The Chicago Blues Festival (June 11-13) in Grant Park celebrates the life and music of Howlin’ Wolf on the centennial of his birthday with special performances and jam sessions.The internationally acclaimed and FREE admission festival is designed to celebrate and remember the Blues tradition and heritage. The three-day festival features five distinct stages that tell the story of the Blues using various Blues music styles. Daily festival hours are 11am to 9:30pm daily.

On Friday, the Front Porch stage features west side guitarist Jimmy Dawkins, Taildragger, George Brock, Henry and Café R&B. The most eclectic platform, the Gibson Guitar Crossroads stage will play host to Dave Weld, Abb Locke, Mary Lane --a west side woman singer and Mississippian Grady Champion.

The Mississippi Juke Joint stage features artists, from the delta, that include Chicagoan Sam Lay, a veteran of playing with Howlin Wolf and the first cross-cultural blues band led by Paul Butterfield. The last set is a festival jam led by Mississippi Blues musicians. The Zone Perfect Route 66 Roadhouse opens each day with a harmonica lesson by Joe Filisko, a Chicagoan who travels around the world performing and teaching his craft. Here too, a discussion about Wolf, that will feature those who knew him best. And each day will end with Chicagoans East of Edens Soul Express spinning classic Blues music.

Artists on the Petrillo Music Shell include Otis Taylor, James Cotton and Matt “Guitar’ Murphy, both are former sidemen and band mates of Wolf. The show ends with Zora Young, Chicago singer and Wolf kin, and special guest Hubert Sumlin. On Saturday, get a “Spoonful” of bands from traditional Chicago Blues ensembles and the Soul/Blues artists of today. In the afternoon catch local bluesman Toronzo Cannon, world renowned harmonica player –Sugar Blues. And first time featured artist Sonny Rhodes, who plays the peddle steel guitar-unique in the blues world. Also featured this afternoon is a discussion with Dr. William Ferris, a renowned folklorist. The Petrillo stage opens with Nellie Travis, Bobby Parker follows and the evening closes with a Grammy nominated set- Chicago Blues: A Living History with Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell and Carlos Johnson!

On Sunday, you will be “Sittin on Top of the World,” as the day opens with Linda Tillery and her Cultural Heritage Choir featuring percussive and a capella singers. This set is followed by Maxwell Street veteran-Dancin’ Perkins, 2010 Grammy Award winner for Traditional Blues category – Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Guitar Shorty, who has a new release on Alligator Records; and the stage closes with Chicago blues fusion band Lubriphonic.

Sunday evening also features Chicago Father and daughter set – Vance and Vivian Kelly, Erwin Helfer’s Chicago Boogie Woogie set that showcases the earliest sounds of Chicago Blues, a Chicago Blues Reunion that features Barry Goldberg --Steve Miller’s first band leader -- Harvey Mandel, veteran of Canned Heat and the Rolling Stones, Nick Gravenites, composer of “Born in Chicago”, Corky Siegel and special guests Sam Lay and Charlie Musselwhite. The festival closes with 2009 Soul Blues Award winner TK Soul.

The Chicago Blues Season begins May 1 with Little Walter’s Birthday, and includes Robert Johnson’s birthday and runs through the festival with many citywide events, concerts and tours. The public is invited to help officially kick off the Chicago Blues Festival at the Blues Press Preview event, NOON on June 7, (Blue Monday) at Daley Plaza.

In addition, there will be an academic Blues symposium at Dominican University, and noon concerts held at Millennium Park as well as a “Special Music Without Borders” collaboration on the Pritzker Pavilion Thursday, June 10, 2010 in honor of Howlin’ Wolf’s birthday.

For more information and the complete schedule of the 27th annual Chicago Blues Festival, see below or visit the Web: www.chicagobluesfestival.us or call 312-744-3370.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Smokestack Lightning Front Porch

11:30-1:00 Blues in the Schools featuring Eric Noden, Katherine Davis and the Stone Academy Blues Students and more

1:30-2:30 Henry Gray and Andy Cornett

3:00-4:30 Jimmy Dawkins w / Taildragger

5:00-6:00 Café R & B

6:30-7:30 Big George Brock and the House Rockers with George Brock Jr. Gibson Guitar Crossroads

12:00-1:15 Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames

1:45-3:15 Mary Lane

3:45-5:00 Grady Champion

Mississippi Juke Joint

12:30-1:30 Grady Champion

2:00-3:00 Sam Lay

3:30-4:30 Stevie J and the Blues Eruption

5:00-6:00 Adib Hasser

6:30-8:00 Mississippi Jam

Zone Perfect All-Nutrition Bars Route 66 Roadhouse

12:00-1:00 Beginning Delta Blues Harmonica Lesson with Joe Filisko

1:30-3:30 Discussing Wolf: 100 Years of Remembrances moderated by Larry Hoffman with Dick Shurman, Betty Kelly. Barbara Marks, Eddie Shaw, Hubert Sumlin, and Josh Hecht.

4:00-5:00 Wildsang

5:30-7:00 East of Edens Soul Express

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00-5:55 Howlin’ Wolf alumni featuring Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang with Jody Williams, Sam Lay, Henry Gray, Abb Locke, Corky Siegel and special guest Hubert Sumlin

6:05-7:00 Otis Taylor Band

7:10-8:10 James Cotton Blues Band

with special guest Matt “Guitar” Murphy

8:20-9:30 Zora Young’s Tribute to Wolf and Sunnyland with special guest Hubert Sumlin

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Front Porch

11:30-12:30 Ramblin’ Rose

1:00-2:15 Bobby Dixon Blues Band

2:45-4:00 Nora Jean Wallace

4:30-5:30 Andre Williams

6:00-7:30 Johnny and Destiny Rawls

Gibson Guitar Crossroads

12:00-1:15 Toronzo and the Cannonball Express

1:45-3:00 Sugar Blue Band

3:30-5:00 Sonny Rhodes

Mississippi Juke Joint

12:30-1:30 Jarekus Singleton w/ Keeshea Pratt

2:00-3:00 David “Honeyboy” Edwards

3:30-4:30 Bill “Howlin Madd” Perry with Alphonso Sanders

5:00-6:00 Dexter Allen

6:30-8:00 Festival Jam featuring Blue Plate Special

Zone Perfect all Nutrition Bars Route 66 Roadhouse

12:00-1:00 Beginning Southern Blues Harmonica Lesson with Joe Filisko

1:30-2:30 Joe Filisko and Eric Noden

3:00-4:15 Rev. K.M. Williams and the Amazing Trainreck

4:45-5:45 Larry Hoffman interviews William Ferris

6:15-7:30 East of Edens Soul Express

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00-6:10 Nellie Tiger Travis and guest

6:20-7:25 Bobby Parker and the Blues Night Band

7:35-9:30 Chicago Blues A Living History featuring Billy Boy Arnold, Billy Branch, John Primer, Lurrie Bell and special guest Carlos Johnson

Sunday, June 13, 2010 Sitting On Top of the World

Front Porch

11:30-1:00 Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir

1:30-3:00 Dancin’ Perkins

3:30-4:30 Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

4:45-5:45 Guitar Shorty

6:15-7:30 Lubriphonic

Gibson Guitar Crossroads

12:00-1:15 Quintus McCormick

1:45-3:00 Gibson Guitar Showdown w/ Carl Weathersby and Larry McCray

3:30-5:00 Roy Roberts with special guest Barbara Carr

Mississippi Juke Joint

12:30-1:30 Jimmy Duck Holmes and Terry “Harmonica” Bean

2:00-3:00 Bobby Rush

3:30-4:30 Homemade Jamz

5:00-6:00 Jarekas Singleton with Keeshea Pratt

6:30-8:00 Mississippi Jam

Zone Perfect all Nutrition Bars Route 66 Roadhouse

12:00-1:00 Beginning Chicago Blues Harmonica Lesson with Joe Filisko

1:30-2:30 Larry Hoffman rambles with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

3:00-4:30 Blues Books: University of Illinois Press

5:00-6:30 East of Edens Soul Express

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00-5:50 Erwin Helfer’s Chicago Boogie Woogie Ensemble

6:00-7:00 Vivian and Vance “Guitar” Kelly and the Backstreet Blues Band

7:10-8:20 Chicago Blues Reunion featuring Barry Goldberg, Corky Siegel, Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel and special guests Charlie Musselwhite, and Sam Lay

8:30-9:30 T.K Soul

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