Over the past couple of months, Ravinia Festival has been building up anticipation for the 2026 season. Specifically they’ve been noting the changes going into the Hunter Pavilion, which has […]

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America’s declaration as a sovereign democracy. The Declaration of Independence guaranteed the citizenry the right to life, liberty, and […]

You don’t think of the blues as a music style that incites euphoria, but in the right hands that outcome is practically guaranteed. It was certainly true over the weekend during […]

Day two of the Chicago Blues Festival was a trip down memory lane—the days of big production concerts, tailored clothes, and memories of summers in Louisiana. The mainstage performers on […]

From his Cincinnati childhood to his Chicago adulthood, music remains a motivating force in Karl Meyer’s life. He looks back on a broad career as a hardcore punk and blues […]

Bessie Smith: A Poet’s Biography of a Blues Legend By Jackie Kay Vintage Books Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues, liked to spend money on herself and on her friends, […]

Is Wisconsin the furthest state from the Mississippi Delta? Culturally, perhaps. Yet the land of butter burgers and cheese curds played a big role in preserving the blues. While 78 […]