In Chicago, the first weekend in June can’t come soon enough. Because after surviving another interminable Midwestern winter, it’s time for the city to roll out the red carpet for its annual Blues Festival.
But it’s not just winter-weary Windy City residents who are drawn into the four-day run of fellowship, fun, and incredible music. This free event attracts approximately 500,000 attendees, including many out-of-towners, who flock to Millennium Park to experience a blues bounty against the beautiful backdrop of the city’s impressive skyline.
Before the Friday festivities began in Millennium Park on June 6th, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) hosted a free Blues Fest Kickoff party at the historic Ramova Theater in the city’s Bridgeport neighborhood on Thursday, June 5th. This marked the second straight year that this event has been held in this location, and it has quickly cemented its status as a festival favorite.
The Ramova event featured Billy Branch and his Sons of Blues and headliner Bobby Rush. There was also a panel discussion on the history of the genre hosted by preeminent blues scholars and a one-on-one with the 91-year-old Rush. The interview was conducted by Delmark Records President Julia Miller and a fully transparent Rush certainly didn’t hold back as he touched on everything from winning his first Grammy at the age of 83 and racism within the record industry to the importance of owning his music’s publishing rights.
After that riveting interview with the loquacious Rush followed by a great playlist curated by WDCB DJ and Blues Fest emcee Tom Marker, the crowd was primed and ready for blues by way of harp master Billy Branch with his Sons of the Blues. Always the consummate entertainer, Branch brought on the Three Fire Horns and a trio of fantastic background singers to complement the sweet sounds of his regular SOBs.
But the high point had to be when Ronnie Baker Brooks joined Branch in debuting their new single, “Begging for Change.” This powerful and relevant song’s message was further enhanced with some beautiful harmonies courtesy of the Chicago West Side Vocal Ensemble.
The band left the stage, and the crowd was left buzzing about the incredible moment we’d just witnessed. But, when it’s Blues Fest week in Chicago, you know that you’re in store for many more memorable moments.
Of course, the irrepressible Rush and Mizz Lowe made the most of every moment they were on stage. He blew harp, boogied with bedazzled women, and even cavorted through the aisles beguiling the audience. After this exhilarating performance, it’s easy to see why he’s still on top of his game at 91-years of age.
After ending the Thursday night kickoff on such a high note, the action moved over to Millennium Park on Friday. We got to the park at 1pm and promptly hit the Rosa’s Lounge Stage at Blues Village to catch Argentinian blues sensation Ivan Singh’s noon set. Then, it was off to the Visit Mississippi Crossroads Stage.
As always, the Mississippians brought their “A Game” both in terms of the dynamic onstage talent and the swag being snapped up at their consistently busy booth. Friday’s lineup featured everyone from Lady Adrena & LA Band and Vick Allen featuring the Velvet Soul Band to the Johnny Rawls Soul Revue and Eddie Cotton. All in all, the Visit Mississippi stage never fails to help expose a new audience to Mississippi-centric music with more of a southern soul flavor.
Meanwhile, the Blues Village area was bursting with the best of the Windy City blues scene. There was Ivan Singh at noon followed by the always-entertaining Jamiah “Dirty Deacon” Rogers and his Dirty Church Band. Next up was powerhouse vocalist and dynamic drummer Sheryl Youngblood with guitar whiz Rico McFarland and the ever-popular Mike Wheeler closing out the day at the Blues Village Rosa’s Stage.
While these talented Chicago musicians have been on the radar for quite some time, the Pritzker Pavillion stage featured a pair of “new to me” artists that I was excited to see. And boy did D.K Harrell and Dawn Tyler Watson live up to the hype! Harrell has channeled the BB King big band sound, but he’s got his own inimitable style complete with killer guitar licks, silky-smooth vocals, and an extremely affable stage persona.
Watson was another brilliant artist that had everyone buzzing after her incredible set. This jazz-trained Montreal-based vocalist has the pipes, the stage presence, original songs and the improvisational skills that made for a mesmerizing hour-long performance. This marked Watson’s first-ever blues fest appearance, and Chicagoans can only hope to see more of this dynamo around these parts.
Next up was the Blues Hall of Famer John Primer with his sidekick, harmonica ace Steve Harrington Bell. Although Primer is a regular on the Chicago blues scene and has lived in the area since he was 18, he recently released a CD that plays homage to his Mississippi roots. So, his set had a down-home country vibe that was in sharp contrast to the Pritzker’s glitziness and its paparazzi-filled photo pit.
When it came time for the evening’s finale, the BB King Centennial Tribute featuring Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, D.K Harrell, and Jonathan Ellison, the photographers had an overload of action to capture. Besides the sartorial splendor of the three headliners (D.K Harrell was sporting one of BB King’s shirts) there was the undeniable chemistry between all the performers as they paid tribute to their blues hero. The night closed out on a high note with a nattily dressed Kingfish trading licks with Ellison and Harrell on “The Thrill is Gone.”
There were many more thrilling moments to be had on Saturday. The day kicked off with a great set by German expat Stefan Hillesheim and his amazing band in the Rosa’s tent. Michael Damani, Lynne Jordan and the Shivers, Joe Barr and the Platinum Band, and soul-blues singer Theo Huff rounded out the outstanding Saturday roster in the Blues Village.
The Visit Mississippi Crossroads stage hosted several blues legends starting with 2 Blues for You featuring veteran keyboardist Eric Edwards along with in-demand drummer Joe Eagle. They were followed by Jesse Robinson, Vickie Baker, the V Souls, and the Groove Crew with John Primer and his Real Deal Blues Band wrapping things up in fine fashion.
With things winding down at the Crossroads Stage, the “Women in Blues Tribute to Denise LaSalle” was heating up on the main stage. Here, some of the finest female blues vocalists paid homage to the late, great LaSalle. The roster included Chicago-based Nora Jean Wallace and Mzz. Reese, along with former Chicagoan Nellie “Tiger” Travis. Detroit’s “Queen of the Blues” Thornetta Davis also was called upon to lend her talents to this star-studded tribute. LaSalle’s former bandleader, Johathan Ellison, reprised this role as he helped direct these resplendent women.
While there are always plenty of tributes to musical icons who have passed away, it was heartening to see three young guns of the blues featured on the Pritzker stage as Joey J. Saye, Stephen Hull, and Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport showcased their old-soul blues mentality.
But focusing on the genre’s rich musical diversity has always been one of the keys to the Chicago Blues Festival’s success, ever since its inception in 1984. So, it wasn’t surprising to find 85-year-old Blues Hall of Famer Latimore on the docket next as he put on a wide-ranging set touching on everything from southern soul and R & B to his own brand of blues.
Then it was time to welcome the young guitar sensation who has been taking the world by storm ever since he was a teenager. Now just twenty-six, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram was the Saturday night headliner on the Pritzker stage, and he was more than ready to seize his seminal moment. He truly is a generational talent and it’s been exciting to see his rise to prominence after seeing him play at Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival as a young kid.
But Kingfish did more than wow the crowd with his skill on the guitar. He also turned the stage into his own personal juke joint. After he had leisurely strolled through the crowd while serving up wicked guitar riffs, he got back on stage and invited ten ladies up to show ‘em how it’s done down in Clarksdale. Soon, more than 50 women were dancing with wild abandonment as they sandwiched a still-jamming Kingfish. What a way to end our Saturday, with yet another incredible memory for the Chicago Blues Fest books.
My 2025 Chicago Blues Fest run sadly ended after I caught Kingfish’s tremendous set. However, American Blues Scene photographer Michael Lepek managed to capture some of the early Sunday performances including Jimmy Burns, Nick Alexander, and Jonathan Ellison.
Unfortunately, we both missed the Sunday night highlights and headliners like Mavis Staples, Lurrie Bell and Frank Catalano, and the Chess Records 75th Anniversary celebration. Word on the street was that Mavis closed it out with a chill-inducing performance but not before the park was evacuated due to rain.
Luckily, the entire performances from the Chicago Blues Festival headliners are on the DCASE YouTube channel. Rosa’s Lounge also has a YouTube channel with videos of their festival acts.
