Northeast Florida's Amelia Island Blues Festival set for September

Amelia Island Blues Festival

Fernandina Beach

Tarpon Avenue & 

Dolphin Street

Fernandina Beach, FL 32034

ameliaislandbluesfest.com

(904)-310-6153

One-day pass $15/adv & $20/gate

Two-day pass $25/adv & $30/gate

BUY TICKETS

Friday, Sept 16, 2011, 3:45-10:30pm

Beech Street Blues Band – 3:45pm

Julia Nikki Savage Band – 5pm

Shuffle Junkies – 6pm

Conrad Olberg – 7:15

Willie Big Eyes Smith – 9pm

Saturday, Sept 17, 2011, 11am-10:30pm

Peck Ensemble – 11am

Blues in School – 11:30am

Beth McKee – 12:15pm

Blistur – 1:45pm

6th Street Rhythm & 
Blues Review – 3:30pm

Roger Hurricane Wilson – 4:45pm

Karl Davis & Friends – 5:45

David Gerald Band – 7:15pm

Albert Castiglia – 9pm

Known as the “Isle of Eight Flags,” Amelia Island, Florida has had an amazing, interesting and tumultuous past, characterized by its diverse cast of Timucuan Indians, pirates, shrimpers, nobles & confederates. With abundant sunshine and mild temperatures year round, it's always a perfect time to visit Amelia Island. With the annual Amelia Island Blues Festival scheduled for September 16 & 17, 2011 it’s also the perfect time and place to extend your summer listening to the Blues at Main Beach.

After the Amelia Island Blues Festival Committee worked diligently to secure magnificent talent for this event they were saddened to learn of the passing of a true blues legend. Willie “Pinetop” Perkins died in his sleep at his home in Austin, Texas. The former piano player in the Muddy Waters Band was 97 years of age and had recently become the oldest Grammy Award winner ever, with his collaboration with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on the album “Joined at the Hip.”   

As sometimes the Blues can be an expression of good things coming from bad, the same day the festival committee learned of the passing of Pinetop we learned of Conrad Oberg, a gifted 16 year old singer, guitar and piano player from Jacksonville who met Pinetop when he was 10 years old. As his mentor from that meeting, Pinetop introduced Conrad to other Blues legends including Buddy Guy, Bob Margolin and Hubert Sumlin to name a few. In honor of Pinetop Perkins, Conrad played the Amelia Island “Taste of the Blues” fundraiser and returning to play the Amelia Island Blues Festival with his set opening for Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. It will be a special night celebrating the life of Pinetop Perkins with his longtime musical partner and a prodigy in the making to begin the 2 day festival.

The David Gerald Band from Detroit, Michigan, Gainesville’s

6^th St.

Rhthym & Blues Review and  South Florida’s Albert Castiglia who’s latest album “Keepin’ On” hit number one on the Root’s Blues Chart last September along with other national talent will round out the line up with all proceeds to benefit the Baptist Medical Center Nassau Auxiliary as active partners.

Amelia Island is an easy 30-minute drive from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), making the airport and available ground transportation services, a quick and convenient option for air travelers from all over the world. For information on Ticket and Accommodation package visit: http://www.ameliaislandbluesfest.com/.

posted by: Jazz & Blues Florida

www.jazzbluesflorida.com