Pennsylvania Blues Festival Celebates 23 Years Of Pocono Blues

James Cotton at 2007 Western Maryland Blues Festival - Photo © Ron Weinstock

The 4th Pennsylvania Blues Festival celebrates 23 years of blues in the Pocono Mountains, July 25-27 at Blue Mountain Ski Area & Resort's Valley - at the base of Blue Mountain with 1 wide spectrum of real blues acts two covered stages. Headlining this year’s festival are Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters; The James Cotton Blues Band and C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Lousiana Band.

The Festival starts on Friday night with PA Blues Fest Showcase with The BC COMBO featuring Bev Conklin, Slam Allen, Mikey Junior, Joe Mac & Lonnie Shields. Bev Conklin and her band anchored last year’s showcase and it will be a treat to hear this year’s group that features the Mississippi born Lonnie Shields bringing his distinctive touch along with harmonica wizard Mikey Jr., and Slam Allen who was part of James Cotton’s Band for many years.

Barbara Carr at 2010 Pocono Blues Festival. Photo © Ron Weinstock

Saturday, July 26, the Festival will open with Tad Robinson performing on the Main Tent Stage while Rip Lee Pryor (son of the legendary Snooky Pryor who recently had his first recording issued on Electro-Fi) will open the Adventure Center for the first of two stages. Also appearing at the Adventure Center Stage will be Ursula Ricks for two sets. After Tad Robinson, there will be sets on the Main Tent Stage by Shawn Holt and the Teardrops (Shawn is son of Morris ‘Magic Slim’’ Holt); the great soul-blues vocalist Barbara Carr; the magical guitar of Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters;  and the legendary James Cotton Blues Band will close that night. After the main performances there will be Saturday Night Jam in the Adventure Center featuring Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames.

Warner Williams of Little Bit of Blues.

Sunday, July 27 will open with VIP Sunday Brunch with The Murali Coryell Band with Special Guest - Dave Keyes. The Main Stage opens with the marvelous gospel harmonies of The Como Mamas; Following the Como Mamas will be The Jarekus Singleton Band featuring the young Mississippi bluesman who recently signed with Alligator and will soon have his debut album for the label. Little Bit of Blues, a Washington DC trio that features the amazing guitar and vocals of Warner Williams will be at the Adventure Center for the first of two sets and followed there by Super Chickan, also playing two sets there. Other main stage acts include the Chris Cain Band, featuring the wonderful, if highly underrated West Coast singer and guitarist; the Heritage Blues Quintet; with C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Lousiana Band closing the main stage with some les bon temps roulet zydeco. The Jarekus Singleton Band will close out the Adventure Center stage.

CJ Chenier at 2010 Pocono Blues Festival

Once again Michael Cloeren has put together a line-up that captures a wide range of blues styles and includes some artists making rare East Coast appearances. Blue Mountain Ski Area is in Palmerton PA. For more information on the Festival, including information on tickets, and other matters visit http://www.skibluemt.com/seasonal-activities/pa-blues-festival.

I have added links to reviews I have posted of a number of the performers. Just click on their names (which will be in blue) and it should take you to my review of that artist. This links will be updated as I add additional reviews.

2nd Pennsylvania Blues Festival Keeps Tradition of Blues in the Pocono

Teeny Tucker will be at this year's Pennsylvania Blues Festival

Michael Cloeren, and the others involved with the Pocono Blues Festival found a new location to carry out the tradition of bringing the best blues to the Pocono Mountains with last year’s “1st Pennsylvania Blues Festival” at the Blue Mountain Ski Area in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, not far from Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, Pennsylvania. They have put together the “2nd Pennsylvania Blues Festival” at the Blue Mountain Ski Area that will take place the weekend of Friday July 27 through Sunday July 29.

Eugene 'Hideaway' Bridges

Once again they will be presenting a variety of top-draw blues acts to appeal to diverse blues tastes. Friday night they will host a blues jam featuring Mikey Junior & the Stone Cold Blues Band. Saturday, July 28 they present the first of two full days of blues on the main stage and tent stage. Acts scheduled for the main stage include Marquise Knox; Big Sam’s Funky Nation; Joe Louis Walker and Billy Branch & the Sons of the Blues with Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson & Demetria Taylor. In the Tent Stage will be the Canadian duo of Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers; Wallace Coleman along with an acoustic set from Billy Branch & Lurrie Bell and another set of New Orleans Funk by Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Saturday Night will feature Steve Guyger and the Excellos.

The main stage on Sunday will open with Daptone Records artists Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens. Others up include Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges; Teeny Tucker; Earl Thomas and the Brooks Family Blues Dynasty with Lonnie, Ronnie and Wayne Baker Brooks. Corey Harris will be featured in the tent along with an acoustic set from the Brooks Family, and sets by Hideaway Bridges and Teeny Tucker.

Joe Louis Walker returns to play blues in the Pocono Mountains at the Pennsylvania Blues Festival

As can be seen by the list of performers, the Festival promises a full weekend of real deal blues. I have my hotel reservations already and I know folks from as far away as San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest that have there plans for this as well. They are offering last years pricing for tickets until June 8th. For more information and on the festival, directions and the festival schedule, check out the Festival website, http://www.skibluemt.com/SkiBlue/special-events/pa_blues_fest.aspx. The Festival also has a Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pennsylvania-Blues-Festival/195740310453821.

Michael Burks was originally scheduled to play at the Festival on Saturday, July 28, but passed away very tragically. He is being replaced by Otis Taylor and his very distinctive and original approach to the blues.

Photos copyright Ron Weinstock.

1st Pennsylvania Blues Festival Celebrates 20 Years of Blues in the Poconos

Kenny Neal, one of the featured performers at the Pennsylvania Blues Festival

Shemekia Copeland

It was a shock when the word came out that the Big Boulder Ski Resort would no longer be holding the annual Pocono Blues Festival after 19 years. The Pocono Blues Festival had established itself as the signature blues festival in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with a commitment to bring the finest real deal blues, mixing in major names like Luther Allison, Shemekia Copeland, Mavis Staples, Ruth Brown, Taj Mahal with legends who rarely toured like Jimmy McCracklin, Jimmy Johnson and Jody Williams. A change in policy at the resort ended what was an annual tradition that attracted blues fans from all over the United States and countries around the world.

Michael Cloeren, and the others involved in the Pocono Blues Festival have found a new location to carry out the tradition of bringing the best blues to the Poconos with the 1st Pennsylvania Blues Festival at the Blue Mountain Ski Area in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, not far from Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, Pennsylvania. The Festival is Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 and the line-up is as strong as any blues festival anywhere on an outdoor stage and a tent stage. This first Pennsylvania Blues Festival celebrates 20 Years of Blues in the Poconos.

Performers that have been announced for the festival include Shemekia Copeland, Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, Bettye Lavette, Kenny Neal, Cyril Neville, Shakura S’Alda, John Nemeth, The Lee Boys, Big Daddy Charles Stallings, Samuel James, Otis Clay, Linsey Alexander and Steve Guyger & Billy Flynn. Its quite a line-up of some of the best known blues performers and some lesser known ones. There is a mix from traditional Chicago styled blues of Magic Slim, Lil’ Ed and Steve Guyger & Billy Flynn, the deep soul of Bettye Lavette & Otis Clay, the sacred steel of The Lee Boys, the swamp blues of Kenny Neal, and the personal blues interpretations of Samuel James and Charles Neville. Shemekia Copeland is always a favorite but this writer is also looking forward to seeing Shakura S’Alda, another formidable female blues talent. Then a chance to see at another festival Baltimore’s Bog Daddy Stallings get exposure leading a jam after hours on Saturday night as well as two sets on Sunday with his down home back porch blues that is mixed with Louis Jordan, Albert King and James Brown.

For more information on the festival, check out the Festival website, http://www.skibluemt.com/SkiBlue/activities/pa-blues-fest.aspx, for the line-up and more information including directions. I have my hotel reservations already and I know folks from as far away as San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest that have there plans for this as well. Incidentally, Mike has produced the Vermont Blues Festival at Mount Snow, usually in later August, but apparently this will now be the Vermont Blues and Roots Festival and will take place on July 22-24, the weekend before the Pennsylvania Blues Festival. I will have more on this festival when more information is available.