SUNDAY JUNE 07, 2026 CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL AT MILLENNIUM PARK

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 over six decades. His discography includes over 60 albums and at least 40 singles and EPs; along the way he’s earned five Grammy Awards and multiple other accolades. His Phantom Blues band, like other ensembles he’s put together over the years, are a culturally eclectic group equally proficient in the Africanist tradition, blues, folk, and gospel, as well as contemporary-styled gems like the pop-folk ballad Time, written by the late Bill Withers, which Mahal recently released and is on its way to becoming yet an other modern-day Taj Mahal classic. An evening with Taj Mahal is an evening spent it the presence of wisdom, artistic genius, and living history.  [DW]

6:30-7:30p.m.Chris Cain About five years ago, Chris Cain detailed his origins in the autobiographical song, “Born To Play,” on the Raisin’Cain album (Alligator). Sung with undeniable conviction, his experiences back up his words. Originally from California, his father gave him a guitar when he turned 8 and also took him to see such performers as Ray Charles, B.B. King and his hero, Albert King. Cain went on to study jazz at San Jose City College and then went on to teach the subject at that institution while also picking up the piano, bass and woodwinds. After starting his own band in 1986 he released his debut album, LateNightCityBlues, the following year. He would go on to release more than 13 albums and built up a big following in Europe through his regular tours of the continent. Cain’s numerous accolades include his 2021 nomination for best contemporary blues artist and best blues guitarist for the Memphis Blues Awards. [AC]

5:15-6:15 p.m. Sue Foley Sue Foley’s journey as a stunning singer, songwriter and guitarist have taken her from Ottawa, Canada, where she fell in love with the blues, to Austin, Texas, where she started drawing attention with her 1992 debut album YoungGirlBlues. Throughout the years, her insightful original songs and interpretations highlight her range on in solo acoustic settings or leading an electric band. In 2021 she would release Pinky’sBlues, naming the album after her beloved Telecaster. She has also brought in different musical traditions into the blues, particularly Mexican folk music. Recently, Foley received considerable acclaim, and a 2025 Grammy nomination, for her traditional blues album, OneGuitarWoman, a tribute to such pioneers as Sister Rosetta Tharpe. This year she has been touring with Rory Block and Cindy Cashdollar as Guitar Women. Away from performing, Foley has a PhD in musicology and later this year will release her book, GuitarWomen:ConversationswiththeHeroinesofGuitar. [AC]

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 Estelle “Mama” Yancey, who passed away in 1986 at the age of 90, performed and recorded alongside her husband, boogie-woogie/stride piano master Jimmy Yancey, in the 1930s and ‘40s.  Later, after re-emerging as a solo artist, she endeared herself to a new audience, as well as  young admirers such as pianist Erwin Helfer and vocalist Deitra Farr.  Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, although  known for her 1953 release, “Hound Dog,” which Elvis turned into a rock & roll classic, and “Ball and Chain,” which Janis Joplin rode to fame in the 1960s, also deserves to be honored on her own terms. She was an accomplished harmonica player and drummer as well as a singer, her discography is substantial, and her performing career extended from the early 1940s until shortly before her death in 1984. Paying tribute to these venerated foremothers will be some of Chicago’s premier blueswomen, including Mary Lane, Deitra Farr, Katherine Davis, Nora Jean Wallace, Melody Angel, Lee Kanehira, and Lynne Jordan with her band, the Shivers.  [DW]