People who enjoy the Chicago bluesfest. look here for photo's
Here they are, blues people who enjoy the 25 Chicago bluesfestival.
Did You know?
1. The Chicago Blues Festival took place in 1984 on 1 stage and 165,000 people attended the 3 day festival. In 2007 the festival took place on six stages and 800,000 people attended in four days.
2. The Chicago Blues Festival celebrates the heritage of the blues by remembering the legends who created the music. The first was during the inaugural event in 1984-Muddy Waters, and continued in 1991 with Robert Johnson's 80th year and continues throughout the run of the festivals. The 2008 edition will celebrate the centennials of Louis Jordan, Robert Petway and Tommy McClennan.
3. The Route 66 Roadhouse is set up at the origin of the famous Route 66 made legendary in song and fashion.
4. The Chicago Blues Festival was the site where the Grammy Award was presented to Koko Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Hammond, Sugar Blue, and Luther Guitar Junior Johnson in 1985.
5. The Chicago Blues Festival was named as the Best Blues Festival in 1993 and 1994 by The Living Blues Magazine-the only year that category was listed for the Living Blues Awards.
6. Ever since the Columbian Exposition in 1893 the Chicago Blues Community has developed to where it is the "Blues Capital of the World," declared by the Chicago Sun-Times.
7. The festival has presented artists from Latvia, Switzerland, Japan, the UK, and Australia providing evidence that not only are the fans and crowds international but the music is played by all people around the world.
8. The festival has also presented many multi generational bands featuring the Dixons, the Harringtons, the Baker Brooks, the Lanes and Taylors (Chicago and Colorado), truly presenting the blues as a folk music.
9. The Blues season leading up to the festival begins on May 1-Little Walter's Birthday and continue weekly celebrating Robert Johnson's Birthday, May 8, Mother's Day, and many special activities at the Chicago Cultural Center, blues Clubs and tearers around town.
10. Blues in the Schools is a tradition that opens the festival annually and was first implemented at the festival by Ms. Kay Jones retired Chicago Public School teacher.
History of the Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival has presented countless number of blues notes and moments to millions of blues fans from around the world on Chicago's lakefront Grant Park. After coming on board midstream for the initial festival in 1984 I have had the opportunity to help the City of Chicago celebrate an important part of the city's heritage and lay the foundation for the annual festival's role in becoming an important city institution. The city's first Blues festival helped open the summer festival season and came a year after the death of blues icon Muddy Waters. Thus the first festival celebrated Muddy's memory and presented many artists who today are just a memory. Eddie Taylor, Estella Yancey, Jr. Wells, and many who represented the Sons and Daughters who today make up a very important part of the mature Chicago Blues community.
Through the years the festival has celebrated many benchmarks; what would have been Robert Johnson or T-bone Walker turning 80 years old to the centennials of Big Bill Broonzy, Bessie Smith, Skip James and others. Each benchmark places the blues in context especially when icons like Sunnyland Slim, Jimmy Walker, and Willie Dixon were around to help keep the blues alive. In previous years we have been privileged to present Honey Boy Edwards, Henry Townsend and Homesick James on days when the Blues in the Schools students perform. That's what the festival is all about-showing the blues as a living tradition and celebrating the men and women who lived their lives playing and singing the blues.
So, let it be the night Chuck Berry shared the stage with Keith Richards or the evening the crowd left the park after Little Milton's set singing "Hey Hey the Blues are Alright"; or even the days Janie Hunter did circle dances with the audience and John Lee Hooker did "Boogie chillen" solo for a crowd of hundreds the Chicago Blues Festival as it stands has provided countless number of memories for too numerous numbers of patrons to be able to quantify in this passage. Thus, turn the page and plan your weekend out with a music to "let you hair down and have a good time."
Barry Dolins
Chicago Blues Festival, Coordinator
Did You know?
1. The Chicago Blues Festival took place in 1984 on 1 stage and 165,000 people attended the 3 day festival. In 2007 the festival took place on six stages and 800,000 people attended in four days.
2. The Chicago Blues Festival celebrates the heritage of the blues by remembering the legends who created the music. The first was during the inaugural event in 1984-Muddy Waters, and continued in 1991 with Robert Johnson's 80th year and continues throughout the run of the festivals. The 2008 edition will celebrate the centennials of Louis Jordan, Robert Petway and Tommy McClennan.
3. The Route 66 Roadhouse is set up at the origin of the famous Route 66 made legendary in song and fashion.
4. The Chicago Blues Festival was the site where the Grammy Award was presented to Koko Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John Hammond, Sugar Blue, and Luther Guitar Junior Johnson in 1985.
5. The Chicago Blues Festival was named as the Best Blues Festival in 1993 and 1994 by The Living Blues Magazine-the only year that category was listed for the Living Blues Awards.
6. Ever since the Columbian Exposition in 1893 the Chicago Blues Community has developed to where it is the "Blues Capital of the World," declared by the Chicago Sun-Times.
7. The festival has presented artists from Latvia, Switzerland, Japan, the UK, and Australia providing evidence that not only are the fans and crowds international but the music is played by all people around the world.
8. The festival has also presented many multi generational bands featuring the Dixons, the Harringtons, the Baker Brooks, the Lanes and Taylors (Chicago and Colorado), truly presenting the blues as a folk music.
9. The Blues season leading up to the festival begins on May 1-Little Walter's Birthday and continue weekly celebrating Robert Johnson's Birthday, May 8, Mother's Day, and many special activities at the Chicago Cultural Center, blues Clubs and tearers around town.
10. Blues in the Schools is a tradition that opens the festival annually and was first implemented at the festival by Ms. Kay Jones retired Chicago Public School teacher.
History of the Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival has presented countless number of blues notes and moments to millions of blues fans from around the world on Chicago's lakefront Grant Park. After coming on board midstream for the initial festival in 1984 I have had the opportunity to help the City of Chicago celebrate an important part of the city's heritage and lay the foundation for the annual festival's role in becoming an important city institution. The city's first Blues festival helped open the summer festival season and came a year after the death of blues icon Muddy Waters. Thus the first festival celebrated Muddy's memory and presented many artists who today are just a memory. Eddie Taylor, Estella Yancey, Jr. Wells, and many who represented the Sons and Daughters who today make up a very important part of the mature Chicago Blues community.
Through the years the festival has celebrated many benchmarks; what would have been Robert Johnson or T-bone Walker turning 80 years old to the centennials of Big Bill Broonzy, Bessie Smith, Skip James and others. Each benchmark places the blues in context especially when icons like Sunnyland Slim, Jimmy Walker, and Willie Dixon were around to help keep the blues alive. In previous years we have been privileged to present Honey Boy Edwards, Henry Townsend and Homesick James on days when the Blues in the Schools students perform. That's what the festival is all about-showing the blues as a living tradition and celebrating the men and women who lived their lives playing and singing the blues.
So, let it be the night Chuck Berry shared the stage with Keith Richards or the evening the crowd left the park after Little Milton's set singing "Hey Hey the Blues are Alright"; or even the days Janie Hunter did circle dances with the audience and John Lee Hooker did "Boogie chillen" solo for a crowd of hundreds the Chicago Blues Festival as it stands has provided countless number of memories for too numerous numbers of patrons to be able to quantify in this passage. Thus, turn the page and plan your weekend out with a music to "let you hair down and have a good time."
Barry Dolins
Chicago Blues Festival, Coordinator