2021 LINEUP
Marc Broussard
His style is best described as "Bayou Soul," a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock, and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots. In his career, he has released five studio albums, one live album, three EPs, and has charted twice on Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks.
Broussard's music has been featured on shows such as Clash of the Choirs in which "Home" was performed by a Blake Shelton led choir. Singer Kelly Clarkson performed "Home" as part of her live setlist in 2006-07. Most recently, "Must Be the Water" was the theme song for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Broussard has been a featured performer on many TV programs including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, A&E Breakfast with the Arts, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, CBS Saturday Early Show, Larry King Live "Lopez Tonight", and CBS’s Saturday Morning’s Second Cup Cafe.
Broussard's fourth full-length album, Marc Broussard was released on June 14, 2011. An early release called Marc Broussard EP was released on March 22, 2011 and features the new singles "Lucky" and "Only Everything."
In late 2012 he signed a new deal with Vanguard Records, and released a live album Live from Full Sail University on April 9, 2013.
He released his fifth full-length album A Life Worth Living on July 29, 2014. The album cover was unveiled on May 13, 2014, and the set's first single "Hurricane Heart" premiered on May 19, 2014.
On November 6, 2015, he released his first Christmas album, Magnolias and Mistletoe independently.
Continue Reading at MarcBroussard.com...
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 9:00 PM
Blues Stage
Danielle Nicole
A 2014 Blues Music Award winner, there’s not a time in her life that singer/ bassist/ songwriter Danielle Nicole (born Danielle Nicole Schnebelen) doesn’t remember loving to perform. As a child, she would sing for her family at holidays and took tap, jazz and ballet lessons for many years competing in numerous events. Danielle also took band in middle school, playing the tenor saxophone and enjoying it quite a bit. Unfortunately, she was forced to quit when the family moved to Kansas City and the new school did not offer band.
Danielle began singing in coffeehouses and at open mic events at age 14, jamming with her parents whenever she could at clubs that would allow minors. At 16, she began singing lead in her father’s band, Little Eva and the Works – until he became too sick to play. In March of 1999, she started her own band, Fresh Brew, with Kansas City music veterans Steve Gronemeyer, Steve Hicks, Chuck Payne and Terry Roney. They performed for four years and even represented Kansas City in the International Blues Challenge.
It was during this time that Danielle and her brothers Nick and Kris began talking about a family band that would eventually become Trampled Under Foot.
After several acclaimed self-released albums, Trampled Under Foot released Badlands. Badlands debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Blues Chart and Trampled Under Foot performed live throughout the United States and Europe in support of the album.
As Trampled Under Foot wound down after 13 years, Danielle formed her own band and now makes her Concord Records solo debut with the September, 2015 release of a New Orleans-flavored, blues-soul based album Wolf Den, featuring GRAMMY®-winning producer-guitaristAnders Osborne, Galactic’s co-founding drummer Stanton Moore and her regular keyboardist Mike “Shinetop, Jr.” Sedovic.
Continue Reading at DanielleNicoleKC.com...
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 7:30 PM
Blues Stage
Paul Thorn
"In the past, I've told stories that were mostly inspired by my own life," the former prizefighter and literal son of a preacher man offers. "This time, I've written 10 songs that express more universal truths, and I've done it with a purpose: to make people feel good."
Which explains numbers like the acoustic-electric charmer Don't Let Nobody Rob You Of Your Joy, where Thorn's warm peaches-and-molasses singing dispenses advice on avoiding the pitfalls of life. The title track borrows its tag from a familiar saying among the members of the African-American Baptist churches Thorn frequented in his childhood. "I'd ask, 'How you doin', sister?' And what I'd often hear back was, 'I'm too blessed to be stressed.'" In the hands of Thorn and his faithful band, who've been together 20 years, the tune applies its own funky balm, interlacing a percolating drum and keyboard rhythm with the slinky guitar lines beneath his playful banter.
Thorn's trademark humor is abundant throughout the album. I Backslide On Friday is a warm-spirited poke at personal foibles. "I promised myself not to write about me, but I did on 'Backslide,' " Thorn relates. The chipper pop tune is a confession about procrastination, sweetened by Bill Hinds' slide guitar and Thorn's gently arching melody. "But," Thorn protests, "I know I'm not the only one who says he's gonna diet and just eat Blue Bell vanilla ice cream on Sundays, and then ends up eating it every day!"
Mediocrity Is King takes a wider swipe, aiming at our culture's hyper-drive addiction to celebrity artifice and rampant consumerism. But likeEverything Is Gonna Be All Right, a rocking celebration of the simple joys of life, it's done with Thorn's unflagging belief in the inherent goodness of the human heart.
Continue Reading at PaulThorn.com...
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 5:45 PM
Blues Stage
Cedric Burside Project
Born and raised around Holly Springs, Mississippi, Cedric Burnside, grandson of legendary R.L. Burnside and son of drummer Calvin Jackson, has been playing music all his life. He has developed a relentless, highly rhythmic charged style with strong hip-hop and funk influences. This four-time winner of the prestigious Blues Music Award’s Drummer of the Year (2010-2014) is widely regarded as one of the best drummers in the world.
Growing up at his grandfather’s side, he began touring at age 13 playing drums for “Big Daddy” on stages around the globe. Cedric was “I write about my life, my kids, and everyday things. I try to stick to the truth,” Cedric says. He recalls growing up without a radio or a TV. “My granddad used to play out on the porch, and we’d have house parties every weekend. Johnny Woods would come over and blow harmonica, and he’d drink two or three gallons of corn liquor. We just stomped up dirt.”
In addition to “Big Daddy,” Cedric has also played and recorded with among countless others, Junior Kimbrough, Kenny Brown, North Mississippi Allstars, Burnside Exploration, Widespread Panic, Burnside Exploration, Jimmy Buffett, T Model Ford, Bobby Rush, Honey Boy Edwards, Galactic, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears and The John Spencer Blues Explosion. In 2006 he was featured in Craig Brewer’s critically acclaimed feature film Black Snake Moan, playing drums alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
Continue Reading at CedricBurnside.net...
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 4:15 PM
Blues Stage
Leslie Blackshear
Smith Band
New Orleans native Leslie Blackshear-Smith grew up around legendary musicians photographed by her father Michael P. Smith.
She began her career singing on the street but soon became part of the city's mainstream jazz scene. Producer Allen Toussaint dubbed her "one of Louisiana's greatest treasures." In 2002, she was named, "A Cultural Ambassador of New Orleans music," by Mayor Marc Morial and featured in a mural for the Armstrong International Airport.
Smith has released numerous albums. Her latest release, Race Street Jazz Vol. 1, is a stunning collection of jazz standards showcasing her magnificent voice. She performed several songs from the album at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in a set that was one of the highlights of the 10-day event. Smith is also a poet, songwriter and producer.
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Saturday, Sept. 24 - 2:45 PM
Blues Stage
Harper and Midwest Kind
Award-winning Australian singer/songwriter Peter D. Harper -- known in the music world simply as "Harper" -- creates a heady mix of roots music through his creative use of the harmonica and the haunting drone of the didgeridoo. Funded by his fans via a very successful “GoFundMe” campaign, Harper’s latest CD, “Show Your Love,” features 11 original road-tested tracks recorded with his well-traveled Detroit-based touring band “Midwest Kind.”
Harper possesses a strong, resonant voice and a deep, almost mystical approach to music that some might say has evolved into its own genre. Harper calls it “World Blues” -- a rich musical stew of ‘50s rhythm and blues, a ‘60s message of love and unity, and ‘70s funky soul, stirred up with masterful harmonica and the deep, woody, percussive tones of the didgeridoo, served up in a feast of timeless mystery.
Continue Reading at Harper.biz...
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 1:15 PM
Blues Stage
Ed Wills and Blues 4 Sale
Ed Wills, lead singer and guitarist hails from New Orleans and was largely influenced by such greats as Robert Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and B.B. King.
With Brad Keith on drums; Jeffrey Jones on piano; Leroy Freeman on bass, Ed Wills & Blues 4 $ale has captivated audiences throughout the south.
Winner of the New Orleans Blues Challenge, their style of blues is unique and built on the traditional "Mustard Greens & Cornbread" sound, with a modern twist of electric guitar and high powered organ.
The Blues 4 $ale show has proven to be a crowd-pleaser in all corners of the south. So be prepared to be mesmerized!
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 12:00 PM
Blues Stage
Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit’s amazing new Medicine, 100% pure musical snake-oil. A melodic potion that provides immediate and satisfying relief for all aches and pain. Benoit’s Medicine is a guaranteed cure for heartache. It’s the genuine article this Medicine is for whatever ails you.
Medicine, Benoit’s seventh solo release on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group, successfully joins two gifted guitarists/songwriters in a session that proves greater than the sum of its very talented parts. Set for April 26, 2011 release, the 11-track recording features seven new Benoit originals co-written with ace songwriter Anders Osborne (his song “Watch the Wind Blow By” was recorded by Tim McGraw in 2002, hitting No. 1 on the country charts for two weeks and selling over three million albums, and Keb’ Mo’s 1999 GRAMMY-winning album Slow Down, featured two songs he had co-written).
“Anders and I have been friends for years, and we have a very comfortable relationship,” says Benoit, a GRAMMY®-nominated songwriter, as well as a guitarist and singer with a repertoire that ranges from swamp-pop classics to gritty blues and rootsy jams.
“Songwriting needs to feel natural. It needs to flow easily. When he and I went out on the bayou, we came back with seven songs! Anders also played most of the rhythm parts on the album. He does a good job of not stepping on what I’m doing and making it fit the song.”
In an unusual twist, Osborne (who also co-produced the album) uses B.B. King’s famous guitar ‘Lucille’ on Medicine. “He played half the album on that guitar, basically anything that’s not slide guitar,” Benoit says.
Continue Reading at TabBenoit.com...
Friday, Sept. 23 - 8:15 PM
Blues Stage
Samantha Fish
Samantha Fish, will raise eyebrows with her third studio release, Wild Heart, produced by Luther Dickinson (The North Mississippi Allstars/Black Crowes). Having Samantha on guitars and Luther on various stringed instruments, they rounded out the lineup with Grammy Award-winning Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris/Bob Dylan) on drums. Special guests include Lightnin Malcolm (guitar), Sharde Thomas (drums) and Memphis session singers Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Risse Norman. The result is a stunning representation of Americana roots music.
Wild Heart was recorded in three different studios, as they trekked the backroads from Louisiana to Mississippi in the fall of 2014. Starting at Brady Blade’s Shreveport, Louisiana studio, they laid the basic rhythm tracks and vocals. Luther and Samantha then hightailed it to his Zebra Ranch Studios in Hernando, Mississippi where they had a traditional Hill Country Blues session. Then, finally, all roads lead to Memphis where the duo put the final touches at both Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios and the legendary Ardent studios.
“I fell in love with it,” she told Premier Guitar of her growing passion for the form, “and started doing my homework by listening to the old guys like Son House and Skip James.”
Only into her mid-20s she already released two CDs, played all over the world and shared the stage with well-established to the legendary artists from Tab Benoit and Johnny Lang to Buddy Guy. Label mate and sometimes touring buddy, Mike Zito has long championed Samantha, produced her critically acclaimed albums, Runaway and Black Wind Howlin’ (2013). Samantha’s had a master’s class in a wide variety of the blues. Her work ethic is unquestioned and her love for performance is obvious.
Continue Reading at SamanthaFish.com...
Friday, Sept. 23 - 6:30 PM
Blues Stage
Voo Davis
Guitarist/singer Voo Davis announces an April 28 release date for Midnight Mist, the third CD from this talented musician whose musical sound gumbo encompasses the roots of blues, with additional flavorings from Americana and jam band spices. Produced byDavis and recorded in organic analog sound at Bogalusa, Louisiana’s Studio in the Country, Midnight Mist includes a bonus video of “Riverside Blues,” filmed in and around Clarksdale, Mississippi, that perfectly captures the spirit of the new music on the album. To watch the video for the song, which Davis directed and edited.
“Being able to return to Studio in the Country and expand my guitar sounds was something I really looked forward to on this project,” says Davis about the recording sessions. “The tones were something that I really wanted to play with, not just get stuck on one sound.”
Friday, Sept. 23 - 5:00 PM
Blues Stage
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
If you haven’t experienced the high energy, swamp funky zydeco sound of Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, it is high time that you join the legions of fans that have.
Once the accordion-playing virtuoso grabs the mic and takes to the stage with his band mates, audiences are treated to a show like no other. Chubby’s sound is infectious – a concoction of blues, 70s funk, rock and roll, and good-ole zydeco flavor – and makes even the most timid individuals get their feet a movin.’
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band are turning heads around the world and bringing Louisiana flavor to the masses. The funky zydeco band’s latest release, “Zydeco Junkie,” earned one of the highest musical accolades when it was named Best Zydeco or Cajun Album during the 53rd annual Grammy Awards celebration in February 2011.
Continue Reading at ChubbyCarrier.com...
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 6:00 PM
Heritage Stage
Waylon Thibodeaux
Born in Louisiana’s ‘Bayou Country’ just a few miles southwest of New Orleans, Houma native Waylon Thibodeaux has been dubbed “Louisiana’s Rockin Fiddler."
Today, this talented, self-taught Cajun musician has gained a notable reputation as one of Louisiana’s best known recording artists. His talents have led him to play festivals, clubs and other special events throughout the United States, Canada, France, Central and South America.
His rollicking, crowd-pleasing performance on stage is exactly what one would expect from someone who, at age 16, was Louisiana’s state fiddle champion. He never fails to serve up a good helping of spicy, high-energy Louisiana and Cajun/Zydeco music.
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Saturday, Sept. 24 - 3:15 PM
Heritage Stage
David Craig
Craig makes for an unassuming rocker, outfitted in cargo pants, a t-shirt with a button-down thrown over it, and a ball cap; but he’s got such impressive credentials that a rock-and-roll persona would be almost gratuitous.
Craig’s fifteen years at Studio in the Country were his most formative. He worked with some high-caliber musicians, variously producing, engineering, writing, providing studio vocals or guitar, or just “handling” the talent.
During his tenure, he worked with Stevie Wonder (Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants soundtrack). He worked with Kansas (Leftoverture and Point of Know Return). He even got to work with Willie Nelson and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown at Studio in the Country.
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 2:00 PM
Heritage Stage
Joel Galloway
& Bobby Breland
Joel Galloway is an up and coming singer and songwriter gaining notoriety along the Gulf Coast for his soulful, yet smooth, delivery of the traditional style of Country music that he was raised on. A prolific vocalist from the first note, his unbridled emotional delivery is matched only by his vocal ability. With Bobby Breland on lead guitar and harmonies, the two have an onstage chemistry that most duos would envy.
Joel's ever-growing list of popular originals blends with unique arrangements of covers, revealing their versatility and range is quite astounding.