Listen up, music fans: The lineup for the 2020 Bradenton Blues Festival is here
The lineup for the 2020 Bradenton Blues Festival is officially here, and music fans have a lot to look forward to.
This year’s event is slated for Dec. 5 and will feature acclaimed blues acts from around the nation. They include Mud Morganfield (son of the one and only Muddy Waters), Lucky Peterson, who got his musical career started as a child prodigy in the 1960s, as well as Terrie Odabi, a dynamite blues vocalist who has been compared to the likes of Etta James.
Three-time Grammy-nominated Billy Branch and his band, The Sons of Blues, will headline the all-day event on Bradenton Riverwalk.
“The outstanding lineup this year is guaranteed to please nearly every blues fan and live-music supporter,” said festival artistic director Paul Benjamin in a press release.
Proceeds from the event benefit Realize Bradenton’s free community youth, art and music programs.
“Attendees are giving back to the community just by purchasing a ticket to attend the Bradenton Blues Festival,” said Johnette Isham, executive director of the non-profit. “Festival attendees are thrilled to know that our ‘Blues in the Schools’ program has educated nearly 4,500 students about the history of blues music in the United States and the profession of a musician.”
The event typically sells out weeks in advance, so there’s no time like the present to secure your ticket.
Organizers say that half of the reserved front-of-stage seats for the 2020 event are already sold, as well as 15 percent of general admission tickets.
Here’s a look at the stellar lineup that awaits this year’s festival goers:
The Jimmys: Wisconsin blues and R&B extraordinaires The Jimmys have a big band sound that’s heavy on the keys with a brass and saxophone section to boot.
Marquise Knox: A true performer with a natural sensibility for expressing the blues, Marquise Knox quickly pulls you into his troubles with hypnotic guitar playing and vocals delivered with yearning.
Terrie Odabi: Terrie Odabi’s only necessary blues instrument is her pure and powerful voice, which has earned her a multitude of awards and comparisons to female blues singers of old like Etta James. Her music crosses genres and deals in inspirational, social, romantic and historical messages.
Selwyn Birchwood: Florida-born blues guitarist and lap steel player Selwyn Birchwood is bringing the blues into the 21st century with style. Following a 2013 win at the International Blues Challenge, Birchwood began touring the world and building a global following and has since released two albums.
Mud Morganfield: Mud Morganfiled may have picked up a little bit of natural talent from his dad, blues great Muddy Waters, but he has found a voice all his own on a musical journey that he left a gig as a truck-driver to pursue. Morganfield’s guitar work and moving vocal intonations are lent to original songs — as well as keeping his father’s tunes alive.
Lucky Peterson: A contemporary blues and jazz musician of international renown, Lucky Peterson says he gave his first concert at the age of 3. At 5, Peterson was performing in his father’s music club when he got noticed by blues legend Willie Dixon. It led to recording a single, television appearances and early fame as a child star for Peterson.
He’s now led a lifelong music career with plenty of hits along the way — gaining a significant following in Europe and a reputation as a formidable blues guitarist, electric organist and singer.
Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues: Billy Branch will arrive in Bradenton this year fresh off of an induction into The Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame. The three-time Grammy nominated blues musician has put his own stamp on the Chicago blues tradition with deft harmonica work and vocal craft. The experienced musicians of his four-piece band let their instruments do the talking.
Festival schedule
Blues Appetizer Concert | Friday, December 4
The Blues Appetizer concert on Dec. 4 is free. It will feature the talents of Canadian-born indigenous country and blues songstress Crystal Shawanda and Louisiana-raised Tullie Brae, who has gospel roots.
▪ 6 p.m.-7:15 p.m.: Crystal Shawanda Band
▪ 7:45 p.m.-9 p.m.: Tullie Brae Band
Details: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Bradenton Riverwalk Event Pavilion, 452 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. Free.
Info: bradentonbluesfestival.org/blues-appetizer-concert.
Bradenton Blues Festival | Saturday, December 5
▪ 11 a.m.-noon: The Jimmys
▪ 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.: Marquise Knox
▪ 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.: Terrie Odabi
▪ 2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.: Selwyn Birchwood
▪ 4 p.m.-5 p.m.: Mud Morganfield
▪ 5:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Lucky Peterson
▪ 6:45 p.m.-8 p.m.: Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues
Details: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Bradenton Riverwalk Event Pavillion, 452 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. $45-$125. Online ticket purchases include a one-year subscription of Blues Music Magazine.
Info: bradentonbluesfestival.org.
Bradenton Blues Brunch | Sunday, December 6
The festival weekend will close with a blues brunch event at Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille featuring Florida bluesmen Damon Fowler and Greg Poulos.
▪ 11 a.m.-2p.m.: Damon Fowler & Greg Poulos
Details: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille, Downtown Bradenton, 101 Riverfront Blvd., Bradenton. $55.
For more info about the Bradenton Blues Festival, visit bradentonbluesfestival.org.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 7:31 AM with the headline "Listen up, music fans: The lineup for the 2020 Bradenton Blues Festival is here."