Festival Season!!!

" The complete area schedule. "

By Heather Gates

Since the early 1960s, blues festivals featuring multiple acts have been the best and easiest ways for fans to get a big fix of music. The Ann Arbor, Mich., festivals of the late '60s are legendary now. Chicago hosts one of the biggest today. But when you go looking for the real thing, you head to the Delta.

Like the blues themselves, the real deal lives in the Delta (and adjoining areas). This year is no exception. The number of festivals keep growing, and the talent continues to improve.

Consider the Shannon Street Blues Fest. This is the sixth year for the event, and it features Corey Harris, one of the hottest young blues acts around (see a review of Harris' new release). Eureka Springs is bringing in Luther Allison, "Gatemouth" Brown, Lonnie Brooks and several other top names for its festival. And there's many, many more. For a complete list, see our festival round-up.

Several of the festivals will get to add "award-winning talent" to their line-ups after the 18th annual W.C. Handy Awards. BlueSpeak went to press immediately following the Handy Awards, so you can get a review and check out the winners on Page 6.

Bringing tourists to the Delta for more than festivals is the goal of the Delta Music Heritage Conference. Planning is now under way for the third "blues summit," which brings together government officials, owners and operators of Delta tourist attractions, academics and those from the music world. Get the latest update on Page 8.

Charlie Musselwhite, who's won an award or two himself, takes center stage (and center spread) for this month's issue. Musselwhite was raised in Memphis, but has called California home since the late '60s. Learn about Musselwhite's history and his new record in our cover story on Page 10.

Beginning on Page 14 we have our roundup of summer CD releases. Look for more in the June issue. As always, you can get news and notes in BlueNotes (on Page 12) and a great line-up of local blues in the Who and What for Blues (on Page 19).

Here's to a great summer, and you can keep yourself busy pretty much every week-end throughout the summer with blues festivals in the Mid-South:

Alabama

North Alabama Downhome Blues Festival
May 24
Huntsville, Ala., Dragway
(205) 536-4312

Blues Extravaganza
May 24
Sportsman Enterprises Park, Harvest, Ala.
(205) 830-2414

W.C. Handy Music Festival
Aug. 3-9
Florence, Ala.
(205) 766-7642

Black Belt Folk Roots Festival
Aug. 23-24
Greene County Courthouse Square, Eutaw, Ala.
(205) 372-3344

Kentuck Festival of the Arts
Oct. 18-19
Kentuck Park, Northport, Ala.
(205) 758-1257

Arkansas

Eureka Springs Blues Festival
May 29-June 1
Downtown Historic District, Eureka Springs, Ark.
(501) 253-5366

Portfest - Silver Bullet Blues
June 6-7
Jacksonport State Park, Newport, Ark.
(501) 523-3626

Blues Fest
Date to be announced
Craighead Forest Park, Jonesboro, Ark.
(501) 935-6659

Riverfront Blues Festival
Sept. 5-6
Harry E. Kelley Park, Fort Smith, Ark.
(501) 783-6353

Arkansas River Blues Festival
Sept. 13
North Little Rock, Ark.
(501) 682-7355

King Biscuit Blues Festival
Oct. 9-12
Downtown Helena, Ark.
(501) 338-8798

Kentucky

W.C. Handy Festival
June 8-15
Summit Park, Henderson, Ky.
(800) 225-8747

Waterside Festival
July 5-6
Water Tower, Louisville, Ky.
(502) 896-2146, ext. 129

Kenlake's Hot August Blues
Sept. 22-24
Kenlake State Resort Park, Aurora , Ky.
(800) 325-0143

Blues to the Point
Sept. 5-6
Point Park, Carrollton, Ky.
(800) 325-4290

Garvin Gate Blues Festival
Oct. 10-12
Garvin Place and West Oak Street, Louisville, Ky.
(502) 495-9089

Louisiana

Zydeco Extravaganza
May 25
Blackhum Coliseum, Lafayette, La.
(318) 234-9695

Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival
July 17-19
Prather Coliseum, NW State University, Natchitoches, La.
(318) 357-4332

Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival
Aug. 30
Southern Development Foundation Farm, Plaisance, La.
(318) 942-2392

Festivals Acadiens
Sept. 19-21
Lafayette, La.
(800) 346-1958

Bazooka Baton Rouge Blues Week
Sept. 28-Oct. 4
Baton Rouge, La.
(504) 383-0964

Baton Rouge Rock-n-Blues Festival
Oct. 4-5
Catfish Town Atrium, Baton Rouge, La.
(504) 378-6083

Mississippi

Jubilee Jam
May 16-18
Downtown Jackson, Miss.
(601) 960-1571

North Mississippi Down Home Blues Festival
Date to be announced
Phillips Farm, Coffeeville, Miss.
(601) 675-8938

B.B. King Hometown Homecoming, Indian Bayou Festival
May 31-June 2
Fletcher Park, Indianola, Miss.
(601) 882-4454

Medgar Evers Homecoming
May 31-June 1
Fayette and Pickens, Miss.
(601) 948-5835

Pops Staples Park Festival
June 7
Main Street, Drew, Miss.
(601) 745-6576

Juneteenth Celebration
June 20-22
Biloxi, Miss.

Bentonia Blues Festival
July 4
Holmes Farm, Bentonia, Miss.
(601) 755-2278

Main Street Salutes the Blues
July 18-19
Main Street, Meridian, Miss.
(601) 485-1996

Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival
Aug. 1-3
The Freight Depot, Downtown Clarksdale, Miss.
(601) 627-6820

Howlin' Wolf Memorial Blues Festival
Aug. 29
West Point, Miss.
(601) 494-1363

Southwest Mississippi Blues and Heritage Festival
Aug. 31
Bryants Farm, McComb, Miss.
(601) 684-2100

Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues Festival
Sept. 5-6
Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Miss.
(601) 388-8010

Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival
Sept. 18-20
Delta Blues Festival Park, Greenville, Miss.
(601) 335-3523

Farish Street Heritage Festival
Sept. 26-27
Farish Street, Jackson, Miss.
(601) 982-8237

Tennessee

Shannon Street Blues Festival
June 7
Main Street, Jackson, Tenn.
(901) 427-7573

Memphis Music and Heritage Festival
July 11-13
Downtown Memphis, Tenn.
(901) 525-3655