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About the Baton Rouge Blues Festival

The Baton Rouge Blues Festival is one of the oldest blues festivals in America. It originated in 1980, first held on the campus of Southern University on The Bluffs – the most beautiful view of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. The festival honors the legend of home-grown blues artist like Slim Harpo, Rudy Richard, Silas Hogan, Whisperin’ Smith, Guitar Kelly, Schoolboy Cleve, Chewin’ Gum Johnson and Raful Neal. Nevertheless, the festival has brought in nationally and internationally popular names like Bobby Blue Bland, Marcia Ball, Phil Guy, Larry Garner and Charlie Musselwhite -- including recent Grammy-nominee Ruthie Foster, who won the hearts of festival-goers in 2009. Visitors and locals alike are encouraged to visit popular Baton Rouge blues-hangouts like Phil Brady’s (with the longest-running 21-year Thursday night blues jam around) and the inimitable Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary, Louisiana. Local high school blues bands traditionally perform, often rivaling the festival’s main stage in fan popularity. Free to the public, this family-friendly one-day festival runs Saturday from 12 noon to 10 p.m., and offers a full range of popular southern cuisine, including red beans and rice, fried chicken, bluesman Chicago Al’s hotdogs, jambalaya and homemade tamales.

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Project Date: December 2010