This page links to the River Cities' Reader's complete coverage of the 2012 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, including new interviews with seven of this year's performers and biographies of each artist.
Ticket information is here. The welcome letter from the Mississippi Valley Blues Society president is here. Biographies of workshop and BlueSKool leaders who are not performing on either the Bandshell or Tent stages are here.
2012 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival Schedule
June 29-July 1 · LeClaire Park · Downtown Davenport
Friday, June 29
Bandshell (biographies here)
6:30 p.m.: Matthew Curry & the Fury
8:30 p.m.: Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
10:30 p.m.: Kenny Neal (interview article)
Tent (biographies here)
6:30 p.m.: Earnest "Guitar" Roy
8 p.m.: Liz Mandeville & Donna Herula
10 p.m.: Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks (2006 interview article)
Saturday, June 30
Bandshell (biographies here)
2 p.m.: Terry Quiett Band
4 p.m.: Ray Fuller & the Blues Rockers
6 p.m.: Preston Shannon (interview article)
8 p.m.: Guitar Shorty
10 p.m.: Coco Montoya (interview article)
Tent (biographies here)
2 p.m.: Bryce Janey
3:30 p.m.: Doug MacLeod
5:30 p.m.: Ernest Dawkins Quartet
7:30 p.m.: Moreland & Arbuckle
9:30 p.m.: Kelley Hunt (interview article)
Free Workshops
2:30 p.m.: David Horwitz (blues photography)
4 p.m.: Donna Herula (slide guitar)
5:30 p.m.: Doug MacLeod
BlueSKool
2:30 p.m.: David Berntson (free harmonicas and lessons for all kids)
3:45 p.m.: Winter Blues Academy Kids with Hal Reed & Ellis Kell
5 p.m.: Maggie Brown (history of the blues in song and dance)
Sunday, July 1
Bandshell (biographies here)
3 p.m.: Jeff Banks & the Pain Killers - Iowa Blues Challenge winner
5 p.m.: Lady Bianca (interview article)
6:45 p.m.: Doris Pierre Outstanding Volunteer Awards
7 p.m.: Trampled Under Foot
8:45 p.m.: RiverRoad Lifetime Achievement Award to Lonnie Brooks
9 p.m.: Brooks Family Blues Dynasty - Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, & Wayne Baker Brooks (interview article)
Tent (biographies here)
3 p.m.: Winter Blues All-Stars
4:30 p.m.: Paul Geremia
6:30 p.m.: Johnny Rawls
8:15 p.m.: RiverRoad Lifetime Achievement Award to Bobby Rush
8:30 p.m.: Bobby Rush - "The Double Rush Revue" (interview article)
Free Workshops
2:30 p.m.: Paul Geremia
4 p.m.: Liz Mandeville (women in the blues)
5:30 p.m.: Hawkeye Herman (stories of the blues)
BlueSKool
3:30 p.m.: David Berntson (free harmonicas and lessons for all kids)
4:45 p.m.: Winter Blues Academy Kids with Hal Reed & Ellis Kell
6 p.m.: Maggie Brown (history of the blues in song and dance)
Photo Exhibit
The 15th-annual photo exhibit takes place from 1 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1, at the Freight House (across the tracks from LeClaire Park at Ripley Street).
Ticket Information
Prices have been slashed for 2012!
Advance Tickets (through June 28)
One-day pass: $12.50.
Three tickets good for any day(s): $37.50.
Available at:
· Hy-Vee stores in the Quad Cities, Clinton, and Muscatine;
· Rascals (1414 15th Street, Moline);
· The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf);
· Mississippi Valley Blues Society office (102 South Harrison Street, Davenport). Call first: (563)322-5837.
At the Gate
$15 each day.
Children 14 and under are free if accompanied by an adult.
Welcome from the MVBS President
Welcome, blues lovers, to the 28th-annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa's beautiful LeClaire Park! We have one of the best blues-festival venues in the world, flanked by the Rock Island Lines railroad on one side and the scenic Mississippi River on the other - an absolutely perfect place to listen to some of the world's finest blues musicians. We have a great lineup again this year, as always, with a variety of blues styles to satisfy everyone's blues taste buds - including familiar names as well as some nice surprises that you may not have heard of! Be sure to check out the free photo exhibit (with a 25-year retrospective of our fest by professional blues photographer David Horwitz) and free workshops over in the Freight House, and BlueSKool for the youngsters in LeClaire Park.
Blues fans from all over the world have discovered the magic that is the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Considering the music, the ambiance of LeClaire Park, the great food and beverages from the vendors, the low cost of festival admission, and the budget-conscious price of local lodging, a discerning blues lover would be hard-pressed to find a better entertainment value anywhere on Earth.
The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is one of the longest-running blues festivals in the country, and as far as I know the only one produced by an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization: the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. These volunteers have been working very hard for the past year to bring this year's fest to fruition. Stop by the Blues Central tent to make a donation or buy a membership or just thank the fine folks of MVBS for all their hard work and sacrifice. Above all, enjoy the fest, have a great time, and patronize all of our wonderful sponsors that help make this a great experience every year!
Thank you for coming!
Lonnie Britt
President, Mississippi Valley Blues Society
