Chicago Blues Fest 2016

Friday June 9th is the first day of Chicago Blues Fest. We go to this great event and is the largest

Buddy Guy at the fest a few years ago

free Blues Festival in the world. Located in Grant Park there are multiple stages to give some lesser known artists a chance to be heard by the people. We have fun attending this great event. I always meet friends and talk to people and find others who are visiting Chicago from all around the world. The city of Chicago says:
"The Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free blues festival in the world and remains the largest of Chicago's Music Festivals. During three days on five stages, more than 500,000 blues fans prove that Chicago is the "Blues Capital of the World." Past performers include Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B.B. King, the late Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and the late Koko Taylor."
After the Chicago Blues fest ends for the evening the music continues at all the clubs and bars in Chicago. There are jams and surprise guests. This is the Summer kick off for Chicago. I saw BB King play one year and they said there were over 100,000 people in attendance, it took us awhile to get home that night. Another highlight was the night Chuck Berry was playing during the time Keith Richards was making the documentary on Chuck. We did not know this was going to happen but Keith Richards came out and played with Chuck during his set. They played Johnnie B. Goode.

The picture above I took of Buddy Guy in the mid 90's

DNA info says:

"This year's Chicago Blues Festival kicks off Friday with a special salute to Alligator Records and its 45th anniversary.

The Chicago-based label began in the early 1970s by then-23-year-old blues fan Bruce Iglauer who worked as a shipping clerk at Dellmark Records. He made his first record for the label, Hound Dog Taylor and the House Rockers, pressing 1,000 copies.

"Alligator was a leap of faith, an under financed one-man operation run out of an efficiency apartment," Iglauer says in the liner notes to the "Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection."

Today, Alligator says it is the largest independent blues label in the world.

The free, three-day festival will be played across four stages in the park."

Here's the full lineup:

FRIDAY, JUNE 10

Petrillo Music Shell: Alligator Records 45th Anniversary

6 p.m.: Tommy Castro & The Painkillers with guest appearance by Toronzo Cannon

7 p.m.: Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials with guest appearance by Corky Siegel

8:15 p.m.: Shemekia Copeland and special guest Curtis Salgado

Bud Light Crossroads Stage: Alligator Records Day

11:15 a.m.: Peaches Staten

12:45 p.m.: Maurice John Vaughn

2:30 p.m.: Moreland & Arbuckle

4:15 p.m.: Curtis Salgado

Jackson, Miss. Rhythm and Blues Stage:

11:30 a.m.: Panel Discussion on Alligator Records 45th Anniversary

1 p.m.: Sherman Lee Dillon

2:30 p.m.: Pat Brown

4 p.m.: Eddie Shaw & The Wolfgang

5:30 p.m.: Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith Jam Session

Pepsi Front Porch Stage:

Noon: Blues In The Schools with Stone Academy, Eric Noden, Katherine Davis

1:30 p.m.: Fruteland Jackson

3 p.m.: The Omar Coleman Band

4:30 p.m.: Legends of Blues with Sam Lay, Corky Siegel & Marcella Detroit

SATURDAY, JUNE 11

Petrillo Music Shell: Soul and R&B Night

5:30 p.m.: Wee Willie Walker & We “R”

6:30 p.m.: Irma Thomas

8:05 p.m.: Fred Wesley & The New JB’s                                                

Bud Light Crossroads Stage: Soul and R&B Day

11:15 a.m.: Cicero Blake

12:45 p.m.: Theo Huff

2:30 p.m.: Nora Jean                                                          

4:15 p.m.: Otis Clay Tribute Band

Jackson, Miss. Rhythm and Blues Stage:

11:30 a.m.: Panel Discussion Artist Spotlight: Eddie Cotton, 2015 International Blues Challenge Winner, moderated by Alex Thomas.

1 p.m.: Southern Komfort Brass Band

2:30 p.m.: Teeny Tucker

4 p.m.: Eddie Cotton

5:30 p.m.: Jam Session with Southern Komfort Brass Band

Pepsi Front Porch Stage:

Noon: Fernando Jones International Band with A-Z Blues (Italy)

1:30 p.m.: Barrelhouse Chuck Blues Trio featuring Billy Flynn & West Side Andy

3 p.m.: Lazy Lester featuring Rockin’ Johnny

4:30 p.m.: Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings

SUNDAY, JUNE 12

Petrillo Music Shell: Tribute to Otis Rush

5 p.m.: Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters

6:30 p.m.: Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater              

8 p.m.: Otis Rush Tribute featuring Jimmy 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, Marty Sammon & Anthony Palmer, Kenny Anderson, Leon Allen, Henry Ford & Willie Woods.

Bud Light Crossroads Stage:

11:15 a.m.: Charlie Love

12:45 p.m.: James “Super Chikan” Johnson

2:30 p.m.: Kinsey Report

4:15 p.m.: Diunna Greenleaf

Jackson, Miss. Rhythm and Blues Stage:

11:30 a.m.: Panel Discussion on the “Great Migration” with Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Eddie Shaw, John Primer, facilitated by Alex Thomas.

1 p.m.: Ben Payton

2:30 p.m.: Adib Sabir

4 p.m.: Nellie “Tiger” Travis

5:30 p.m.:  Jam Session with Adib Sabir

Pepsi Front Porch Stage:

Noon: Melody Angel

1:30 p.m.: The Jimmy Burns Band

3 p.m.: John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band

4:30 p.m.: Lurrie Bell