06 07 26 - The Chicago Blues Festival Sunday June 07 concluded the weekend with Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band, Chris Cain, Sue Foley and an azaming star studded performance Women in Blues Tribute to Mama Yancey and Big Mama Thornton with Mary Lane, Deitra Farr, Katherine Davis, Nora Jean Wallace, Melody Angel, Lee Kanehira and Lynne Jordan & the Shivers. Other blues performances throughout the festival included Jaye Hammer, Mzz Reese & Reese’s Pieces, Fred T, Libby Rae

06 06 26 - The 2026 Chicago Blues Festival Saturday June 6 celebrated 75 years of Billy Branch featuring Billy Branch and the Sons of the Blues with Kenny Neal and Ronnie Baker Brooks. Other great artists performing at the festival included Ruthie Foster, Shakura S’Aida, Dylan Triplett, Dexter Allen, CUZ Band, Anissa Hampton, John Clayton White, Oscar Wilson Blues Band, The Gerry Hundt Trio, The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling, Melody Angel, and Theo Huff & The Lega

06 05 26 - The 2026 Chicago Blues Festival Friday June 5 celebrated 55 Year of Alligator Records featuring Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Toronzo Cannon, Nick Moss and Tinsley Ellis. Other Blues greats at the Festival included Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite, CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Marquise Knox, Ra’shad the Blues Kid, Eden Brent, The Big Time Rhythm & Blues Band, Mississippi Marshall, Freddie Dixon Blues Band, The Mike Wheeler Band w

06 04 26 - The 2026 Chicago Blues Festival kicked off at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport with 20 Years of the Mississippi Blues Trail Firside Chat with Mayor John Horhn, Scott Barretta, Bill McPherson, Dr Edgar Smith and Jim O’Neal Moderated by Yolonda Clay-Moore, Visit Jackson. The panel was followed by a Double Bill with John Primer, Tribute to Theresa’s Lounge and Willie Clayton. John Primer shared the stage with other Blues greats, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Billy Branch, Harm

PANEL DISCUSSION 20 Years of the Mississippi Blues Trail–Fireside Chat with Mayor John Horhn, Scott Barretta, Bill Mc Pherson, Dr. Edgar Smith, and Jim O’Neal Moderated by Yolonda Clay-Moore,Visit Jackson 6-7 p.m.The Mississippi Blues Trail has been an invaluable guide to finding the people and places that shaped the music in this state and which, in turn, influenced the world. This panel will discuss its origins and impact. The experts include Jackson, Miss., Mayor John Horh

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 7:459 p.m. Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band The expression “legend in his own time” may be overused, but in the case of Taj Mahal, it’s appropriate. Born Henry Saint Claire Fredericks Jr. in New York in 1942, he grew up immersed in music; among his early influences was his godfather, the famed pianist Buddy Johnson. Mahal is an internationally acclaimed roots-music polymath who has performed, educated, and inspired fellow musicians and listeners for

Friday June 6, 2025 the Full Schedule of the Chicago Blues Festival features Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Eddie Cotton, John Primer and many others!

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is one of the headliners along with Latimore and may others for Saturday June 7, 2025 at the Chicago Blues Festival.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 7:45-9 p.m. Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band 6:30-7:30 p.m. Chris Cain 5:15-6:15 p.m. Sue Foley 3:45-5 p.m. Women in Blues Tribute to Mama Yancey and Big Mama Thornton with Mary Lane, Deitra Farr, Katherine Davis, Nora Jean Wallace, Melody Angel, Lee Kanehira, and Lynne Jordan & the Shivers Visit Mississippi Crossroads Stage 4:30-5:45 p.m. Jaye Hammer 3-4:15 p.m. Mzz Reese & Reese’s Pieces 1:30-2:45 p.m. Fred T and The Band Noon-1:15 p.m. Libby Rae

Maxwell Street between S. Halsted St. and S. Union Ave. The original Maxwell Street Market, centered around 13th and Halsted on Chicago’s Near West Side, was a bustling open-air bazaar where goods of every description were bought and sold, and where music filled the air. Some of Chicago’s most legendary blues artists got their start there; through the years, generations of music lovers also made a weekly pilgrimage to the Market to celebrate the living history it represented.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion 7:45-9 p.m. 75 Years of Billy Branch Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues with Kenny Nealand and Ronnie Baker Brooks As a harmonica player, singer and bandleader, Billy Branch has been an essential part of the Chicago blues community for decades. And as a devoted educator, he has been a crucial messenger of the music to audiences and students around the world. He picked up a harmonica at the age of 10 and immersed himself in the city’s blues scene during t

Friday June 6, 2025 the Full Schedule of the Chicago Blues Festival features Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Eddie Cotton, John Primer and many others!

RAMOVA THEATRE 3520 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL (312) 988-0838 VISIT OUR WEBSITE Ramova Theatre has reopened in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood as an independent live music venue, craft brewery, and taproom. Through meticulous rehabilitation, the century-old movie palace has been transformed into a world-class 1,800+ person live music venue. With cutting-edge technology inside a historical atmospheric-style backdrop, Ramova Theatre creates an unforgettable experience for arti

Friday June 05 Wrigley Square - Next Generation of Blues 6:45-7:45 p.m. VanderCook College of Music 5:15-6:15 p.m. Meaza Joy 4-4:45 p.m. Kenwood Academy High School 3-3:45 p.m. The People’s Music School 2-2:45 p.m. Curie Metro High School 1-1:45 p.m. Chicago West Community Music Center Noon-12:45 p.m. Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts Saturday June 06 Wrigley Square - Next Generation of Blues 6:45-7:45 p.m. Midwest Young Artist Conservatory 5:15-6:15 p.m. Chicago Blues

The 41st annual Chicago Blues Festival wrapped up this past weekend in Millennium Park jubilant celebration of blues, history, and...

This year’s Blues Music Awards (BMAs) in Mephis included some of Chicago's finest Blues musicians, Ronnie Baker Brooks, John Primer,...

Linsey Alexander, the renowned "Hoochie Man" , passed away on February 22, 2025, at the age of 82. Born on July 23, 1942, in Holly...

The Blues Sessions Living Blues Panel Discussion with Jim O’Neal, Scott Barretta, Brett Bonner, Bruce Iglauer, Deitra Farr Moderated by...

Bobby Rush headlines the kickoff of the 2025 Chicago Blues Festival at the Ramova Theatre on June 5, 2025!

Friday June 6, 2025 the Full Schedule of the Chicago Blues Festival features Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Eddie Cotton, John Primer and many others!