIBBEAN
Jan. 24 ~ 31, 2026
Sailing on the Holland America Nieuw Statendam from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to St. John (USVI), St. Maarten & Half Moon Cay (Bahamas Private Island). A $500 fully-refundable deposit per cabin holds your space in line. Detailed instructions announced in early April. Additional passengers may be added once you select your stateroom.
(816) 753-7979 to prebook early and receive priority cabin selection! More info HERE
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LEGENDARY RHYTHM & BLUES CRUISE
Our Headliners Stay & Play... They Don’t Hit & Run!
Best Blues Experience on the Planet! |
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Christopher Wyze & the Tellers "Hard Work Don’t Pay"
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Birthdays & Just In Case...
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Just In Case... plus various upcoming Holidays & Birthdays
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 • NOV: Family Stories Month...
What's your Blues Family story?
• Nov 28 Thanksgiving Day (USA)
• Nov 29 Native American Heritage Day (USA)
Birthdays: Nov 29 John Mayall (1933-2024); Nov 30 Robert Nighthawk (1909-1967), Brownie McGhee (1915-1996), Smokin’ Joe Kubek (1956-2015), Shuggie Otis (1953); Dec 2 Tal Wilkenfeld (1986); Dec 4 Larry Davis (1936-1994); Dec 5 Alec "Rice" Miller aka Sonny Boy Williamson II (1912-1965), Kim Simmonds (1947-2022), "Little Richard" Penniman (1932-2020); Dec 6 Sean Carney (1972); Dec 9 Junior Wells aka Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. (1934-1998), Dec 10 Guitar Slim aka Eddie Jones (1926-1959); Dec 11 Big Mama Thornton (1926-1984); Dec 12 Joe Williams (1918-1999), Lonesome Sundown (1928-1955); Dec 13 Lurrie Bell (1958), Lucky Peterson (1964-2020); Dec 15 Andrew “Big Voice” Odom (1936), Mark Hummel (1955), Nick Moss (1969)
 Just in Case: "National Bartender Day" Dec 2Bartenders have been around since ancient times across cultures and certainly a part of the blues music community.
December 2, 2024 is the day to show your appreciation for all the mixologists out there who are no doubt proficient in not only serving up your beverage of choice and/or creating something brand new, but can also serve as good sounding boards at times, right?!
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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 Nov 28, 2024
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 #1 Billboard
WARREN HAYNES
Million Whisper Voices
#1 iTunes
THE TESKEY BROTHERS
Run Home Slow
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Get Ready to Blast Your Music with E-Blasts!
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Click the image above for our rate card. We're here to serve! |
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Have your 2024 Blues Festival Guide print magazine?
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 Click HERE to order your copy of the 2024 Blues Festival Guide print magazine shipped directly to you for only a small shipping/handling charge.
(BFG clients, reach out to your BFG reps for your copy).
The annual features industry happenings, blues history, lifestyle, entertaining and educational features, and dozens of blues festivals to help you plan your calendar!
You can also peruse the 2024 Blues Festival Guide Magazine Digital Edition online with a simple click in the outside margins. Listen to "Soul Doctor." by cover photo artist Jimmy Carpenter. Plus find hyperlinks throughout!
Cover photo by Marilyn Stringer
Blues legend Bobby Rush calls the BFG: "The roadmap to everything blues."
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BFG Twitter-Instagram-Facebook
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Join Blues Freaks at our X feed & Instagram
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 Hey, come on over and Join 14k+ Blues Freaks at our
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  Follow us on INSTAGRAM with 11.5+ BluesersBluesy fest 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 and get a daily dose of more blues related stuff! Over 180K blues fans can't be wrong! |
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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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Allman Betts Family RevivalNov-30-2024 - Dec-21-2024 St. Charles, Illinois to
San Francisco, California USA
Lakewood Ranch Blues Festival
Dec-07-2024
Lakewood Ranch, Florida, USA
Clarksdale's New Years WeekendDec-31-2024 Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
International Blues ChallengeJan-7-2025 - Jan-11-2025 Memphis, Tennessee USA
Clarksdale Film & Music Festival Jan-24-2025 - Jan-26 -2025 Clarksdale, Mississippi USA
Lehigh River Blues JamFeb-01-2025 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
Cincinnati Winter Blues
Experience VI
Feb-08-2025
Mason, Ohio, USA
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| | For more festivals &
events plus tons of links
please checkout our website
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Vero Beach Blues Festival
Feb-15-2025 - Feb-16-2025
Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Keeping the Blues Alive At Sea
Mar-21-2025 - Mar-26-2025
Miami, Florida, USA
19th Blues By the Sea
Apr-13-2025
Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA
33rd Springing The Blues
Apr-4-2025 - Apr-6-2025
Jacksonville Beach, Florida USA
Baton Rouge Blues Festival
Apr-4-2025 - Apr-6-2025
Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA
New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival
Apr-04-2025 - May-04-2025
New Orleans, Louisiana USA
22nd Annual Juke Joint Festival
& Related Events
Apr-10-2025 - Apr-13-2025
Clarksdale, Mississippi USA
French Quarter Festival
Apr-10-2025 - Apr-13-2025
New Orleans, Louisiana USA
Tampa Bay Blues Festival
Apr-11-2025 - Apr-13-2025
St. Petersburg, Florida USA
Byron Bay Blues Fest
Apr-17-2025 - Apr-20-2025
Byron Bay, North South Wales AUS
Bob Sykes
BBQ & Blues Festival
Apr-26-2025
North Bessemer, Alabama USA
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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 22 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.
To ensure delivery please set up your spam filters to allow mail from
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Fair Use Act statement and disclaimer
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