The 24th Annual Silver City Blues Festival on May 24 – 26, 2019 will feature legendary musicians, local artists, and food and craft vendors. The free event takes place at Gough Park in Silver City, NM and is supported by the Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery, Town of Silver City, members of the Mimbres Region Arts Council and many local businesses and individual blues lovers.
This year’s lineup includes:
Grady Champion – Canton, MS
Guitar Shorty – Houston, TX
Laurie Morvan Band – Los Angeles, CA
Brody Buster – Lawrence, KS
Felix y Los Gatos - Albuquerque, NM
Chris Dracup Trio - Albuquerque, NM
Roman Barten-Sherman – Tucson, AZ
The Rudy Boy Experiment - Albuquerque, NM
Amos Torres - Silver City, NM
The festival kicks-off on Friday, May 24, with the Gila Glass Classic Flame Off at 5:00pm and music at 6:30 pm from Southwest Rock and Blues innovators—The Rudy Boy Experiment. Hailing from the Land of Enchantment in Albuquerque, NM, the 3-piece group features the multi-talented Rudy “Boy” Jaramillo on vocals, as well as lead and rhythm guitar, and has become increasingly popular in the western U.S.
On Saturday, May 25, the festival will feature a giant in the blues world—the legendary Guitar Shorty, from Houston, TX. Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Guitar Shorty has been electrifying audiences for five decades with his supercharged live shows and his incendiary recordings. In addition to Guitar Shorty, the Laurie Morvan Band, is a 5-piece high energy, rockin’ blues band led by its fiery female lead guitarist vocalist. A pumpin’, thumpin’, tight-as-nails machine from Long Beach, CA, the LMB has fired up over 70 festivals and 700 shows together throughout the USA, Canada and Europe.
The incredible lineup continues with the festival’s featured headline act—Canton, MS-based, Grady Champion. A Grammy Award-winning songwriter, entertainer and musician, Grady Champion has been captivating audiences for more than two decades. He won the 26th International Blues Challenge in 2010, and toured performing at the Chicago Blues Festival, on the Legendary Blues Cruise and at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival. Champion's song, co-written with Kevin Bowe, titled "Trust Yourself" was included on Etta James' Let's Roll album (2003). It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2003, and a Blues Music Award as the 'Soul/Blues Album of the Year' from the Blues Foundation in 2004.
Sunday showcases sixteen-year-old Roman Barten-Sherman from Tucson, AZ, who has been singing and playing the blues since he was a young child. He has travelled to learn directly from legendary blues musicians, including David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Guy Davis, Corey Harris, Roy Bookbinder and Robert Belfour. As a solo artist, he has opened for David Bromberg, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bobby Rush, and John Mayall. In addition, he has played The Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, MS and the SABHF Blues Festival.
Brody Buster’s one man band returns for an encore performance at this year’s festival. A grown up child prodigy, Brody Buster shared the stage with Quincy Jones, Keb Mo, Chaka Kahn, Lee Oskar and was a regular performer at B.B. King's Blues Club. Brody has performed with B.B. several times, and King was once quoted as saying, "Despite his age, Brody Buster is one of the greatest harmonica players of our time."
Closing out this year’s festival is favorite Albuquerque party band, Felix y Los Gatos. With over 13 years of stage experience, the Gatos have an improvisational style that is uniquely their own. Their sound is crafted through the cultural influences of Zydeco, Tex-Mex, Blues, and Gypsy/Jazz (Think Django Reinhardt), Swing, a dash of Outlaw country, and the sometimes mystical, spiritual realm of Santana style Latino soul style playing. The Gatos have been featured at the Telluride Blues Festival, Thirsty Ear Festival, Long Beach Crawdaddy Fest, BlissFest, Blast Furnace Blues Festival, Zion Canyon Music Festival, the Hatch Green Chile Festival, and countless other large events.
The 2019 Blues Festival will have unique events and offerings – from harmonica stars, to young blues prodigies, local performers, one-of-kind vendors, and creative interactive activities for families. There are several new and returning attractions this year, including:
After Hours Blues Jam at Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery
Silver City’s very own Glasserie will put on the Gila Glass Classic Flame-Off
Paint Out Silver! A plein air painting competition in collaboration with Silver City Art Association
9th Annual Kneeling Nun Bike Run and Car Show
Demonstrations from local artists and organizations
Over 60 craft and food vendors
The festival supports the Mimbres Region Arts Council in its mission of nurturing a creative community and benefitting music programs in Grant County. For more information on the festival and bands, visit www.silvercitybluesfestival.org.
