Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones at the 2025 Mississippi Valley Blues Fest -- September 19.
Friday, September 19, and Saturday, September 20
LeClaire Park, 400 Beiderbecke Drive, Davenport IA
With award-winning, Billboard-charting, internationally touring artists performing on the banks of a mighty river, the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest returns to Davenport for its 38th incarnation on September 15 and 16, the LeClaire Park event – hosted by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society – featuring seven thrilling Main Stage concert sets, eight additionally incendiary sets on the neighboring Pedigo-Jones Stage, and music lovers ages 16 and under admitted free with a paid adult.
Scheduled for Main Stage performances at the 2025 Blues Fest:
Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones (Friday, September 19, 5 - 6:30 p.m.): Detroit-bred guitarist and vocalist Deming cut his teeth in Motor City barrooms before relocating to Florida’s Gulf Coast, carrying a crisp, vintage tone inspired by T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, and Robert Jr. Lockwood. His traditional approach earned him the 2013 Blues Blast “Sean Costello Rising Star” Award, but he’s never stopped chasing the next great groove. With four studio albums of mostly original material – most recently Complicated Mess – Deming marries jump-blues swagger to early-’50s roots-rock grit. Two decades on the road have seen him share stages and sessions with Kim Wilson, Lazy Lester, and AC Reed, yet it’s his own band, the Jewel Tones, that really lets him shine: upright bass thump, swinging drums, and sax lines that sparkle like chrome.
The Chris O'Leary Band (Friday, September 19, 7 - 8:30 p.m.): Hudson-Valley front man O’Leary forged his chops in Levon Helm’s Barn before launching a band that blends Memphis-groove horns, roadhouse guitar, and Marine-tough harmonica. His songs read like short stories – barrooms, backroads, and battlefields – sung in a voice that can snarl one bar and whisper the next. Onstage, O’Leary’s harp roars like a freight train while the six-piece lineup shifts from second-line swing to slow-burn soul without spilling a drop. Every solo feels earned; every chorus lands like a toast among friends.
Sweetie & the Toothaches (Friday, September 19, 9 - 10:30 p.m.): Celebrating a full decade as St. Louis’ premier jump-blues outfit, Sweetie & yhe Toothaches pack a sprawling seven-plus-piece revue that simply dares a crowd to stay still. Front-woman Emilie “Sweetie” Richard belts with gospel-bright grit while a slamming rhythm section, three-piece horn line, and boogie-woogie piano spin a time warp of 1940s dance-floor magic. The set list mixes jump-blues and R&B classics with original tunes steeped in the feel-good spirit of Ray Charles, Louis Prima, and even a splash of Huey Lewis. It’s vintage at heart, yet sharpened by a modern sensibility that keeps every chorus fresh and every horn stab razor-clean. From high-energy shouters to slow-burn ballads, their shows feel less like concerts and more like celebrations you’ll talk about all week.
Dustin Arbuckle & the Damnations (Saturday, September 20, 2 - 3:30 p.m.): Wichita vocalist-harmonica player Arbuckle made his name with roots-rock trio Moreland & Arbuckle; with the Damnations, he tears down genre walls altogether. Slide-driven blues, swampy Southern soul, and outlaw-country twang collide in sets that trade guitar and harp licks like friendly fire. Their latest EP pushes further into Americana, stomping backbeats, and lyrics that read like Steinbeck on the highway. Onstage, Arbuckle's weathered tenor anchors jams that can surge from hypnotic drone to freight-train boogie in 60 seconds flat.
Ra'Shad The Blues Kid (Saturday, September 20, 4 - 5:30 p.m.): Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Ra”Shad “The Blues Kid” McGill grew up soaked in soul and gospel long before he ever picked up a guitar. A knee injury ended his college-football plans at Jackson State, but it lit a fire under his first group, the Groove Band, and set him firmly on a musical path he now calls “songs about real situations.” Guided by blues elders like L.C. Ulmer and T-Bone Pruitt, Ra'Shad adopted the “Blues Kid” moniker in 2016 and began criss-crossing genres without apology Early singles “Shake It” and the duet-packed album Country Soul (both 2017) paved the way for twin 2021 releases – Southern Side of Soul and Bluz Me – where trail-ride grooves meet electric-blues sting. His socially charged track “Revolution” even grabbed award-show attention for its timely punch. Recently, he has enjoyed induction into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame and a silver-prize finish at the 2025 International Blues Challenge.
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials (Saturday, September 20, 6 - 7:30 p.m.): For more than three decades, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials have stood tall in the cradle of Chicago blues, slinging slide-guitar fireworks and roof-rattling shuffles that trace straight back to Ed’s uncle and mentor, J.B. Hutto. Ed’s gloriously raw bottleneck tone, deep-blues string-bending, and gravel-rich vocals power a sound the Chicago Sun-Times once hailed as “the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor.” The lineup is a true musical family: Ed’s half-brother James “Pookie” Young on bass, rhythm-ace Mike Garrett on guitar, and hard-swinging Kelly Littleton on drums. Nine albums, two Blues Music Awards for Band of the Year, and thousands of sweat-drenched shows later, their chemistry borders on telepathic – one downbeat and the groove locks in like a vise.
The Cash Box Kings (Saturday, September 20, 8 - 9:30 p.m.): The Cash Box Kings are the real deal – raw, swaggering, and steeped in the gritty grooves of classic Chicago blues. Co-led by the commanding voice of Oscar Wilson and harmonica ace Joe Nosek, the band delivers a sound that feels timeless and urgent all at once. Their chemistry on stage is electric, blending sharp wit with deep musical chops. From hard-driving shuffles to slow-burning laments, the Cash Box Kings bring a setlist that moves feet and stirs souls. Their original songs are full of character and grit, echoing the spirit of Muddy Waters while speaking to the stories of today. Every note they play shows a deep love for the blues tradition – without ever sounding stuck in the past.
In addition to the Blues Fest's headlining musicians on the Main Stage, LeClaire Park's Pedigo-Jones (Tent) Stage will feature nine sets with a collection of gifted blues artists: Cedar County Cobras (Friday, September 19, at 3, 6:30, & 8:30 p.m.); Erech Bruce (Saturday, September 20, at 1, 3:30, & 6:30 p.m.); Downtown Charlie Brown (Saturday, September 20, 7:30 p.m.); and a tent jam featuring Ric Burris & Friends (Saturday, September 20, 9:30 p.m.).
As is traditional, this year's Blues Fest will also boast events in the free, drop-in music program BlueSkool, designed for young festival-goers and happening throughout both days of the festival. In the weekend's Merchandise Tent, instructor Mark Zaputil leads interactive, kid-friendly workshops for which no experience is needed, and thanks to partners at West Music of Davenport, instruments are provided. Every child can snag a free BlueSkool T-shirt to color at the station stocked with markers and crayons, and two kids' sized acoustic guitars will be given away on Saturday evening. And on Saturday, at the top of every hour from 2 to 5 p.m., blues artists fresh from the main stage stop by for intimate meet-and-greets featuring autographs, acoustic tunes, and road stories—a rare chance for kids to connect with real pros.
Except for sealed water bottles. outside food and beverages are not permitted at Blues Fest, though there will be more than 10 food and beverage vendors (as well as an ATM) on site. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and LeClaire Park is wheelchair accessible, with paved paths throughout the festival grounds.
Admission to the 2025 Mississippi Valley Blues Fest is $20-22 for one-day passes and $37-40 for weekend passes, and ages 16 and under are free with a paid adult. For information on, and tickets to, the weekend event, contact the Mississippi Valley Blues Society at (563)322-5837 and MVBS.org/blues-fest/2025.
