{"id":8974,"date":"2016-06-06T21:18:31","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T02:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=8974"},"modified":"2016-06-06T21:18:42","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T02:18:42","slug":"blues-fest-2016-grant-park","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?tribe_events=blues-fest-2016-grant-park","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Blues Fest 2016 @ Grant Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.cityofchicago.org\/city\/en\/depts\/dca\/provdrs\/chicago_festivals\/news\/2016\/april\/blues_fest.html<\/a><\/p>\n

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is pleased to announce the full lineup for the\u00a033rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival<\/strong>\u00a0happening\u00a0June 10\u201312<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Grant Park<\/strong>. The three-day festival will open on Friday, June 10, with a celebration of the 45th anniversary of Chicago\u2019s Alligator Records and conclude on Sunday, June 12, with a special tribute to the legendary\u00a0Otis Rush<\/strong>\u00a0featuring notable friends and other musicians he has influenced throughout his career.<\/p>\n

The festival headliners throughout the weekend include:\u00a0Shemekia Copeland<\/strong>\u00a0with guest\u00a0Curtis Salgado, Lil\u2019 Ed and the Blues Imperials<\/strong>\u00a0with guest\u00a0Corky Siegel, Tommy Castro and The Painkillers<\/strong>\u00a0with guest\u00a0Toronzo Cannon, Fred Wesley and the New JB\u2019s, Irma Thomas, Wee Willie Walker & We \u201cR\u201d, Eddy \u201cThe Chief\u201d Clearwater<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Blues Festival is FREE admission and open from 11am to 9:30pm daily. Performances at the\u00a0Petrillo Music Shell<\/strong>\u00a0will feature headliners from\u00a06pm<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a09:30pm<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0Friday, June 10<\/strong>, continuing on\u00a0Saturday, June 11<\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a05:30pm<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a09:30pm<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Sunday, June 12<\/strong>, from\u00a05pm<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a09:30pm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Friday, June 10 \u2013 Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Celebration<\/strong><\/p>\n

The festival opens on June 10 with a salute to Chicago\u2019s Alligator Records for 45 years of what the label describes as \u201cgenuine houserockin\u2019 music.\u201d Deeply rooted in the blues, several of the label\u2019s renowned recording artists will perform at the Petrillo Music Shell to kick-off the festival.<\/p>\n

2015 GRAMMY\u00ae nominee\u00a0Shemekia Copeland<\/strong>\u00a0will headline the tribute with a sizzling performance of her many hits since her debut in 1998. She will take the stage at 8:15pm along with guest\u00a0Curtis Salgado<\/strong>, the award-winning blues icon and Alligator artist. The Petrillo Music Shell will open at 6pm with\u00a0Tommy Castro & The Painkillers<\/strong>\u00a0with special guest\u00a0Toronzo Cannon<\/strong>. The group\u2019s funk and blues sound will delight fans with their guitar licks and high-energy performance. Always a crowd favorite, at 7pm\u00a0Lil\u2019 Ed and The Blues Imperials<\/strong>\u00a0will bring their rowdy blues show to the Petrillo Stage along with a special collaboration with\u00a0Corky Siegel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Saturday, June 11 \u2013 Soul\/R&B Night<\/strong><\/p>\n

Headlining the evening on June 11 at 8:05pm is jazz and funk trombonist\u00a0Fred Wesley & The New JB\u2019s<\/strong>. Wesley is best known as the music director, arranger, trombonist and a primary composer for the legendary James Brown from 1968 to 1975. Best known as \u201cThe Soul Queen of New Orleans,\u201d\u00a0Irma Thomas<\/strong>\u00a0will take the stage at 6:30pm. Thomas\u2019 career has spanned over five decades and the GRAMMY\u00ae winner is not slowing down. Soul legend,\u00a0Wee Willie Walker & We \u201cR\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0will kick-off the evening at 5:30pm. Walker’s latest release,\u00a0If Nothing Ever Changes<\/em>\u00a0has garnered him three 2016 Blues Music Award nominations; Album of the Year, Soul Blues Album and Soul Blues Male Artist.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sunday, June 12 \u2013 Tribute to Otis Rush<\/strong><\/p>\n

Legendary blues guitarist\u00a0Otis Rush<\/strong>\u00a0arrived in Chicago from Mississippi in the 1950s after seeing Muddy Waters perform while visiting his sister. Rush worked tirelessly to establish himself as an innovative blues guitarist, bandleader, singer and songwriter by playing with the legendary bluesmen of the day. Rush set new standards and influenced countless blues and rock musicians.<\/p>\n

The evening will begin at 5pm with\u00a0Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters<\/strong>. As an award-winning blues guitarist, Ronnie Earl learned from Rush and considers him to be the greatest musical influence on his career and life. The tribute continues at 6:30pm with Chicago legend\u00a0Eddy \u201cThe Chief\u201d Clearwater<\/strong>. Known as a blues-rocking showman with his left-handed, upside-down guitar playing and his signature Indian headdress, Clearwater is among the very finest bluesmen performing today.<\/p>\n

At 8pm, friends, artists and surprise guests will come together to celebrate\u00a0Otis Rush<\/strong>\u00a0with a special tribute featuring the confirmed artists to date:\u00a0Jimmy Johnson, Abb Locke, Brian Jones, Carl Weathersby, Bob Stroger, Sumito Ariyoshi, Big Ray, Eddy Clearwater, John Kattke, Mike Welch, Rawl Hardman, Harlan Terson, Bob Levis, Billy Flynn, Mike Wheeler, Lurrie Bell, Shun Kikuta, Mike Ledbetter, Eddie Shaw, Sam Burton, Willie Henderson, Diane Blue, Ronnie Earl, Anthony Palmer, Kenny Anderson, Leon Allen, Henry Ford<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Willie Woods.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Day Stages<\/strong><\/p>\n

The popular day stages contribute to the festival\u2019s reputation as an internationally acclaimed event. Each stage features local and national blues musicians celebrating the genre\u2019s rich tradition and heritage. Stages and performance times are:\u00a0Bud Light Crossroads<\/strong>\u00a0stage, 11:15am\u20135:30pm; the\u00a0Jackson Mississippi Rhythm and Blues<\/strong>\u00a0stage, 11:30am\u20137:45pm and the\u00a0Pepsi Front Porch<\/strong>, noon\u20135:30pm.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Bud Light Crossroads<\/strong>\u00a0stage will feature a lineup of local and national artists. On\u00a0Friday, June 10<\/strong>, fans won\u2019t want to miss\u00a0Maurice John Vaughn\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0triple threat on guitar, saxophone and vocals at 12:45pm and the gritty blues and rock sounds from Wichita, Kansas\u2019\u00a0Moreland and Arbuckle<\/strong>\u00a0at 2:30pm.\u00a0Saturday, June 11<\/strong>\u00a0is Soul\/R&B day with performances by artists paying tribute to the legendary Otis Clay featuring\u00a0Cicero Blake<\/strong>\u00a0at 11:15am,\u00a0Theo Huff<\/strong>\u00a0at 12:45pm and the\u00a0Otis Clay Tribute Band<\/strong>\u00a0at 4:15pm with original members of Clay\u2019s band. On\u00a0Sunday, June 12<\/strong>, Clarksdale, Mississippi\u2019s\u00a0James \u201cSuper Chikan\u201d Johnson<\/strong>will bring his Delta blues sound to the stage at 12:45pm. Rounding out Sunday\u2019s lineup is gospel, blues and soul artist,\u00a0Diunna Greenleaf<\/strong>\u00a0at 4:15pm.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Jackson, Mississippi Rhythm & Blues<\/strong>\u00a0stage kicks-off on\u00a0Friday, June 10<\/strong>, with a panel discussion on the 45th Anniversary of Alligator Records at 11:30am. Performances on opening day include \u201cMiss Equal Opportunity,\u201d\u00a0Pat Brown<\/strong>\u00a0at 2:30pm and former Howlin\u2019 Wolf band leader,\u00a0Eddie Shaw & Wolfgang<\/strong>\u00a0at 4pm. On\u00a0Saturday, June 11<\/strong>, the\u00a0Southern Komfort Brass Band<\/strong>\u00a0will perform their unique mix of funk, blues, jazz, rock and hip-hop at 1pm and with an additional jam session at 4:30pm. To celebrate the centennial of the \u201cGreat Migration\u201d on\u00a0Sunday, June 12<\/strong>, the day will begin with a panel discussion at 11:30am that includes blues artists\u00a0Nellie \u201cTiger\u201d Travis, Eddie Shaw<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0John Primer<\/strong>. The panel will be followed by a day full of the sounds of the Delta blues\u2026with a Chicago twist.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Pepsi Front Porch<\/strong>\u00a0will start each day at noon and on\u00a0Friday, June 10<\/strong>, highlights include guitarist, author, storyteller and oral historian,\u00a0Fruteland Jackson<\/strong>\u00a0at 1:30pm. The day will end on a high note with the\u00a0Legends of Blues<\/strong>\u00a0featuring\u00a0Sam Lay, Corky Siegel<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Marcella Detroit<\/strong>\u00a0at 4:30pm. On\u00a0Saturday, June 11<\/strong>, at noon,\u00a0Fernando Jones<\/strong>\u00a0will present an international set featuring Jones’ Chicago band and musicians from Italy through a collaboration with\u00a0A – Z Blues<\/strong>\u00a0and Italy\u2019s\u00a0ll Blues Magazine<\/strong>. The Pepsi Front Porch will keep the blues alive on\u00a0Sunday, June 12<\/strong>, with blues\/rocker\u00a0Melody Angel<\/strong>\u00a0at noon, followed by\u00a0The Jimmy Burns Band<\/strong>\u00a0at 2:30pm. A driving force in blues music today,\u00a0John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band<\/strong>\u00a0will perform at 3pm. The stage will wrap up on a fitting note with the great blues guitarist\u00a0Lurrie Bell<\/strong>\u00a0at 4:30pm.<\/p>\n

Blues fans wanting to get up close and personal with artists won\u2019t want to miss the\u00a0Southwest Airlines\u00ae Blues Lounge<\/strong>. The lounge provides an area for festival goers to relax and listen to music and stories from the heart throughout the day from 11am\u20138pm.<\/p>\n

The festival also features intimate performance areas, like those provided by the Blues Kids Foundation and the Windy City Blues Society. The\u00a0Blues Kids Foundation<\/strong>\u00a0area offers harmonica lessons and performances by the next generation of blues artists. The\u00a0Windy City Blues Society<\/strong>, a festival favorite over the past few years, features an eclectic lineup of artists from Chicago and around the country. Schedules for both of these areas can be found at\u00a0chicagobluesfestival.us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Leading up to the Chicago Blues Festival, during May and June there will be several preview performances and film screenings held at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), Millennium Park, as well as Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Library locations throughout the city. Highlights include\u00a0Kenny \u201cBeedy Eyes\u201d Smith<\/strong>\u00a0at the Chicago Cultural Center on\u00a0Tuesday, May 3<\/strong>, at noon,\u00a0Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues<\/strong>\u00a0at the Garfield Park Conservatory on\u00a0Wednesday, May 4<\/strong>, at 6pm and a special screening of\u00a0Mavis!<\/strong><\/em>, a documentary film on Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers in Millennium Park on\u00a0Tuesday, June 7<\/strong>, at 6:30pm. For a complete list of performances and events visit\u00a0chicagobluesfestival.us<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.cityofchicago.org\/city\/en\/depts\/dca\/provdrs\/chicago_festivals\/news\/2016\/april\/blues_fest.html The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is pleased to announce the full lineup for the\u00a033rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival\u00a0happening\u00a0June 10\u201312\u00a0in\u00a0Grant Park. The three-day festival will open […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[],"class_list":["post-8974","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/8974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/tribe_events"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/tribe_events\/8974\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8974"},{"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftribe_events_cat&post=8974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}