Bradenton Blues Festival

Date: December 6, 2014
Riverwalk Park /Bradenton Florida

This one -day event was filled with sunshine, blues, beer, great food and the people who love Roots Music to the bone! Bradenton is a cozy coastal town on the Gulf side of Florida just a short drive from Sarasota and Tampa. The planners of this venue do their homework and have all their ducks in order, which equates to a good time for everyone involved. The festival actually encompasses three days, and highlights the city's love of the blues. The downtown businesses, restaurants and watering holes also get involved which in turn, stimulates the economy in their neck of the woods. However, the headliners are on stage Saturday from morning until late that night. The lineup was exceptional and rivaled bigger Festivals held in the U.S.
Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones launched things off with a splendid set of Texas Swing, Rock and Blues, standards and originals. A crowd favorite, they appreciated the enthusiasm and musicianship of a local guy who plays and sings his heart out. County-flavored Southern fried blues was next on the agenda as EG Knight took the stage. Outstanding vocals, guitar and a knack to entertain are EG's trademarks. After a short break, the growing crowd was excited to see and hear the young lady from Kansas City rock the blues -Samantha Fish. High -energy fret-work on a plethora of guitars with vocals to match had everyone wanting more after her hour-long set that covered two albums previously released. Right after Ms Fish, the Chicago-based Little Ed & The Blues Imperials took to the stage. Little Ed is a blues legend and rightly so, based on his body of work (8 albums with the Imperials and a couple on his own). He is a veteran musician and an top showman delivering stellar slide guitar and vocals. Other headliners included Jimmy Thackery and Marcia Ball whom I will devote another article to in the near future. With a media pass and Nikon in tow, I was able to capture a few photographs. Can't wait until next years Festival!