In one week Vinoy Park will transform into the finest Blues joint outside of the Mississippi Delta when the Tampa Bay Blues Festival 2018 comes to town.
For 72 hours over 15 of the finest blues, jazz and rhythm acts will assemble along the shores of Tampa Bay for some of that down-home goodness. This event will bring you back to the days of your mom cooking up those fine southern comfort foods while listening to those worn down eight tracks from Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters and Big Joe Williams.
I'm most excited about seeing the amazing Robert Cray lead the simply-titled Robert Cray Band as Friday's headliner act. Cray is a legend in the blues community but vastly underrated and underappreciated to the outside world despite winning Grammy awards. One of the finest guitarists to walk the land, Cray has played with the greats like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Eric Clapton. He was also sharing the stage with Stevie Ray Vaughan in his final concert before a plane crash took his life.
Cray's biggest hit is "Smoking Gun", a tune that placed on the charts in late '80s. Also check out "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and the top-tapping "Nothin' But A Woman."
Buddy Guy will be headlining the Tampa Bay Blues Festival on Saturday and at 81 years young it's great to see him continuing to tour and bring his unique, entertaining style of blues to a new generation of listeners.
It's hard to describe exactly what Guy's sound is because he claims to still be searching for it and looking for that one classic that will get him on the radio. But if you ask those that have played with Guy, he's already made that classic many times over. In 2005 Guy was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he's won seven Grammys including Best Blues Album in 2016 for "Born to Play Guitar." Two of my favorite tracks on that album are "Baby You Got What it Takes" and "Flesh and Bones", his tribute to B.B. King with Van Morrison providing the vocals.
Delbert McClinton will close out the Tampa Bay Blues Festival long weekend with his interesting style of Americana, blues and country. If you aren't sure if you've heard of McClinton but you think you might have he did have a top 10 hit in 1980 with "Giving it Up for Your Love".
You can find the full slate of artists, weekend schedule and information on the after shows at The Ale and the Witch and Ringside Cafe at the official website. Information on ticket prices are here. Friday and Saturday VIP passes are sold out.
For more info on events in St. Petersburg and Clearwater, be sure to register at 727area. We'll send you all the latest, and it's free!
Photo of Buddy Guy from Wikimedia Commons.
