Aurora, Illinois is about 40 miles west of Chicago but this city on the banks of the Fox River boasts its own rich blues history. From 1937 to 1938, many highly regarded blues artists came to the top floor of the grand Leland Hotel to record tracks for the Bluebird Record Label.
The roster of artists included names like Tampa Red, Washboard Sam, Big Bill Bronzy, Robert Nighthawk, Sonny Boy Williamson and many others. In fact, Williamson’s “Good Morning Little School Girl” was recorded in Aurora.
Although most of the musicians who were recorded for Bluebird hailed from Chicago or St. Louis, the city’s recent “Blues on the Fox” festival at the newly renovated River’s Edge Park, attracted artists from San Francisco and Texas to Memphis and New Orleans. The pride of the San Francisco Bay area, Tommy Castro, got the party started with a rousing 3 pm set.
He was followed by Texan Ally Venable who came on at 5 pm. Memphis-based musician Eric Gales was in the 7pm slot with New Orleans’ Trombone Shorty and his Orleans Avenue band closing out the festival with a toe-tapping, infectiously joyous set that sent everyone home happy.
These musicians might come from every corner of the continental US, but all the artists stressed the concept that music can bring people together and there was strong evidence of this at Blues on the Fox. Whether it was an older fellow relinquishing his front row spot to allow a young boy to get a better glimpse of Eric Gales, or the communal birthday sing-along to WDCB DJ and event emcee Scott “Hambone” Hammer, the friendly vibe was on full display throughout the day and well into the evening.
It was old home week for Tommy Castro and the Painkillers as they kicked things off with a set that encompassed a storied career that spans 35 years. He opened the show with a “Well, well, well. We meet again” and added that he “used to play some joints in Aurora.” Since then, Castro has picked up several Blues Music awards, most recently in 2025 as “Blues Rock Artist of the Year.”
Castro’s set artfully showcased his extensive catalog as he ran through everything from a rollicking “Make it Back to Memphis” to some down-home blues, a horn-heavy Wilson Pickett cover, and other staples from his rotation. He gave local station WXRT a shout-out before launching into “Right as Rain.” Castro signed off by saying “I wish I could be with you all day, but you have a hell of a show coming up” before tearing into a fine rendition of Wet Willie’s “Keep on Smiling.”
After a short break, Texas-based guitar sensation Ally Venable opened her set with a great take on the Temptation’s “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” which served notice that this 27-year-old had the chops to play in the big leagues with her unique brand of “new age blues rock music.”
Venable’s “one to watch” status was recently cemented with the 2025 release of Money and Power, which was produced by Tom Hambridge and features cameos from Shemekia Copeland and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
Ingram joined Venable on the song“Brown Liquor” from Money and Power. But, as Venable demonstrated in Aurora, her voice is powerful enough to stand on its own when she performed “Brown Liquor” for an appreciative audience. This was later followed by a funky number where she cajoled the crowd to let go of their inhibitions and “get up and dance.”
Venable also shared how Stevie Ray Vaughn was her gateway to the blues, which led to her discovering everyone from Muddy Waters to Freddie King. But, as she showed the crowd at Blues on the Fox, Venable has merged these influences to create her very own brand of blues rock, which was on full display on a glorious first-of-summer day.
Like Venable, Eric Gales is also riding the crest of recent success, with his fiery guitar work featured on the hit movie, Sinners. Gales won a pair of Grammys for his groundbreaking work, and even got to appear at the Academy Awards alongside Buddy Guy.
But Gales doesn’t seem like the type to rest on his laurels for too long and he certainly came out smoking on his set as he delivered on his promise to give fans “everything from A to Z with stuff in between.” He then ripped into “If you Don’t Know the Blues” with a bit of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” mixed in for good measure.
Hailed as a child prodigy, Gales has continued to grow, mature and lift other musicians in his orbit. He gave high praise to his guitarist, Trevor McKay who showcased his skills throughout the set. Gales later joined him in a guitar collaboration for the ages. Gale frequently gave props to the drummer, who also happens to be his wife, LaDonna.
As he ran through everything from a Jeff Beck classic to Jimi Hendrix’s “Voo Doo Child,” Gale’s guitar virtuosity was on full display throughout his well-received set. He even came back for an encore of sorts when Trombone Shorty called him to come out during his sizzling grand finale.
Trombone Shorty literally brought on all the horns and whistles for this set, which encompassed everything from Latin rhythms and New Orleans’ standards to horn-heavy jams that demonstrated the headliner’s fluency with everything from his signature trombone and keyboards to drums, trumpet, and vocals. Trombone Shorty also showed a penchant for partying as the phrase “We Be Partying” was his rallying cry throughout his set.
Born and raised in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood, Troy Andrews (aka Trombone Shorty) was playing the trombone at the age of four. Bo Diddley caught wind of this and invited the four-year old to come on stage at the 1990 New Orleans Jazz Festival. Now, just forty, he has already amassed an amazing list of accomplishments and has achieved iconic status in his native New Orleans.
With such a NOLA heavy resume, it came as no surprise that Trombone Shorty closed out the night with “When the Saints Go Marching In,” which featured cameos from all members of his talented troupe. This finale provided the perfect exclamation point on a memorable day/night at Blues on the Fox.
