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Friday 8/7/2009
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MAIN STAGE Gates open at 4:30
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 Walter Trout & The Radicals
"Walter Trout isn't just a great guitar player...he works from the heart with a flawless and fiery edge. When Walter Trout plays, he owns you."
-David Wilson/The ToneQuest Report
Stylistically hard to pigeonhole - - Is Trout's music too blues for rock - or too rock for blues? -- to label Walter Trout’s music is to limit it. Trout's backing band on "The Outsider" includes drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp), bassist Hutch Hutchinson and pianist Jon Clearly (Bonnie Raitt), as well as Skip Edwards and Samuel Avila on the Hammond B3 and a special guest appearance by harmonica wiz Jason Ricci.
Official website
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 Ronnie Baker Brooks
In the Olympic tradition, when the torch gets passed on, the flame transfers from one sure hand to the next -- keeping it burning, while at the same time moving forward. It's a fitting image for young Chicago guitar hero RONNIE BAKER BROOKS on his aptly titled third release, THE TORCH. Not only does he sing with soulful fire and play with a white-hot intensity; he's also carrying the torch from the previous generation of soul and blues greats and moving the music into the future.
Official website |
 Curtis Salgado
Curtis Salgado has a lot to celebrate. Two years ago he was diagnosed with liver cancer and told he had eight months to live, unless he got a liver transplant which would generate medical bills upwards of half a million dollars. With no health insurance and few funds, the man who is one of America's finest blues/soul singers needed a little help from his friends. When your friends and admirers include the likes of Steve Miller, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, you've got a fighting chance. Through the generosity of Curtis's friends, fellow musicians, the Legendary Blues Cruise and thousands of fans who supported Curtis by attending benefits and auctions or by making private donations, upwards of half a million dollars were raised and Curtis got his transplant. A little less than two years after his initial diagnosis, Curtis was able to record Clean Getaway, an album whose title has an obvious double meaning.
Official website |
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Diamond State Blues Society AFTERPARTY
info coming soon
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Saturday 8/8/2009
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MAIN STAGE Gates open at 11:00 am
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 Charlie Musselwhite
Shot through with attitude, the songs on DELTA HARDWARE feel rough-hewn and tough, just as they should for a guy "born in Mississippi [and] raised up in Tennessee." Charlie cuts loose a good time in Clarksdale, pipes up for the downtrodden, and gives a lover the ol' heave-ho. This is raw, passionate music from a howlin' blues legend who's still invigorated by a youthful spirit.
It's Charlie's mix of wild country abandon seasoned by years of playing urban electric blues in Chicago that spurs the likes of Ben Harper, Tom Waits and Gov't Mule to welcome Musselwhite onto their stages and records. That same brash, blues/rock rebel vibe was Dan Aykroyd's inspiration for his Elwood Blues persona, and it's what has won Musselwhite a pile of blues awards and earned the admiration and respect of his own heroes: Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. John Lee was even the best man at Charlie's wedding.
Official website
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 Trudy Lynn
Born and raised in Houston's music-rich Fifth Ward, Trudy Lynn began singing in an era when the neighborhood's blues and early R & B culture was first turning on to a new sound known simply as soul.
Beyond any quibbling about musical categorization, Trudy's work also speaks to the universal human condition, experiences all people can appreciate. "I Write, and I enjoy, songs about real life." Combined with her capacity for delivering convincing vocal interpretations, a Trudy Lynn track simply tells it like it is - the straight and timeless truth.
Official website
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 Billy Branch & The Sons Of Blues
Billy Branch has followed a very non-traditional path to the blues. Unlike many blues artists, he isn't from the South. Billy was born in Chicago in 1951 and was raised in Los Angeles. He first picked up a harmonica at the age of ten and immediately began to play simple tunes.
His big break came in 1975 during a harmonica battle when he beat Chicago legend, Little Mac Simmons at the Green Bunny Club. He made his first recording for Barrelhouse Records and began to work as an apprentice harp player in Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars. He eventually replaced Carey Bell and worked with Willie Dixon for six years.
Official website
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 Long John Hunter
Long John Hunter seemingly came out of nowhere in 1996 with his Alligator Records debut, Border Town Legend (AL 4839). With the smoking follow-up, Swinging From The Rafters (AL 4853) in 1997, Hunter had gone from the Lone Star state's best-kept secret to the international blues world's most wanted list. His made-for-dancing Texas shuffles, fueled by searing single-note solos and melodic, drawling vocals have made Long John Hunter a favorite at clubs, concert stages and festivals all around the world. The Los Angeles Times called him "one of the blues' best kept secrets...a top notch singer, guitarist and unbridled wildman performer. Hunter is a raw, feral talent bursting with energy."
Official website |
 The Kinsey Report
It's been nearly 15 years since Gary, Indiana's Kinsey Report first burst upon the national blues scene with their blistering brand of streetsmart, up-to-the-minute, funky blues-rock. Over the course of four critically acclaimed albums (two for Alligator and two for Pointblank) and endless national touring, the Kinsey brothers' guitarist/vocalist Donald, drummer Ralph and bassist Kenneth have blazed a modern trail of powerful, original radio-friendly music that grabs both die-hard blues fans and rockers who love supercharged guitar and boneshaking vocals.
Official website |
 The Roger Girke Band
I have said it before, and I'll say it again because it's worth repeating: the guys from the Del-Mar-Va-Pa region are monsters of their craft. Roy Buchanon, Delbert McClinton, Danny Gatton, Billy Price, and the Nighthawks have called this place their home. The Roger Girke Band is a great example of the kind of musicians that come from this area. Roger Girke fronts his band with solid vocals, and tasty guitar. These guys ROCK! Don't miss your chance to see The Roger Girke Band. These guys pump out a hearty dose of house-rockin blues.
- Pittsburgh Blues Society
Official website |
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Diamond State Blues Society AFTERPARTY
info coming soon
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Sunday 8/9/2009
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MAIN STAGE Gates open at 11:30 am
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 Delbert McClinton
When Delbert McClinton announces with his latest album that he has Room To Breathe, he sure ain't kidding. After more than four decades of making music, McClinton is breathing freely with the confidence and energy of an artist who knows that he has mastered his game. Still basking in the glow of a new Grammy® Award, he has followed up what The Wall Street Journal declared his “best recording ever” -- 2001's Nothing Personal -- with a set that displays even greater muscle, smarts, charm and soul.
Official website
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Freddie King Tribute
featuring Andrew "Junior Boy" Jones, Phillip Walker & Sherman Robertson
While recording with Sonny Rhodes, Jones met harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite, who persuaded him to join his band. Jones played guitar on Musselwhite's three late-1980s/early-1990s albums for Alligator Records. Phillip Walker has played every major festival in the world, headlining most. Many of his fans travel hundreds of miles to hear Phillip play and sing. His performances are electrifying, and by the end of the night you will find yourself dancing if you never have before. Sherman Robertson is already considered a young master of zydeco, hard-swinging Texas electric blues, R&B and swampy Louisiana blues. Robertson often surprises audiences with his ability to play R&B, zydeco and blues with a rock edge.
Andrew "Junior Boy" Jones website
Phillip Walker website
Sherman Robertson website
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 Tad Robinson
Two time w.C. Handy award nominee tad robinson returns with a new band, nine new originals, two classic soul gems and A NEW POINT OF VIEW. This collection of modern soul/blues has reverberations of past singers and yet is a forward leap for the music. Truly a hand-made project, A New Point of View was made the “old-school” way with tender loving care. Originals like “Long Way Home” give a nod to Issac Hayes, while Johnnie Taylor's “Ain't That Lovin' You (For More Reasons than One)” draws more inspiration from Dennis Brown's version than the original. Each song creates a balance between classic and modern style.
The band's performance is a marvel of democracy; equal parts blues and soul coming together to create the canvas that Robinson is free to fill with color and personality.
Official website
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