LeClaire Park Gets The Blues Again, As Blues Fest Returns To Davenport - The Echo

You’ll be happy to get the blues this weekend, as Mississippi Valley Blues Fest 2023 will be held Friday and Saturday, September 15-16, at the historic LeClaire Park in Davenport, Iowa. Gates are open 3:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 11:30 p.m.

As always, the festival features some of the finest blues musicians from around the country, as well as the popular BlueSkool (to teach the young ‘uns about this historical and rich musical style), over 10 food and merch vendors, and more.

The MVBS put on its first Blues Festival in LeClaire Park in July 1985 and has been honored by the National Blues Foundation as the Best Blues Society in the country three times – in 1988, 1993, and 2014.

Blues Fest Line-up below.

Founded in 1984, Mississippi Valley Blues Society  held their first MVB Festival in 1985 in LecClaire Park, Davenport, IA. MVBS presented Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells with opening act Sugar Blue at the Col Ballroom in Davenport in 1986. In July, 1986 the Blues Festival extended to three days and featured national acts including John Lee Hooker, & Memphis Slim. In 1988, MVBS won the National Blues Foundation award for “Best Blues Society” winning the award again in 1993.  in 2014, MVBS won the National Blues Foundation award for ‘Best Blues Society’ AGAIN. LeClaire Park flooded two years in a row, and the Blues Festival was moved to the streets of Downtown Davenport.  

Now, in 2023, the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival returns to it’s roots in LeClaire Park, Davenport, IA on Sept. 15th & 16th 

Photographs provided by: Mississippi Valley Blues Society website

LeClaire Park has been the primary home of the Blues Fest since its inception. However, in 1994 and 1995, the fest was held in Moline along the Mississippi River, where the Western Illinois University campus is today. Flooding forced the MVBS to move the festival out of LeClaire Park to other spots in Davenport in 1993, 2001, 2008, 2013, and 2014.

The MVBS presented the annual festival around the July 4 weekend every year until 2015, when financial challenges forced the event’s cancellation. Moving the festival weekend to Sept. 5-6, 2015, at LeClaire Park, away from its traditional July dates, helped avoid the possibility of flooding along the river. The festival returned to July in 2016.

In 2014, the Blues Fest earned a Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis for Best U.S. Festival. One of the main reasons for the award was the MVBS’s endurance in overcoming many years of relocating the festival due to flooding.

The festival helps fund blues education programs and musical programs throughout the Quad-Cities year-round.

Main Stage Lineup for Mississippi Valley Blues Fest 2023

Photographs provided by: Mississippi Valley Blues Society Facebook

The MVBS has “one of the most active Blues Education programs of any Blues society in the United States,” according to its website, noting that MVBS plans and coordinates four to nine weeks of Blues in the Schools each year.

A typical week-long residency includes 10-12 performances and workshops in schools, libraries, and/or community centers in the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas. Each artist also provides an open-to-the-public presentation for all ages. All performances are free and expose a wide array of the community to blues music’s rich history, heritage, and sounds.

To become a member of MVBS – which includes 15% off the entire store, complete access to the video vault archive, exclusive discounts with partners, discounts to events, and a member collectible monogram pin – visit www.mvbs.org/become-a-member.

For tickets to Blues Fest, visit www.mvbs.org/blues-fest/.

 

Here’s the full musical lineup for this year’s festival:

 

Main Stage

Friday

    Rick Berthod 5:00-6:15PM

    Jose Ramirez 6:45-8:00PM

    Mr. Sipp 8:30-9:45PM

    Ana Popovic 10:15-11:45PM

 

Main Stage

Saturday

    Chickenbone Slim 2:00-3:00PM

    Kat Riggins 3:30-4:45PM

    John Nemeth 5:15-6:45PM

    Sugaray Rayford 7:15-8:45PM

    Blood Brothers 9:15-10:45PM

 

PEDIGO-JONES STAGE

Friday

    Joe & Vicki Price 4:00-5:00PM

    Joe & Vicki Price 6:15-6:45PM

    Matt Woods Band 8:00-8:30PM

    Matt Woods Band 9:45-10:15PM

 

PEDIGO-JONES STAGE

Saturday

    JP & The Blues Machine 1:00-2:00PM

    Tanya English Band 3:00-3:30PM

    Tanya English Band 4:45-5:15PM

    QC All Stars 6:45-7:15PM

    QC All Stars 8:45-9:15PM

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