Rock and blues recording star Elvin Bishop, best known for his hit single, "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," and internationally-acclaimed slide guitarist Roy Rogers will headline the 20th Annual Eureka Springs Blues Festival with concerts in the City Auditorium. Bishop appears at 7:30 pm on Friday, June 1st and Rogers ' performs at 1:30, Saturday, June 2nd. "We're excited to have both of them," said Festivals Director Sally Thackery in releasing the lineup for this year's festival. "They're both extremely talented, really diverse, and they're very well-known so I advise everyone to get their tickets quickly."
Eleven acts are in the lineup for this year's festival, which gets underway Thursday, May 31st with an appearance by Patrick Sweany at 8:00 pm at The Pied Piper. The North Mississippi All-Stars are in concert at 8:30 Thursday night at the Auditorium. On Friday and Saturday, June 1st and 2nd ten different artists and groups blanket the town in blues, highlighted by Bishop's show at the Auditorium. Also performing Friday are Corey Harris, LZ Love, Eric Lindell, Nick Moss, Clay McClinton and Sweany. Love, Lindel, Moss and Sweany return Saturday, June 2nd and are joined by Rogers, The Chris Duarte Group, and the Boss Hogs.
Rogers is one of the premier slide guitarists performing today. With eight solo recordings, he has also been nominated for two Grammy Awards and 6 Grammy credits as the producer of John Lee Hooker and Ramblin' Jack Elliott releases. Rogers has appeared at numerous festivals throughout the world, including Montreux Jazz (Switzerland), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (USA) and Montreal Jazz (Canada) in addition to touring Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada.
Chris Duarte credits listening to Weather Report, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and John Mclaughlin and playing songs like "Sea Cruise" and "Treat Her Like a Lady" while backing up Bobby Mack years ago for helping to develop his unique style of guitar playing. The Texas native began playing guitar at the age of 14.
Two of the highly popular Cate Brothers, Ernie and Earl, are joined by solo artist Jimmy Thackery and Reba Russell in The Boss Hogs. That group plans a tribute to Chef Eddy in their Saturday night performance at the Auditorium. Performance venues for Friday and Saturday include the City Auditorium, Basin Park Ballroom, Caribe, Tiki Torch, and Chelsea 's.
Eureka Springs is a small, relaxed Victorian town (no stop lights!) listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. It's famous for its unique architecture, unparalleled shopping and art galleries, excellent cuisine and unmatched outdoor possibilities. For information about accommodations and attractions in Eureka Springs go online reserveeurekasprings.com or call 800-590-4410.