The 2008 Eureka Springs Blues Weekend will be held on May 29, 30, 31 and June 1. Headliners at The AUD include the Queen of the Blues Koko Taylor on May 29, and Native American Blues Wonders Indigenous on May 30.
Read 2008 Blues Weekend Press Release »
Opening for Koko Taylor will be 2008 International Blues Challenge winners Trampled Under Foot , featuring siblings Danielle, Nick and Kris Schnebelen. They bested some 100 bands from around the world at The Blues Foundation's annual battle of blues bands in Memphis last month. Danielle was the talk of Beale Street, wowing people with both her bass playing and her amazing vocals, and Nick won a new Gibson guitar and Category 5 amp for the Albert King Award for Most Promising Guitarist.
Opening for Indigenous will be acoustic guitar virtuoso Rory Block , and a 100th Birthday Tribute to Arkansas' own "Juebox King" Louis Jordan , featuring Phil Berkowitz and The Sean Carney Band . The Sean Carney Band was the 2007 IBC winner. For those who aren't familiar with Louis Jordan, he was born in Brinkley, Arkansas in 1908, and went on to chart 57 Top-40 hits (54 Top-10), including Let The Good Times Roll, Caledonia, Saturday Night Fish Fry, and Choo Choo Ch' Boogie.
Jordan's recordings were #1 Billboard hits for an amazing 28 weeks, and he still ranks in the top five R&B artists of all time. And we'll be throwing Louis a 100th birthday party as part of our little "Blues Celebration"!
Rory Block's recent album was an amazing tribute to Robert Johnson, so come prepared to hear lots of true blues from this awesome acoustic guitar-playing lady.
We'll also have major acts appearing in The Barefoot Ballroom in the Basin Park Hotel. Friday will feature Blues diva LZ Love and Baton Rouge Bluesman Larry Garner . LZ Love is an amazing vocalist and songwriter who has backed greats like Billy Preston and Mary Wells, and was featured on the compilation San Francisco Bay's Best Blues. Larry Garner is best known for his hit "Juke Joint Woman", and has appeared at festivals and Blues clubs around the world.
On Saturday evening The Barefoot Ballroom will feature the one and truly only Deborah Coleman, and Arkansas' own Michael Burks. Burks will be touring to support a new Alligator Records CD, which will be released next month. Both artists and their bands are known throughout the world for high energy shows that get everyone up and boogieing from "can until can't"! Also, LZ Love will perform two club sets in the hotel's Ozark Room on Saturday.
Koko Taylor Package - Thursday, May 29th
- Room for one night
- 2 tickets to Koko Taylor concert in the Auditorium
- 2-shirts
Premium room $169 plus tax
Sks & QJR $199 plus tax
KJR & Jac Suite $229 plus tax
Blues Fest 2 day Package
- Room for 2 nights
- 2 shirts
- 6 tickets to the concert choice of: Larry Garner, Deborah Coleman, Michael Burks & Lz Love
Premium room $389 plus tax
King Suite/Queen Jacuzzi Room $469 plus tax
King Jacuzzi Room $519 plus tax
Jacuzzi Suite $519 plus tax
Blues Fest 3 Day Package
- Room for 3 nights
- 2 shirts
- 2 tickets to Koko Taylor
- 6 tickets to the concert choice of: Larry Garner, Deborah Coleman, Michael Burks & lz love
Premium room $539 plus tax
King Suite/Queen Jacuzzi Room $589 plus tax
King Jacuzzi Room $639 plus tax
Jacuzzi Suite $699 plus tax
Basin Park will host bands throughout the weekend, ending late Sunday afternoon. Acts appearing in Basin Park will include some of the bands playing in the clubs, as well as area artists eager to share their music with you and our visitors. Also, clubs across Eureka Springs will be featuring Blues artists, and some have really kicked it up a notch, bringing in some excellent regional acts.
Acts appearing in Basin Park and at the various clubs around Eureka Springs include The Ariels, Rich Berry, Geri 'Black and Blues', Delta Highway , The Eureka Street Buskers, Full House, Joe Geils and The Homewreckers, Scott Holt, Anna Horton, Gary Hutchinson Duo, Jones Van Jones, The Jug Band, Karian, Kosmik Debris, Jeff Lee, Brian Martin, Oreo Blue, Oysters Rockefeller, Joe Pitts Band, Patrick Sweany Band, Penelope and The Unusual Suspects, Pope County Bootleggers, Rockin' Jake, Spent, Stella Blue & Maddog, The Tablerockers, Lil' Dave Thompson, Underground Mafia, Vance Orange Project, Dayton Waters, as well as other acts still to be announced by a couple of venues!