2026 Lineup / Blues

How does a 19-year-old from Vicksburg, Mississippi play his first Chicago gig and earn 165,000 Facebook views with 4,000 shares? If you’re Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport, who started playing harmonica and guitar at seven, you’re a rising star in the blues world.

San Jose’s M’sippi Slide delivers a powerful revival of classic blues, R&B and soul, blending timeless tradition with a fresh contemporary edge. Fronted by vocalist Lijah, whose commanding voice draws inspiration from Aretha Franklin and Etta James, the band creates performances that are raw, emotional and deeply authentic.

Louisiana native Curley Taylor began his professional career at 16 playing drums in his father’s band, Jude Taylor and the Burning Flames, deep in Louisiana blues, soul and zydeco. By 25, he had played with Louisiana legends including CC Adcock, Steve Riley and CJ Chenier, son of the “King of Zydeco” Clifton Chenier.

Guitarist, banjoist, singer and songwriter Mitch Polzak is a larger-than-life entertainer from the West Coast — a Western Swing Hall of Fame inductee, twice-nominated Ameripolitan Music Awards artist and, not unsurprisingly, a relative of the notorious Ma Barker of the infamous Barker Gang. At 6’5″, he commands a room.

Raised in Oakland, California, guitarist Jubu Smith spent more than 25 years as lead guitarist for Maze featuring Frankie Beverly while also making his mark early on with Tony! Toni! Toné! His sound—warm, raw and spiritual—is rooted in the gospel church and polished on the world’s biggest stages.

Guitarist Johnny Vernazza and Anthony “The Fallbrook Kid” Cullins bring together two generations of California blues in a sound that’s classic, timeless, and completely their own — a psychedelic soul convergence built on decades of stagecraft.

Sacramento-bred harmonica player and vocalist Kyle Rowland honors the rich traditions of American blues, soul and gospel with a sound shaped by legends like James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy “Boy” Arnold and Hubert Sumlin — masters who passed along not just technique but hard-won secrets of the craft.

McKinley James is equal parts old soul and modern man, breathing new life into classic sounds with his debut album Working Class Blues. Armed with an electric guitar and sharp songwriting chops, he creates a mix of American rock & roll, amplified soul and raw rhythm & blues alongside father Jason Smay.

Founded in 2007 by bassist Timm Walker — also a core member of the Elvin Bishop Band and appearing with the Zydeco Flames at Summer Fest on Friday, August 7 — BeaufunK has built a reputation as one of the Bay Area’s premier funk units, delivering a powerful groove rooted in the rich tradition of Bay Area funk and R&B.