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By Dave Leucinger
Now in its 15th year, the Chicago Blues Festival has become a centerpiece of summertime festivals in the Windy City, not to mention a magnet for hundreds of thousands of music fans eager to catch one of the best free shows around. This year’s lineup promises to continue that tradition, saluting Atlantic Records’ 50th anniversary with two of the artists that built the label: Ray Charles and Ruth Brown.
The four-day run begins Thursday, June 4, with Ray Charles headlining; joining him on stage will be some of his most illustrious alumni, including Hank Crawford, David “Fathead” Newman, and Mable John. Fellow R&B keyboard legend Charles Brown will precede Charles, while Saffire -The Uppity Blues Women, Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Roy Hytower, and Johnnie Bassett also perform that day.
On June 5, the emphasis moves to guitarists, as westside legend Otis Rush headlines, preceded by west coast flamethrower Joe Louis Walker (with Steve Cropper and Scotty Moore adding a Memphis flavor as guests). Other artists on Friday’s schedule include Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jimmy Dawkins, Carl Weathersby, Chico Banks, and Fruteland Jackson.
The June 6 lineup includes Ruth Brown’s showcase performance, preceded by Olu Dara. Other performers that day include great traditional performers, including Texas Johnny Brown, Carey Bell, former Mississippi Heat vocalist Deitra Farr with Milwaukee’s Johnny Rawls, and sounds from the Delta, past and present, from Homesick James, Honeyboy Edwards, and the Fat Possum Vanagan with T-Model Ford, Elmore Williams, and Robert Cage.
The festival concludes Sunday, June 7, with Chicago’s own king of soul, Tyrone Davis. Opening for him is Boston’s Toni Lynn Washington. Other performers that day include young lions Shemekia Copeland (daughter of the late Johnny Clyde Copeland) and Kelly Joe Phelps, Jerry Ricks, Nolan Struck and King Edward.
If you’re expecting to find motels downtown, good luck. The few rooms remaining are in upscale establishments (with upscale prices). Try the Chicago Special Events Hotel Hotline at (888) FUN-EVENT. Also call the Special Events Hotline for schedule updates at (312) 744-3370. Expect it to rain at least one day, too - come prepared just in case. So what’s the overall recommendation? Yes, it’s almost overwhelmingly big. Yes, it’ll cost you more for beer, food, and lodging than at home - unless you have a friend or relative you’ll “visit” that weekend. But even if you can only come for a day or two, it’s well worth it. Travel safely.
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