The first full day of the 2026 Chicago Blues Festival featured a packed slate of great music that emanated everywhere from the Mississippi Stage and the Rosa’s Tent to the “Next Generation of the Blues” at Wrigley Square in Chicago’s Millennium Park.
During the day, fans were treated to a smorgasbord of blues styles that ranged from Mississippian Eden Brant’s keyboard artistry and Nick Alexander’s guitar licks to some hot shows by Mike Wheeler, Tom Holland & his Shuffle Kings and other noteworthy performers.
But, as the afternoon sun began to set behind the city’s impressive skyline, all eyes and ears turned to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for the evening’s featured entertainers. With a lineup that included Marquise Knox, C.J. Chenier, Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite, and a “55 Years of Alligator Records” tribute with Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Nick Moss, Toronzo Cannon, and Tinsley Ellis, this incredible array of artists served up a simmering stew of blues, zydeco, roots and gospel-tinged music for the thousands who came out for this annual free event.
Longtime emcee and recently retired WDCB DJ Tom Marker summed up the vibe when he said that the Chicago Blues Festival “takes over this stage for three days and celebrates the blues past, present and future.” Marker then introduced Marquise Knox as a “natural born singer” and guitar slinger before he turned it over to the young man from St. Louis, Missouri.
Marker also noted that the 35-year old Knox had deep roots in the Mississippi Delta, and this was evident throughout the course of his well-received set that ran the gamut from the gospel of “Pouring Water on a Drowning Man” to a soulful “Walking the Dog” that saw Knox cavorting through the crowd and dancing with fans in his wake. He was later joined by fellow St. Louis-area native Dylan Triplett, who would be featured on the Pritzker stage the next day.
Knox, who has also performed with BB King, Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edwards, and other legends, summed up his collaboration with Triplett when he said, “when they talk about the blues is dead you just tell ‘em no; we just saw two young black brothers get down on that stage real good.”
After serving notice that the future of the blues is in good hands, Knox exited the stage and the crowd started gearing up for CJ Chenier and his Red-Hot Louisiana Band. Their scheduled set in 2025 had to be cancelled due to stormy conditions but this year it was all systems go for this rollicking band of Zydeco greats from the Bayou State.
As the son of the late, Clifton Chenier, this “Crown Prince of Zydeco” was quick to “let the good times roll” and had the crowd on their feet as they ran through their signature “Zydeco Bugaloo” and “Hot Tamale Baby.” Chenier also slowed his signature roll to take on a satisfying slow-paced “I’m Coming Home.” But whether going with a slow-tempo tune or flat-out jumping zydeco, Chenier and his band were red-hot and rocked the Pritzker Pavilion after last year’s rain-out.
Chenier and the Red-Hot Louisiana Band were followed by a pair of legends with roots in traditional Chicago blues and a combined 100-years of deep blues experience: Charlie Musselwhite and Elvin Bishop. This dynamic duo alluded to that in their spoken word compilation 100 Years of Blues, which gave a musical dossier of their illustrious history.
After their bluesy introduction, the pair settled into some sweet down-home playing with Musselwhite’s signature harp perfectly in sync with Bishop’s strumming. And, with a long history of blues under their belt, you can bet that they had plenty of stories to tell.
Since they both spent time in Chi-town in the sixties, the two reminisced about the legends that they played with and the Windy City they remembered from the Golden Age of the Blues. Although Musselwhite is known for being a “helluva harmonica player,” he also played some guitar in the “style of Maxwell Street, when it was happening,” according to Bishop.
Lil’ Ed is another keeper of the Chicago blues flame, and the band’s contributions were acknowledged by Alligator President Bruce Iglauer, who had earlier received a mayoral proclamation in honor of Alligator’s 55th Anniversary. Iglauer introduced Lil’ Ed and lauded Ed and his Blues Imperials for “going back to 1986 and being together with the same personnel for 38 years.” Iglauer then turned the mic over to “the progenitors of genuine House Rockin’ music just the way it was played in 1970 and earlier.”
Lil’ Ed ran through a litany of hits including “Bad All by Myself” and “Flirt in the Car Wash Skirt” from his 2026 Alligator release, Slideways. With every tune he took on, he demonstrated the slide guitar expertise that he learned from the hands of his uncle, J.B. Hutto.
Slide guitar made way for some smooth acoustic grooves as Tinsley Ellis followed Lil’ Ed and his Blues Imperials. Iglauer introduced the 69-year-old Ellis by noting that “you may not realize by the way he looks, but this is Tinsley’s first time playing at the Chicago Blues Festival.”
After many decades of playing “hot-body electric guitar,” Ellis has returned to his roots and recently released an all-acoustic album called Labor of Love on the Alligator label. His set also showcased the “Bentonia Blues” finger-picking style that he perfected with Jimmy “Duck” Holmes at the famous Blue Front Café in Bentonia Mississippi.
After all these tasty musical appetizers, it was time for the main course of blues by way of even more Alligator guitar slingers as they came out for the final round of the Alligator Records 55th Anniversary blues bash. This lineup consisted of Ronnie Baker Brooks, Toronzo Cannon, and Nick Moss along with Brooks’ band.
Besides trading hot guitar licks, this talented trio also exchanged vocal duties as they took turns showcasing their songs. Moss started it off with “Me and My Friends” before turning it over to Cannon who famously worked as a CTA bus driver before he retired. Moss alluded to this when he said Cannon “gave up a job with security” before devoting his life to playing his hard driving brand of blues.
After Cannon wrapped up his “Something to Do Man,” it was time for Brooks’ turn in the spotlight. This legacy artist noted how special it was to be on stage after he had celebrated both Alligator’s 20th and 25th anniversaries with his father, Lonnie Brooks. After saying how happy he was to be part of the 55th Anniversary tour, he segued into “Stuck on Stupid,” which featured fantastic guitar interplay between the three artists.
The finale also “stuck” the landing as Lil’ Ed, Ellis, and Brooks’ brother Wayne came out for a sweet rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago.” This take on Chicago’s signature song showed us all why the Windy City truly is the home of the blues during the first weekend in June.
