Fifth Annual Oxford Blues Fest Hits July 17 to 19

The Fifth annual Oxford Blues Festival will take place July 17 to 19 on the lawn of the Walton-Young Historic House, adjacent to the University Museum in Oxford, Mississippi. The Museum will host a VIP reception Thursday night, July 17, and several panel discussions on Friday.

“The Museum is exceptionally pleased to continue our partnership with the Oxford Blues Festival, an annual event which enlivens our outdoor landscape and provides additional great content in its educational sessions.,” said Robert Saarnio, museum director. “Occurring this year in conjunction with our primary summer exhibition, Blues @ Home, Mississippi’s Living Blues Legends, the 2014 festival makes it a wonderful ‘summer of the blues’ here at the Museum.”
The Jeff Jensen Band will kick off the festival with a performance Thursday, July 17, at 7:15 p.m. The VIP Meet N’ Greet just prior to the performance will allow ticket holders to visit with Jeff and his band while enjoying food inspired by blues music.

The mission of the Oxford Blues Festival is to preserve, protect and promote blues music and culture. The festival offers education, community events and workshops throughout the year, culminating with the production of an outdoor festival uniting our diverse citizenry in a celebration of American blues-based music.
“North Mississippi has a really rich blues heritage, but it doesn’t get as much attention as Chicago or the Mississippi Delta,” Festival Director Darryl Parker said. “This festival is a great way to bring attention to the North Mississippi music scene. Good music, fun with family and friends. It’s a reason to celebrate.”

Panel discussions featuring Mississippi blues visual artists, scholars and musicians will take place inside the University Museum, Friday, July 18, from noon until 3:30 p.m. DeWayne Moore, University of Mississippi history PhD candidate, will moderate the panel discussions.
Festival ticket holders will have free access to Mississippi artist H.C. Porter’s Blues @ Home exhibit on Friday and Saturday. Blues @ Home is a collection of 30 portraits of Mississippi living blues legends in their at-home settings. The paintings are paired with music and oral histories collected by project manager Lauchlin Fields.
Other artists featured in the Blues Festival include Eric Hughes, Big Joe Shelton, the Blues Doctors, Cadillac Funk, Libby Rae Watson, Silas Reed & Da Books, The Bluez Boys, Effie Burt, Zack Tilotson, Cameran Kimbrough, The Zedikers Boys, and more.
Passes for a single day or for the entire festival are on sale now. Ticket information for the festival is available on the festival website, including discounted tickets for early purchases. Children 12 and younger can enter free of charge with an adult. Coolers are allowed for a $5 fee, but glass is not allowed inside the venue. Food vendors will be onsite.