29th Annual Long Beach Blues Festival Finds New Location and Boasts All-star Lineup

Press release
Source: conqueroo / Cary Baker

Chuck Berry and Sly & the Family Stone and Chuck Berry will headline the 29th annual Long Beach Blues Festival, set to take place Saturday and Sunday, August 30 and 31, 2008 at a brand new venue location. The Festival will relocate from its long-time home site at the Cal State University Long Beach (CSULB) athletic field to a breezy new ocean-front location, the Rainbow Lagoon at Linden Ave. and Shoreline Dr., downtown and adjacent to the Long Beach Marina.

The Festival also announces the enlistment of two new co-producers: Bill Silva Presents and Rum & Humble. Executive producers are Global Jazz, Inc. and CSULB.

In addition to the great Chuck Berry, who will headline the Saturday show, and enigmatic R&B masters Sly & the Family Stone, who will headline on Sunday, a line-up of venerable artists lineup from the blues pantheon has been announced. Saturday’s performers also include Eric Clapton associate John Mayall, New Orleans’ riotous the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, blues piano patriarch Pinetop Perkins, Northern Californian slide slinger Roy Rogers and the West Coast debut of Jamaican soul vocalist Roy Young. Sunday’s performers also include Hammond organ virtuoso Booker T Jones, harmonica blower Charlie Musselwhite, straight up bluesman Joe Louis Walker, rising guitar phenomenon Ana Popovic and nascent act Baby Stone.

In its nearly three decades of existence, the Long Beach Blues Festival has become one of the nation’s pre-eminent blues celebrations. As a major fundraiser for publicly supported radio station KKJZ-FM, the Festival serves not only as an annual weekend devoted to a classic American music form, but also to help sustain both jazz and the blues on the air all year long.

KKJZ-FM (previously known as KLON-FM) has been broadcasting jazz and blues since 1981. In December 2004, the station increased transmitting power, going from 6,500 to 30,000 watts as well as an HD Radio digital signal at 88.1 FM.

Over its 29-year history, the Long Beach Blues Festival has featured a who’s who of influential blues and soul artists including Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Little Richard, Jerry Butler, Bobby Bland, Otis Rush, Etta James, Mavis Staples, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Robert Cray, Bo Diddley, Little Milton, Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Jimmy Smith, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Joe Liggins & the Honeydrippers, Big Joe Turner, Lowell Fulson, Lonnie Mack, The Blasters, Johnny Winter, Son Seals, Bobby Womack, Joe Cocker, the Allman Brothers Band, the Black Crowes, Irma Thomas and Betty LaVette, among hundreds of others.

According to co-producer Bill Silva at Bill Silva Presents, “We are thrilled to be producing this year's festival. With the new location adjacent to the marina coupled with an incredible artist lineup, we believe this will be a great experience for all the fans of this established event.”

Rum & Humble’s Martin Fleischmann adds, “Over the past three decades, virtually every major blues performer extant has been part of the Long Beach Blues Festival. We look forward to working with KJAZZ and Bill Silva Presents to uphold that fine tradition as well as bringing the Festival forward, in keeping with the evolution of blues/roots music and its audience.”

“We see moving the Blues Festival to downtown Long Beach as another way for Cal State Long Beach to partner with the city in ways that lend more vibrancy and excitement to important community events,” said CSULB President F. King Alexander. “We believe this move will enable more community members to take advantage of what is one of the most popular events in Long Beach every year, and in the process, businesses in the downtown area will benefit as well. KJAZZ listeners, blues fans and Long Beach residents will all see a much more exciting festival this year.”

Advance tickets will be madecome available June 7 at the cost of $45 (plus applicable service charges) for a single day or $75 (plus applicable service charges) for a weekend pass via Ticketmaster. Day of show prices are $50 for one day and $85 for the weekend. In addition, the Festival offers several VIP package rates, all of which include a donation to benefit KJAZZ: The Buddy Pack (two VIP weekend passes plus parking and beverages) for $300; the Platinum Pass (twofour VIP weekend passes plus VIP parking, food and beverages) for $800. Also offered are the Backstage Pass (two backstage weekend passes plus VIP parking, food and beverages) at $1,650 and the Ultimate Backstage Pass (two backstage weekend passes and a reserved seating area plus VIP parking, food, beverages and hotel or transportation) at $5,000.

Tickets EnhancedVIP ticket packages are available directly from KKJZ-FM 88.1 FMKJAZZ, by calling (310) 478-5061 or online at www.jazzandblues.org/longbeachbluesfestival.

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