UPCOMING EVENTS

This page is associated with the Mississippi Public Broadcasting radio show Highway 61, hosted by Scott Barretta, and airing on MPB on Saturday at 10:00 p.m. and Sunday at 6:000 p.m. - you can listen live here. To find out more go to the show's Facebook page, where we'll be promoting this calendar regularly 

For a full listing of events in the Clarksdale area visit the Cat Head Music Calendar; Memphis events are covered in detail in the Memphis Flyer; the Jackson Free Press maintains a detailed calendar of events in the capital city; Oxford's Local Voice covers music in northern Mississippi on a day-to-day basis.  If you want to know what's happening in New Orleans visit the great radio station WWOZ's Livewire Music Calendar. See this website's page for regular venuse for more info.


MAY 2019


May 28 - Mississippi Blues Trail marker dedication for folklorist William Ferris, 11am at the corner of Grove and Washington streets, Vicksburg. A reception will follow at the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation's auditorium (1302 Adams Street).

May 30 - North Mississippi Allstars, Levitt Shell, Memphis 

May 31 - Young Valley, Summer Sunset Concert Series, Water Valley

May 31 - AJ Ghent, Proud Larry's, Oxford

May 31/June 1 - Goat Fest VI, Clarksdale; with (Kenny Brown, Lightnin' Malcolm, Robert Kimbrough, James Leg, more)

May 31 - June 2 - Goner Fest 25, Memphis

May 31-June 2 - Cathead Jam 2019, Cathead Distillery, Jackson

JUNE 2019

June 1 - B.B. King Homecoming, Fletcher Park/Club Ebony, Indianola, Mississippi; with Mr. Sipp, Robert Kimbrough, Sr., Lacee, Karen Wolfe, Chris Ivy, B.B. King Blues Band with Michael Lee of “The Voice”

June 1 - Blues on the River, Tunica River Park, Tunica

June 2 - Kell Kellum with author William Boyle, Turnrow Books, Greenwood - 6 p.m. (with drinks and food available)

June 4 - Field to Funk with Grady Champion, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson

June 5 - John Moreland, Proud Larry's, Oxford

June 6 - Memphis Music Listening Party with Luther Dickinson, Memphis Public Library, 3030 Poplar Ave.,  Memphis

June 7 - First Friday Hollandale Jam, Hollandale, Mississippi


June 7 - First Friday Blues Mixer - Bill Abel, Anthony "Big A" Sherrod, Otis "TCB" Taylor - Crossroads Cultural Center, Clarksdale - a fundraiser for the Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival

June 8 - Jimbo Mathus, Duling Hall, Jackson

June 8 - Bill Perry, Jr. - Landshark Bar & Grill, Margaritaville Hotel, Vicksburg

June 8 - Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, the Green Room, Crosstown Arts, Memphis

June 8 - Iron Horse Music & Heritage Festival, McComb

June 9 - Johnnie B. & Iretta Sanders - early Sunday evening at the Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

June 10 - 15 - Bentonia Blues Festival - blues nightly at the Blue Front Cafe, with festival on Saturday the 15th at Jimmy "Duck" Holmes farm just north of Bentonia

Mon. June 10 -  McKenny "Bluesman" Williams, Jimmy Duck Holmes

Tues. June 11 -  Arion Baby Bell, 19th Street Red, Jimmy Duck Holmes

Weds. June 12 -Wes Lee, Robert Roosevelt, Jr., Jimmy Duck Holmes

Thurs. June 13 - Ryan Lee Crosby, Nick Wade, Brother Tito Deler, Robert Connely Farr

Fri. June 14 - Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Mike Munson, Brother Dege, and RL Boyce at the Blue Front

Sat. June 15 - festival at the farm, see listing below

June 11 - John Moreland w/ Early James and the Latest, 1884 Lounge @ Minglewood Hall, Memphis

June 11 - 14 - Pinetop Perkins Foundation Masterclass Workshop Experience, Clarksdale

June 14 - Showcase at Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale

June 14 - Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Levitt Shell, Memphis 

June 14 - Freedom Song Friday with Civil Rights veteran Hollis Watkins, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, 11am

June 14 - Willie Farmer - Summer Sunset Concert Series, Water Valley

June 15 - Thacker Mountain Radio, Clinton, Mississippi - with Dorothy Moore, writer Richard Grant

June 15 - Birthplace of American Music (B.A.M.) Festival, Clarksdale

June 15 - Bentonia Blues Festival - at Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' farm just north of Bentonia

9:00 p.m. - Little Freddie King 

8:00 p.m.- The Eric Deaton Trio

7:00 p.m.- Jimmy Duck Holmes

6:00 p.m.- RL Boyce

5:00 p.m. - Terry “Harmonica” Bean

4:00 p.m.- Brother Tito Deler

3:00 p.m.- David Evans

2:00 p.m.- Lil Joe Ayers 

1:00 p.m.- Pat Thomas

June 15 - Bill and Shy Perry, Landshark Bar & Grill, Margaritaville Hotel, Vicksburg

June 15 - Juneteenth Blues in the Park, Battlefield Park, Jackson - free show, noon until 8pm -with Bigg Robb, Omar Cunningham, Tre Williams, LJ Echols, Midnight Star 

June 16 - Boz Scaggs - Graceland Soundstage, Memphis

June 22 - Down Home Blues Festival and Fish Fry, former location of Florewood State Park, Greenwood, Mississippi

June 22-23 - Cajun-Zydeco Festival, Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans 

June 23 - Christone "Kingfish" Ingram  TBA - early Sunday evening at the Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

June 28-29 - North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic, Waterford, Mississippi; with the North Mississippi Allstars, Alvin Youngblood Hart's Muscle Theory, Kenny Brown, Cedric Burnside, RL Boyce, Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, Garry Burnside, Duwayne Burnside, Eric Deaton, Robert Kimbrough and many more

June 29 - Keith Johnson, Landshark Bar & Grill, Margaritaville Hotel, Vicksburg


June 29 - Bobby Rush and Friends, Historic Saenger Theater, Hattiesburg

June 29 - Calvin Richardson & TK Soul, Temple Theater, Meridian

June 29  - Trail Ride Blues Show with Big Yayo, L.J. Echols, Mosley Farms, 685 Evans Road, Boyle, Mississippi.  Gates open at 10 am. Trail Ride leaves 3 pm. 

June 29 - Nathaniel Kimble, J.R. Blue, 5043 Hwy. 49, Minter City, Mississippi. Gates open 12 Noon. 662-392-6476. 

June 29 - Blues By The Lake with O.B. Buchana, Mr. Sam, Marquee of Soul, Chick Rodgers, Nate Dogg, Cook's Lake, 4249 North Watkins St., Memphis

June 29-30 - Mid-South International Festival, Railgarten, Memphis

June 30 - Lightnin' Malcolm - early Sunday evening at the Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

JULY 2019

July 5 -  First Friday Hollandale Jam, Hollandale

July 6 - Orquesta Akokan, Levitt Shell, Memphis 

July 6-7 - Oh Brother Fiddler & Fried Green Tomatoes Festival, Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale

July 12 - Jimbo Mathus, Summer Sunset Concert Series, Water Valley

July 12 - Sheba Potts-Wright, Big Pokey Bear, Chris Ivy,  Bolivar County Expo Center, 601 1st. St., Cleveland, MS, 615-617-9629. 

July 12-13 - Grassroots Blues Festival, Duck Hill

July 13 - 3rd annual Monkey Day, Crawdad's, Merigold, Mississippi

July 13 - Isley Brothers, Gold Strike Casino, Tunica

July 15 - Jackson Music Awards, Marriott Hotel, Jackson

July 18 - Bill Callahan, Proud Larry's, Oxford

July 26 - documentary film "Buckjumping" about New Orleans' second-line culture, 100 Men D.B.A. Hall, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

July 27 - Summer Zydeco and Soul Festival, New Iberia, Louisiana

July 28 - Afrissippi - early Sunday evening at the Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

July 31 - Tedeschi-Trucks Band - Brandon Amphitheater, Brandon, Mississippi 

AUGUST 2019

Aug. 1 -  Jus' Blues Music Foundation Awards Ceremony, Horseshoe Casino, Robinsonville

The Jus Blues Music Awards Conference takes place between July 31 and Aug. 3, with a "White Linen Party" on Aug. 2 and a "Juke Joint Party and Jam" at the Roadhouse Casino on Aug. 3

August 2 -  First Friday Hollandale Jam, Hollandale

Aug. 9-11 - Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival, Clarksdale

Aug. 10 - Gulf Coast Bayou Blues Show 

Aug. 10 - Old School Legends of Funk, featuring Lakeside, Howard Hewett, Klymaxx, Slave and Andre Ray and the LTD 4 Ever Band, Thalia Mara Hall, Jackson

Aug. 11- Cathead 17th Anniversary Celebration, Clarksdale

Aug. 11 - Shannon McNally - early Sunday evening at the Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

Aug. 17, 2019 - 17th Annual Tri-State Blues Festival w/ Bobby Rush, T.K. Soul, Pokey Bear, more, Landers Center, Southaven, Mississippi 

Aug. 17 - Thacker Mountain Radio, Duling Hall, Jackson (in tandem with the MS Book Festival)

Aug. 17 - Blues on the River, Mt. Vernon, Alabama

Aug. 21- Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot - Graceland Live, Memphis

Aug. 23 - 24 - 69th annual GOAT Picnic - featuring Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band plus many other musical guests; Northwest Shrine Club, 8647 Highway 51 S, Coldwater, Mississippi 

Aug. 23-24 - Hill Country Music in Como @ the Emily Jones Pointer Library

Friday - 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Book talk with Michael Ford, with music from The Como Mamas, Mark "Muleman" Massey, Andrea Staten 

Saturday - 2 -4 p.m. Screening of the film "Homeplace" by Michael Ford, featuring vintage footage of Othar Turner from the early '70s

Aug. 24 - Missihippi Music and Arts Festival - Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

Aug. 25 - Alvin Youngblood Hart - early Sunday evening at the Foxfire Ranch, Waterford, Mississippi (between Holly Springs and Oxford off Highway 7)

Aug. 30 - Black Prairie Blues Festival (formerly Howlin' Wolf Blues Festival), West Point, Mississippi

Aug. 31 - Thacker Mountain Radio, Ocean Springs, Mississippi


SEPTEMBER 2019

Sept. 1 - Hot Tuna Electric, Graceland Live, Memphis

Sept. 1 - RL Boyce Picnic & Blues Celebration, Como Park, Como, Mississippi 

Sept. 4-5 - B.B. King Day Symposium, Mississippi Valley State University and the B.B. King Museum

Sept. 5 - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi

Sept. 7 - 28th annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Blues Festival, Jackson County Fairgrounds, Pascagoula

Sept. 10 - Keb' Mo' solo - Historic Saenger Theater, Hattiesburg

Sept. 13-14 -  9th annual RL Burnside Blues Jam, 2644 Higdon Rd., Holly Springs, MS. Little Joe Ayers, Andrea Staten, Garry Burnside, Duwayne Burnside, Skye Paige, Pharmtruck, Mr. Fender Blues King, Kelsey Paton, Beverly Davis and more

Sept. 20 - Lucious Spiller BBQ and Blues, 100 Men D.B.A. Hall, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Sept. 21 - 42nd annual Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival, Washington County Convention Center, Greenville

Sept. 27-28 - Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival, Cassidy Park, Bogalusa, Louisiana; Paul Thorn, Eric Gales, Dwayne Dopsie, Mia Borders, Honey Island Swamp Band, Papa Mali, Terry Harmonica Bean, more

Sept. 28 - 9th annual Sam Chatmon Blues Festival, Hollandale

Sept. 28 - 2nd annual Battle of the Blues, USA Stadium, Millington, TN


OCTOBER 2019

Oct. 1 - Son Volt, Duling Hall, Jackson

Oct. 3 - Kool & the Gang, Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University, Cleveland

Oct. 4 - International Conference on the Blues, Delta State University, Cleveland

Oct. 5 - 20th Annual Highway 61 Blues Festival, Leland; 
Note: the Mighty Mississippi Blues Festival will not take place this year, and the Highway 61 Blues Fest is heading back to Leland.

Featuring: Pat Thomas, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Bill Abel and Cadillac John Nolden, The Zach Day Band, The John Horton Band, Eden Brent and James "Super Chikan" Johnson and His Fighting Cocks

Oct. 5 - 5th Annual Mules and Blues Fest, Marks, Mississippi 

Oct. 5 - Deak's Harmonica Block Party, Clarksdale

Oct. 5 - Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul, Graceland Live, Memphis

Oct. 5-6 - Mississippi John Hurt Festival Homecoming Festival, Carrollton, Mississippi (actually way out in the country - map at the FB page), featuring Taj Mahal, noon until 7pm

Oct. 9-12 - King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, Arkansas

Oct. 12 - Call and Response Blues Symposium at King Biscuit

Oct. 10-13 - Festival Acadiens et Creoles, Lafayette, Louisiana

Oct. 11-12 - Bukka White Blues Festival, Aberdeen, Mississippi

Oct. 12 - Gateway to the Delta Festival, Charleston, Mississippi

Oct. 13 - Clarksdale's Super Blues Sunday: Cat Head Mini Blues Fest (9am), Bluesberry Cafe Blues Breakfast (10am), Hopson/Shackup's Pinetop Perkins Celebration (3pm), Levon's Sunday Ramble (3:30pm), Red's Juke Joint Jam (8pm) and more!

Oct. 17-20 - Deep Blues Festival, Shack Up Inn and the New Roxy, Clarksdale

Oct. 17-19 - Delta Hot Tamale Festival, Greenville

Oct. 18-20 - Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, Lafayette Square Park, New Orleans

Oct. 19 - Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Historic Saenger Theater, Hattiesburg

Oct 19-20 - Mempho Music Festival, Memphis

Oct. 24-27 - Hambone Blues Festival, Clarksdale

Oct. 25-26 - Blackpot Festival and Cookoff, Lafayette, Louisiana

Oct, 26 - Great Delta Bear Affair, Rolling Fork; Paul Thorn, Eden Brent, Keith Johnson, more

Oct. 29 - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi

NOVEMBER 2019

Nov. 9 -  Gulf Coast Blues Festival w/ Clarence Carter, Jeter Jones, Jesse James, L.J. Echols, Big Yayo, Nathaniel Kimble, Pensacola Fairgrounds 

Nov. 11 - Tedeschi Trucks Band, Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi

Nov. 16-17 - Treme Creole Gumbo Festival, Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans

Nov. 23 - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Germantown Performing Arts Center, Germantown, TN

DECEMBER 2019

Dec. 6-7 - Burdine's Blues and Greens Festival, Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale

JANUARY 2020

Jan. 28 - Feb. 1 - International Blues Challenge, Memphis

FEBRUARY 2020

MARCH 2020

APRIL 2020

April 16-19 - Juke Joint Festival, Clarksdale; actual festival on Sat. the 18th, but many activities throughout 

April 22-26, Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette, Louisiana

MAY 2020

May 7 - Blues Music Awards, Memphis

May 9 - Clarksdale Caravan Festival, Clarksdale