Oxford Blues Festival Continues Tonight at Lafayette County Arena

By Raegan Cohn
Hotty Toddy Intern

The 12th annual Oxford Blues Festival kicked off Thursday on the second floor of the J.D
William Library on the University of Mississippi campus.

Three Mississippi-born speakers shared their stories of the Blues.

In the first hour, Little Willie Farmer spoke about his journey from being a mechanic to becoming a bluesman.

Listening to a blues and R&B radio station helped him learn about the music genre growing up.

“The blues they’re singing today, that ain’t blues to me. It just doesn’t have the feel,” he said.

Brenda Luckett & Al White spoke during the second half of the event.

Luckett is a retired teacher born into the Civil Rights Movement and blues. To help enhance her student’s knowledge of the blues, she would take them to Civil Rights and Blues museums.

White is the founder of the Duckhill Blues Festival and currently serves as the mayor of Duckhill.

Davis Coen, Kenny Kimbrough, and Ernie Vincent performed on Thacker Mountain Radio last
night as well, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Today, the festival moves to the Lafayette County Multipurpose Arena. It begins at 6:30 p.m.; however, the gates will open at 4:30 p.m. for V.I.P. members and 5 p.m. for the public.

There will be many emerging blues artists and groups performing. Here is the complete list of performers for Saturday: The Delta Project, Malach, Delo Brown, Cricket & The Boogieman, Steve Brewer & the All Tore Up, and The Blues Experience.

On Saturday, the gates will open at 10:30 a.m. The artists and groups performing will be Mark Doyle & Bud Carson, Randy Ferguson, Little Willie Farmer, Mick Kolassa, Cadillac Funk, Wendy Jean Garrison & Andrea Staten, Anthony “Big A” Sherod, and Mizz Lowe.

Food Truck Alley will be at the Blues Festival on Saturday as well.

The festival is lively for all ages and brings the community together. Tickets are still available.

The tickets are $10 for students, $20 for non-students, and $180 for the V.I.P. section. At checkout, there is also an option to donate to the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.