The Tampa Bay Blues Festival was founded by Chuck Ross and a few of his friends in 1995. They knew that Vinoy Waterfront Park was an ideal location for a music festival, and that began a 30-year journey into the blues. Ross had been booking touring blues bands at his nightclub, the Ringside Cafe in St Petersburg, and it was a natural transition to expand those efforts to a blues music festival. Once again, this year's festival will be staged on the tropical shores of Tampa Bay in downtown St. Petersburg on the weekend of April 10-12.
Over the years, the festival has earned a reputation as one of America’s best blues music events, and the festival won a “Keeping The Blues Alive” award from the Memphis-based Blues Foundation in 2011, recognizing the festival as one of the country’s preeminent blues festivals. It draws visitors from all around the world and from almost every state in the nation. For the past 30 years, the festival has also benefited its charity partner, PARC Center for Disabilities in Pinellas County, raising thousands of dollars for that organization.
A milestone year and big names
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the festival and that milestone will be celebrated with music by 15 bands, including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band, Los Lobos, Tab Benoit, Samantha Fish, Jimmie Vaughn, Tommy Castro, Charlie Musslewhite and GA-20, Vanessa Collier and more.
The festival has hosted some of the biggest names in blues and roots music. The artists have included such legendary performers as Buddy Guy, Boz Scaggs, Stephen Stills, Taj Mahal, George Thorogood, Susan Tedeschi, Trombone Shorty, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mavis Staples, Tab Benoit, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Koko Taylor, and many others.
Memories, unique circumstances and close calls
There have been many memorable performances over the years. However, there have also been a few unique circumstances. For example, there’s the time that George Thorogood invited the professional wrestling duo The Nasty Boys to join him backstage during his performance. Thorogood threw out the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game where he encountered The Nasty Boys at the ballpark. As their name suggests, the duo has a reputation for stirring up trouble and they lived up to that image at the event. Ignoring rules and security, they did their very best to create chaos behind the scenes, Fortunately, no one was hurt and the Thorogood performance was not affected.
Another fond memory involves the New Orleans phenom Trombone Shorty. This performer and his band are well known for their energetic and well-designed shows. However, on the Sunday evening at the close of the festival, a rare rainstorm during the festival moved in abruptly off the water. Trombone Shorty refused to be deterred by the storm, and his entire horn section and band marched out into the park in a New Orleans “second line” formation and continued playing in the crowd. Everyone got wet, but no one dared to leave while Shorty was weaving through the crowd.
Another sentimental memory involves the final appearance of the Queen of the Blues, Koko Taylor. A legend in Chicago, she had made multiple appearances at the festival over the years and was a crowd favorite. But age was becoming a factor and it was known that this might be her final concert. One adoring fan from California presented Koko with a bouquet of red roses on stage, exclaiming “we love you Koko.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd as she began singing. And that did turn out to be her last performance as she passed later that year.
Artists typically arrive a day before the festival to ensure that there are no transportation problems. However, the year that Jerry Lee Lewis performed, he preferred to fly into the event on a private plane only a few hours before the show. As fate would have it, there was inclement weather at the Memphis airport that housed the private jet. The flight would have to be delayed that day. Guitar Shorty and Percy Sledge extended their sets while Lewis’ arrival was delayed. Fortunately, the weather finally cooperated and Lewis arrived just in time to put on the show.
Infrastructure plays a role
There is a lot of infrastructure that goes into producing a large music event. In order to provide comfort and seclusion for musicians and production staff, large, air-conditioned RVs are positioned in the backstage area. Over the years, these units have proven be a bit temperamental.
One year, when Texas blues legend Jimmie Vaughn was performing, a faulty door lock failed in a critical RV that stored artist supplies and the staff’s car keys and valuables. The door lock would not operate and there was no way to get it open. That meant that the staff members could not get their car keys to drive home after the show and most of the artist hospitality items were inaccessible. Knowing that it was a difficult situation, the predicament was mentioned to Vaughn and his band after their show. While miracles were not expected, that’s when things got lucky. Vaughn’s bus driver, who had been touring with the band for years, had a few tricks up his sleeve. He explained in a Texas drawl, “I bet I can get into that bus.” He was a slender man, and rather athletic, and he succeeded in prying open the driver side window. Then, like a skilled gymnast, he pulled himself through the window and unlocked the stubborn RV door. Jimmie’s driver had indeed saved the day!
A music festival has many moving parts , and to be successful, everything must come together without a hitch, sometimes better said than done. Over 30 years the festival has encountered many challenges, but with hard work and some good luck, the festival has always prevailed.
Ticket options
The Tampa Bay Blues Festival offers an array of ticket options, including VIP, single day and multiple day tickets. For further information, including the full lineup of this year's artists, visit tampabaybluesfest.com.
