Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival to Present Shemekia Copeland and Others

Press release
Source: Randex Communications

Bubba Mac, the namesake of South Jersey’s most popular blues destination, is celebrating summer’s end and building a new tradition by throwing the largest blues party in Jersey Shore history, as Bubba Mac Presents: The Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival, a two-day blues bonanza with over 18 hours of music to benefit the community through United Way.

Shemekia Copeland, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Kenny Neal, John Lee Hooker Jr., Bernard Allison, Tab Benoit and the Legends of the Chicago Blues are just some of the blues giants gathering at The Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival, Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30 at Bernie Robbins Stadium, 545 N. Albany Ave., in Atlantic City. Gates open 9 a.m. and music starts at 11 a.m. Tickets $30 a day; $55 for entire weekend and on sale NOW at www.BubbaMac.com, www.mycommunitymatters.org or charge by phone at (888) 333-3091. Saturday and full weekend ticketholders also gain FREE admission to an exclusive Saturday night after-party at the House of Blues starring The Radiators and an all-star jam with surprise special guests, led by Rooster & the Chicken Hawks.

The Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival is timed to coincide with ChopperXPO 2007, revving up those same two days across town at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Festival ticketholders will receive discount admission available to ChopperXPO 2007, the East Coast's largest indoor custom motorcycle and sports bike show.

Every style of blues will be represented at The Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival, from blues style gospel, Cajun rock ‘n’ blues and New Orleans brass funk to West Side Chicago Blues and down home blues.

Saturday’s lineup is anchored by several of this year's Blues Music Award Winners, among them Tab Benoit, Bobby Rush, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, Eddie Shaw and the Wolfgang, and Hubert Sumlin. Sumlin is just one of the “Legends of the Chicago Blues,” a stellar group on Saturday’s roster also comprised of “Steady Rollin” Bob Margolin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, George “Mojo” Buford and Calvin “Fuzz” Jones. Also appearing Saturday are the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Rooster and the Chicken Hawks, the Detroit Women and the Bubba Mac Blues Band.

Sunday’s lineup is subtitled “Children of Blues Legends … The Next Generation,” as all six acts are immensely talented offspring of some of the blues greatest legends: Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Waters), Johnny Lee Hooker Jr. (John Lee Hooker), Shemekia Copeland (Johnny Copeland), Bernard Allison (Luther Allison), Kenny Neal (Raful Neal) and Ronnie Baker Brooks (Lonnie Brooks). They’ll be joined by locals the Teri Showers Band.

“With the Miss America Pageant gone, we’re establishing the Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival as the last big blast of the summer,” says Bubba Mac. “And at the same time, we’re able to give back to the community.”

The community will benefit through “Blues for Good,” a new benefit program established by Bubba Mac to support United Way. Through the program, a portion of all festival proceeds go to United Way, an organization Bubba Mac has long supported.

“They have a real good pulse of the community’s needs,” he says. “And they’re able to distribute funds to a number of community organizations.”

Families are welcome at this two-day blues mega-picnic, featuring all kinds of blues-friendly food and children’s activities, too. A special program for kids will be introduced Friday, Sept. 28, during a special “Blues for Good” kickoff event that will be free to the public. Details to be announced soon!

The South Jersey blues community had a new gathering place when Bubba Mac opened the infamous Bubba Mac Shack, an upscale but down home blues club and restaurant in Somers Point with five bars and three stages for live music. For seven years, the Bubba Mac Shack hosted hundreds of nationally known blues recording artists day and night and all year round, spawning a local TV show (Live at the Bubba Mac Shack) that will be revived in September on WMCN-TV/Atlantic City as Live with Bubba Mac on the Road, to celebrate the festival’s arrival. These days, Bubba Mac can be found greeting customers at the new Bubba Mack Shack on the Ocean City, N.J. boardwalk.

The Mid-Atlantic Blues and Music Festival is sponsored by Gibson Guitars, with additional support from United Way of Atlantic County, United Way of the Delaware Valley, the Blues Foundation, Blues Festival Guide, Forman Mills, and Ocean City Home Bank.