Tom Mazzolini, founder and producer of the San Francisco Blues Festival, has announced the line-up for this September's annual blues extravaganza at the magnificent Great Meadow at Fort Mason. This year's festival marks the 36th anniversary for the long-running production, which began in 1973 and is the oldest ongoing blues festival in the world.
Blues music lies at the roots of America's great musical traditions, from rock to jazz to pop. This year's San Francisco Blues Festival concerts feature an eclectic mix of blues musicians performing within the distinctive genres that we know collectively as "the blues": Mississippi Delta, Louisiana, Texas, Chicago Southside, and West Coast. Highlights of this year's lineup of renowned blues talent include Hot Tuna, Buckwheat Zydeco, the Bay Area's Elvin Bishop, guitar legend Johnny Winter, soul-blues diva Denise LaSalle, 93-year-old Mississippi Delta legend Honeyboy Edwards, and much, much more.
The two day lineup is as follows:
• Hot Tuna -- "Dazzling masters of finger-picking acoustic blues!" • The Delta Groove All-Star Blues Revue, featuring Elvin Bishop, Mike Zito, plus the Incredible Mannish Boys with Finis Tasby, Bobby Jones, Kid Ramos, Franck 'Paris Slim' Goldwasser, Eli Kirk Fletcher, Randy Chortkoff, Richard Innes and Ronnie James Webber -- "One of the great blues revues of all time!" • Barbara Lynn -- "Texas Gulf Coast hitmaker!" • Michael Burks -- "Powerhouse guitar attack!" • Ruthie Foster -- "Riveting blues-folk and gospel traditions!" •
Elmore James, Jr. -- "Southside Chicago slide!" • Delta Wires Big Band Harmonica and Horn Blues -- "National blues winners!"
Sunday, September 28, 2008
•Johnny Winter -- "The great Texas guitar legend!" • Buckwheat Zydeco -- "Louisiana Zydeco accordion king!" • Denise LaSalle -- "Queen of southern soul-blues!" • Curtis Salgado Big Band -- "A soul-expanding experience!" • David Honeyboy Edwards -- "Last of the great Delta legends!" • Rick Estrin and the Nightcats -- "West Coast harmonica jump master!"
• Gospel Hummingbirds -- "Hand clappin', rockin' joy!"
The 36th Annual San Francisco Blues Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Great Meadow at Fort Mason, Marina Blvd. and Laguna St. in San Francisco. For further information, call (415) 979-5588 or visit the SFBF Web site at www.sfblues.com.
Producer Tom Mazzolini expresses his appreciation to sponsors Budweiser, the Louisiana Department of Tourism, The Guardian, Biscuits & Blues, and Joie de Vivre hotels.
Ticket Information: Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door (cash only), $55 for a two-day ticket (advance purchase only), $50 for a single-day reserved lawn, front-of-stage ticket (advance only), and $80 for a two-day reserved lawn, front-of-stage ticket (advance only). Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at Streetlight Records in S.F. (24th Street/Noe Valley store), Streetlight Records in San Jose, Down Home Music in El Cerrito, Mill Valley Music, The Music Store West Portal, and 101 Music North Beach. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free.
The Performers: Saturday's concert is highlighted by Hot Tuna. Front men Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were founding members of San Francisco's psychedelic rock band, Jefferson Airplane. Although the two are members of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame from their time with Jefferson Airplane, they have been playing blues and folk music as Hot Tuna for over 35 years, recording over two dozen albums along the way. Hot Tuna's current acoustic sound includes multi-instrumentalist Barry Mitterhoff, who was featured on the group's Grammy nominated "Blue Country Heart."
Saturday will also feature Elvin Bishop. Already established as a blues guitarist in the mid-1960s as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bishop moved to the Bay Area in the late '60s and became a regular feature at the Fillmore, where he frequently shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and B.B. King. His biggest hit came after signing with the southern rock-blues label Capricorn Records, when in 1976 "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" rose to #3 on the charts.
Sunday's show features the blistering guitar playing of Johnny Winter. Winter's big break came in 1968 when Rolling Stone featured him in an article on the Texas music scene. He was almost immediately signed by Columbia Records and his debut album, "Johnny Winter," was a huge success. He has gone on to record over 35 albums, including the recent Grammy nominated "I'm A Bluesman" on the Virgin/EMI label.
Also appearing on Sunday is Buckwheat Zydeco, contemporary zydeco's most popular performer. Deemed a piano prodigy by age four, he mastered the accordion under the direction of the late Clifton Chenier, known as the King of Zydeco. In 1986, Buckwheat Zydeco signed a record deal with Island Records, becoming the first zydeco band to sign with a major label. Their music is a blend of blues, rock, soul and zydeco, the indigenous dance music of Louisiana's black creoles.
Friday Free Waterfront Kickoff Concert -- "A Tribute to John Lee Hooker" -- Sept. 26, 2008 at Justin Herman Plaza -- From noon to 1:30 p.m., the annual kick-off concert to San Francisco Blues Festival weekend will be a special tribute to John Lee Hooker, featuring the Coast to Coast Blues Band, with Deacon Jones, Rich Kirch, Ron Perry, Lizz Fischer and Bryant Mills, plus special guests Zakiya Hooker (John Lee Hooker's daughter), his nephew Archie Lee Hooker, singer Kathi McDonald, and guitarist Ron Thompson.
San Francisco Blues Festival Film Series -- September 28 - October 2. The acclaimed John Lee Hooker documentary "Come See About Me," directed by Bob Sarles, includes interviews with the legendary bluesman plus vintage performances from the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival and the 1965 American Folk Blues Festival in Europe. Other highlights include footage of Hooker performing with The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield and Foghat. Also added second film! A rare 1971 Muddy Waters interview and song! All shows at the Roxie Theater, 16th Street and Valencia, S.F. Info: 415 863-1087
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