SUNDAY JUNE 8, 2025 CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL AT MILLENNIUM PARK

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

7:45-9:00pm - Mavis Staples

For more than 60 years, Mavis Staples’ warm alto voice has delivered powerful commands for social justice. As she continues to release stunning new music, this Chicago legend’s charged statements always convey her strong feelings of hope. Millions of listeners throughout the world heard her as a part of The Staple Singers, a family group that brought the raw urgency of folk to the irresistible tempos of soul on numerous R&B hits during the 1960s and 1970s. But they started out in gospel a decade earlier when patriarch/guitarist Pops Staples led his daughters—Mavis and Cleotha—and son Pervis on the gospel circuit. Switching to popular music didn’t mean losing the message as the group inveighed against racism on “Why? (Am I Treated So Bad).” After signing to Stax, The Staple Singers (with Mavis’ sister Yvonne) conveyed strength and determination through such anthems as “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.” Mavis Staples’ vocal personality has built on that foundation through numerous solo albums and the past few years have marked an artistic resurgence as she works with different collaborators. Ben Harper complements her sense of resolution on the 2019 album “We Get By.” She has also teamed up with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, including on “If All I Was Was Black,” a prescient 2017 record that meets the moment in 2025. (AC)

6:30-7:30pm - Lurrie Bell and Frank Catalano

Guitarist Lurrie Bell, a son of harmonica legend Carey Bell, spent his childhood sitting at the feet of such fabled bluesmen as Eddie Taylor, Big Walter Horton, and Pinetop Perkins, as well as his father. A member of Billy Branch’s original Sons of Blues and a former sideman for Koko Taylor, among others, he has led his own band, off and on, since the early 1980s. Bell also has a catalogue of over 25 albums and CDs, both as leader and in collaboration with others, all of which showcase his personalized guitar style—mercurial, exploratory leads shot through with emotional fire that erupts into patterns of spontaneous symmetry and shimmering beauty. Saxophonist Frank Catalano, an internationally feted jazz musician, has also lent his lent his improvisational acumen to myriad rock acts. His 2024 collaboration with Bell, “Set Me Free,” challenged both men to expand their territories—Bell explored realms of fretboard expression that one might usually associate with jazzers such as George Benson, while Catalano toughened his show lounge elegance with a hard-edged juke-joint thrust. (DW)

5:15-6:15pm - C.J. Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band

Accordionist/singer/saxophonist C.J. Chenier was born into zydeco royalty as the son of the music’s king, Clifton Chenier. The younger Chenier brings his own ideas to this classic Louisiana tradition but he always adheres to its crucial obligation to get big and small global audiences up and dancing. C.J. Chenier joined his father’s band (as a saxophonist) in 1978 and inherited the group—and his father’s instrument—when the elder Chenier died nine years later. Myriad other musicians have sought him out for recordings, including Paul Simon and Joe Sample. He began releasing albums under his own name on different labels, signing with Chicago-based Alligator in 1994. The aptly titled “Too Much Joy,” “The Big Squeeze” and “Step It Up!” highlight his energetic blend of the venerated Black Creole sound with rock, funk and swing. Among Chenier’s numerous accolades, he has been inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame in Port Arthur, Texas, where he is honored alongside his legendary father. (AC)

3:45-5:00pm - Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Chess Records

This year marks the 75 years since two Chicago brothers—Leonard and Phil Chess—established their record company that would indelibly shape popular music. The sons of Polish Jewish immigrants, they documented the new electric sounds of Black blues musicians who migrated to this city from the South. Their roster featured such legends as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. But Chess also set the course for rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s through its Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley records, produced 1960s soul hits for Mitty Collier and Jackie Ross, released beloved gospel albums as well as scoring crossover successes with jazz pianists Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis. In celebrating this institution, bandleader Joe Pratt will revisit the label’s milestones in a group that features Muddy Waters’ son Mud Morganfield alongside Chuck Berry’s son, Charles Berry, Jr. Other members of the all-star ensemble includes Alonzo Jones—also known as Louisiana Al—who grew up near the hometown of another Chess artist (Buddy Guy). Bassist Rodrigo Mantovani, harmonica player Steve Bell and saxophonist Dudley Owens will also be featured. (AC)

Visit Mississippi Crossroads Stage (South Promenade)

4:30-5:45pm - Ms. Jody

For all the good-time ribaldry that remains Ms. Jody’s primary calling card, both her music and stage show are enriched by a depth of spirit that marks her as an artist of serious intent. Her 2006 debut album, “You’re My Angel,” immediately established her persona as a lusty party girl with a heart of gold and an iron will, demanding respect and honesty from her man while praising his prowess and hers with unapologetic bluntness. She’s continued in that vein ever since in her recordings and her live performances, honing a persona that’s equal parts juke-joint celebrant, font of womanly erotic power, and wounded romantic with stories to tell (she’s built “I’ve Got the Strength to Stay Gone,” from her 2011 release “Keepin’ It Real,” into what amounts to a mini-drama in one act that never fails to get the house). Today she stands atop the pantheon of southern soul-blues women vocalists, and there appear to be few serious contenders to threaten her dominance. (DW)

3:00-4:15pm - Jonathan Ellison & The RAS Blues Band

Five years ago, Jonathan Ellison released the single “I Bleed Red Just Like You,” a searing indictment of systemic racism in the United States. But whether this singer is crafting social protest blues or R&B love songs, his messages are always deeply expressed. This sensibility goes back to his early days as a gospel singer in his family group. While studying at the University of Memphis, he became active in the city’s blues clubs where he has remained a regular performer as he also tours the world. Ellison also served as music director for Denise LaSalle and paid tribute to his former boss on his “Guitar Cry For Me” album in 2017, which reinterprets LaSalle’s “Lady In The Street” with a smooth gender flip. That record also highlights his other musical influences, including the reggae-infused “Keep Going.” (AC)

1:30-2:45pm - Nellie “Tiger” Travis

Nellie Travis’s taut, quivering vibrato is laced with a torrid emotionalism that bespeaks both passion and vulnerability—the classic paradox of blues expression. A native of Mound Bayou, Miss., she arrived in Chicago in the early 1990s. Her early recordings presented her in a relatively straightforward blues context; then, in about 2005, she started working with producer Floyd Hamberlin Jr., a major player in southern soul-blues. She’s now one of that music’s most recognizable stars, best known for 2013’s “Mr. Sexy Man,” which became a club hit and juke-joint anthem almost as soon as it was released and even spawned its own line dance. That song remains the obligatory climax of her shows. But Travis insists that her true forte is ballads, and songs like “Don’t Ever Leave Me Again,” “Walking in the Rain in Memphis,” and the wrenching “Don’t Talk to Me” more than justify her claim. Her voice—pleading yet adamant; tear-choked yet effervescent; raw yet radiant—sometimes seems almost like a stealth weapon: within a few bars it sneaks up and grabs you by the heart. (DW)

12-1:15pm - Stevie J and The Blues Eruption

Raised in Jackson, Miss., Stevie J – a.k.a. Stevie J Blues – started out in gospel, playing guitar for such legendary figures as the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, and Shirley Caesar. As the New Millennium dawned, he began working with blues and southern soul-blues artists such as Pat Brown and Bobby Rush (he appears on Brown’s 2002 album “New Tricks" as well as several of Rush’s recordings). In 2008 he released his own debut album, “2 Sides of a Man.” He’s continued to record since then, balancing his love for contemporary southern soul with an equally fervent dedication to rootsier styles (exemplified by 2010’s “The Diversity Project,” a dual release consisting of a straightforward blues album, “Standin’ At the Station,” and a southern soul outing titled “Soul Sessions”). Stevie J’s delivery, alternately hard-edged and rich with both spiritual and sensual tenderness, invokes an aesthetic that extends all the way back to his early days in gospel, exemplifying his commitment to truth and honesty in music and life.  (DW)

Rosa’s Lounge (North Promenade)

6:30-7:45pm - 3 by 3 Crew: Freddie Dixon, John Watkins, Maurice Vaughn with Tim Taylor

This set brings together some of Chicago blue’s most esteemed modern-day veterans. Bassist/vocalist Freddie Dixon, whose father was the legendary Willie Dixon, is a versatile and inventive stylist, equally proficient in straight-ahead blues and modern-day funk & R&B. Guitarist John  Watkins’ Chicago history dates back to the glory days of Theresa’s Lounge; he carries on that legacy with deep-running commitment and musical brio. Guitarist/saxophonist Maurice Vaughn has been a stalwart on the Chicago scene as both sideman and leader since the 1970s, and he’s still going strong. Drummer Tim Taylor, whose father was the highly influential guitarist Eddie Taylor, is widely acknowledged as a master of the blues shuffle, a beat that is essential to the true postwar Chicago sound. (DW)

5:00-6:15pm - Sonia Astacio

Born in Chicago to a Dominican family, Sonia Astacio brings her sensual style to blues in English and Spanish. Originally singing in church, she was a child jazz fan who turned to the blues when she first heard Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones sing “Baby Please Don’t Go.” In 2005 she joined the NuBlu Band and began playing regularly in the city’s clubs, including Blue Chicago and Rosa’s. A fiery onstage presence, she delivers with the kind of attitude that immediately wins over audiences in all languages. (AC)

3:30-4:45pm - Nick Alexander Blues Band

When guitarist Nick Alexander started showing up at Kingston Mines for its Sunday jams, he had no problem getting in despite being 11 years old. The sessions’ host was also his father, the late blues hero Linsey Alexander who passed away in February at the age of 82. Last year, Nick Alexander released his debut album, “Lil Hoochie,” which includes songs that his father performed alongside myriad other influences, such as covering James Brown’s funk and Ray Charles’ classic R&B. Going forward, Nick Alexander intends to delve deeply into the blues canon, including his father’s works. (AC)

2:00-3:15pm - Jimmy Burns Band

Jimmy Burns’s career has spanned the spectrum of mid- to late-20th Century American popular music. Born in Dublin, Miss., in 1943, he moved to Chicago in 1955 and settled with his family near the Cabrini-Green housing project. He sang doo-wop for a few years, then picked up his old acoustic guitar and recast himself as a folk singer. In the mid-’60s, he reinvented himself again and recorded a series of singles for local music labels that are now prized among aficionados of classic-era Chicago soul. Then, in the 1970s, he re-embraced the blues that had first inspired him. He’s been a full-time bluesman ever since, recording a series of highly esteemed albums and CDs (he released his debut blues album, “Leaving Here Walking,” on Delmark in 1996 and appearing in clubs and on festivals worldwide. (DW)

12:30-1:45pm - Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport

During the past 10 years Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport has gone from his childhood affinity for the guitar and harmonica to becoming a rising blues star. Growing up in Leland, Miss., he was an avid listener to T-Bone Walker and Albert King along with such jazz musicians as Wes Montgomery. But it was the early 20th century acoustic blues that provided him with the path he would initially follow and today he balances that approach with a more modern electric sound. Billy Branch became one of his key teachers and is also one of his staunchest advocates. Another Chicago-based harmonica player, Matthew Skoller, has become his manager and set up area performances that have built his extensive online following. Harrell has since become active on the blues festival circuit across North America and Europe while writing about 150 songs, including the autobiographical “Fatherless Child.” (AC)

Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace - Next Generation of Blues

3:00-4:00pm - A Patch of Blues

Vocalist Fati Jones, guitarist Rebecca Egwuenu, bassist Claudia Easterwood and drummer Stacy Norris met while they were studying at Fernando Jones Blues Camp and have continued being enthusiastic students of the music while building onto the tradition in their own way. Blending in choice elements of soul, they regularly tour the Midwest and Memphis. Last year the Chicago Music Awards named them the Most Outstanding Show Band/Group. The quartet continues to inspire younger musicians who are eager to follow their lead. (AC)

2:00-2:45pm – Nicholas Senn High School

1:00-1:45pm - Kenwood Academy High School

12:00-12:45pm - Fernando Jones Blues Camp proudly presents the Knott Us Band