THE BLUES ARE BACK
5 p.m. Live After Five withTabby Thomas Blues Revue - Galvez Plaza
6:30 p.m. Kevin Schexnayder - The Pastime
10:30 p.m. John Lisi & Delta Funk - Phil Brady’s
8 p.m. Henry Butler - Manship Theatre
9 p.m. Big Red & The Soul Benders -Teddy’s Juke Joint
10:30 p.m. Eddie Bo - Chelsea’s Cafe
10 p.m. Real Time featuring Ernest Scott - Roux House
Saturday, April 26
10 a.m.-10 p.m.: THE BATON ROUGE BLUES FESTIVAL featuring BRHMS Bulldog Blues Band, Phil Guy, Larry Garner, Marcia Ball, Luther Kent & Trick Bag, Tab Benoit, Lazy Lester w/Rudy Richard & James Johnson, Kenny Neal – between The River Center and the Old State Capitol on River Road. Free.
6:30 p.m. Kenny Acosta -The Pastime
7 p.m. Smokey Greenwell - Roux House
9 p.m. Randy Pavlock & Twenty-Four Seven - Teddy’s Juke Joint
9 p.m. Marty Christian/Papa Grows Funk - Happy’s
10 p.m. Kipori Woods - Phil Brady’s
10 p.m. Mike Zito - Roux House
10:30 p.m. Henry Gray and The Cats - Chelsea’s Cafe
Sunday, April 27
7 p.m. Baton Rouge Blues Week Closing Jam w/Teddy’s House Band, Sundanze and guests - Teddy’s Juke Joint
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The Baton Rouge Blues Festival returns Saturday following a 13-year absence. Performers include Austin’s singing, piano-playing Marcia Ball; Phil Guy, Louisiana native and brother of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Buddy Guy; Houma’s hardworking blues star and advocate for Louisiana’s wetlands, Tab Benoit; Kenny Neal of Baton Rouge’s Neal family of blues artists; former local and roots music legend Lazy Lester; and such Baton Rouge mainstays as Larry Garner, Luther Kent and Slim Harpo band alumni James Johnson and Rudy Richard.
Local blues musicians and fans are happy the free festival is back.
“I wish it didn’t have that long an absence,” the world-touring Kenny Neal said this week. “It had been so nice for the community and it really was bad when we stopped doing it. I hope this time it’s back for good, because we need it.”
At the recent news conference announcing the festival’s revival, Mayor-President Kip Holden, a blues fan, said bringing the event back was among his administration’s priorities.
Luther Kent, another local artist who’s also internationally known, echoed Neal and Holden.
“The festival was really missed,” he said. “It was kind of ridiculous that we haven’t had it for a long time.”
In addition to Saturday’s festival at Repentance Park between the Old State Capitol and Baton Rouge River Center, the annual Baton Rouge Blues Week continues today, Saturday evening and Sunday with performances at many area venues. Included are shows today with the Tabby Thomas Blues Revue at Live After Five, Henry Butler at the Manship Theatre, John Lisi and Delta Funk at Phil Brady’s and Eddie Bo at Chelsea’s Café; Saturday shows by Kipori Woods at Phil Brady’s and Henry Gray and the Cats at Chelsea’s Café and Sunday’s grand finale jam session at Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary.
Saturday’s Baton Rouge Blues Festival, which is free and open to the public, was put together by the Baton Rouge Blues Foundation and the Baton Rouge Blues Society. It will last from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. For more information on the Blues Festival and Blues Week visit http://www.louisianasmusic.com.
