Kenny Wayne Shepherd to Highlight New Local Festival

SARASOTA – Kenny Wayne Shepherd will headline the Florida Blue Blues and Music Festival this fall at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. Tickets go on sale Friday for the event which also features Rick Estrin & The Nightcats with special guest Little Charlie, Popa Chubby, and Samantha Fish. A portion of the proceeds for the October 26 show will benefit All Faith's Food Bank.

Shepherd is synonymous with "young blues guitarist." Still barely in his thirties, the Louisiana guitarist/song writer has sold millions of albums on the back of several top 10 singles, starting in 1997, when "Blue on Black" was #1 on the rock charts for 17 consecutive weeks. 

Joining Kenny Wayne Shepherd on the bill will be Rick Estrin and the Nightcats with special guest Little Charlie. Estrin is a 2013 BMA winner for instrumentalist based on his harmonica work. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Estrin “is an amazing harmonica player, a soulful lead vocalist and a brilliant songwriter.” This talented band serves up fresh and modern original blues injected with a solid dose of gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll.

Also performing is Popa Chubby, who lucky for fans has the blues again. Nearly 20 years have passed since Popa (aka Ted Horowitz) made a big splash in the blues community. Chubby took a break from the blues to make rock records, but has returned to the music he calls his salvation. With searing guitar riffs and heartfelt lyrics inspired by such blues icons as Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson, Horowitz digs deep and comes up with intense and powerful music.

And rounding out the list of headling talent is Samantha Fish, a 2013 Blues Music Award winner for best new artist debut. Just a few months ago, very few people outside Kansas City, Missouri knew there was a young, dynamic musician named Samantha Fish getting ready to take the world by storm. This young woman has set out to show the world that although she may be young, she can certainly wail the blues.

“We are excited and honored to have all of these amazing and talented musicians join us on October 26,” says Ed Morrell, of Turnstile, LLC.

The Florida Blue Blues & Music Festival will make its premiere in the Sunshine State this October at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. The event is presented by Florida Blue -- Florida’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield company. the event is Saturday, October 26. Tickets go on sale Friday July 19 at 10:00 a.m. and can be purchased at http://floridabluesandmusicfest.com/.