BLUES FEST

The 4th annual Joliet Blues Festival will be held on August 13, 2022 at the pavilion in beautiful Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park at 201 Jefferson Street on the west side of the Des Plaines river in downtown Joliet. www.JolietBluesFestival.com 

HOURS
The park opens at 3:00 pm and will close at 10:00 pm.

CONCESSIONS
There will be food, beer and wine available for purchase. No outside food or beverages are allowed.

SEATING
Guests should bring blankets and lawn chairs for seating around the pavilion. No umbrellas or tents are allowed.

TICKETS
$15.00 at the gate
$10.oo in advance
Click below to purchase tickets in advance:

LIVE MUSIC
All entertainment will be on the pavilion, across from the fountain.


3:30 – 4:30 pm
BILL GRADY BAND
With a voice that feeds the soul, songs that speak to the heart, and guitar playing that will make you move, Bill Grady is not to be ignored. After discovering the lost art of slide guitar while attending Berklee College of Music, he began studying the classic slide masters and well as the great songwriters and composers of days gone by. Between his soulful vocals, slide guitar prowess, and vivid songwriting, his live shows are unlike any acoustic act you’ve ever seen.

​Bill performs both as a soloist and with the full BILL GRADY BAND. He has graced many stages, such as the Chicago Blues Festival, Manifest Chicago, and Blottopia, as well as performing with on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. Great Moments in Vinyl (GMIV) with founder William Lindsey Cochran (aka Bill Cochran) has featured Bill covering various artists in many of their performances. Bill has recently released his first solo album “Noting Runs Free.” See www.billgradymusic.com for info.

5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
NIGEL MACK & THE BLUES ATTACK
Chicago blues ‘triple threat’ (slide guitar, harmonica, and vocals) Nigel Mack delivers a high-energy show that fuses blues classics with the punch of contemporary original blues. Seamlessly switching between instruments, Nigel Mack is equally proficient at them all. Saskatoon native and former Vancouver resident, Nigel Mack has been living and performing in ‘the home of the blues’, Chicago, IL since 2003. His critically acclaimed CDs include Devil’s Secrets, Road Rage and High Price to Play. The Devil’s Secrets, was the #1 Canadian blues CD of 2012 nationwide in Canada on Galaxy Satellite radio. Mack’s original compositions have been featured on television sound-tracks ‘Dawson’s Creek’, ‘The Street’ and ‘Time of Your Life’.

His many awards include ‘Best Self Produced CD’, by the Windy City Blues Society, Chicago, IL; First Runner Up (Band Category) Chicago Blues Challenge; International Songwriting Competition, Semi Finalist; First Runner Up (Solo/Duo Category), Chicago Blues Challenge; ‘Best Guitarist’ Nominee, Maple Blues Awards; ‘Best Blues/R&B CD’ Nominee, West Coast Music Awards. For more information about Nigel Mack, see www.NigelMack.com.

6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
CASH BOX KINGS
The Cash Box Kings are bona fide blues royalty. Co-led by vocalist and songwriter Oscar Wilson and Madison, Wisconsin-based songwriter, harmonica giant and singer Joe Nosek, the band plays masterfully raw and unvarnished houserocking blues. Wilson’s huge, gritty vocals and Nosek’s powerhouse harmonica fuel their razor-sharp original songs. With their top shelf musicianship and trademark good humor, The Cash Box Kings are a one-of-a-kind blues band. In the words of MOJO magazine, the band is “flawless.”

Mixing tough Chicago and Delta blues, jumping proto-rock ‘n’ roll, and steamrolling blues-abilities, they attack every song they play with contemporary authority and old school authenticity. The extraordinary ensemble p laying between Nosek, Wilson, guitarist Billy Flynn, bassist John W. Lauler, drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith and their friend, pianist Queen Lee Kenehira. The musicians feed off of each other’s ideas and energy, effortlessly moving from a lowdown purr to a full throttle roar. For a complete list of their many releases, see www.cashboxkings.com.

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8:00 pm to 9:00 pm
LAURIE MORVAN BAND
We are thrilled to welcome home Will County native and University of Illinois graduate Laurie Morvan, who leads the highly acclaimed and high energy Laurie Morvan Band. Based in Long Beach, CA, the band honed its tight, fiery sound performing over 800 shows together including 80 festivals throughout the USA, Canada and Europe. Their CD, “GRAVITY”, released in 2018, made the 1st Round Grammy Ballot for Best Contemporary Blues, and was nominated for Best Blues Album of 2018 in the prestigious Downbeat Reader’s Poll. “Tasty yet blistering Strat work that hits all the right notes and overflows with soul.” (Vintage Guitar). The band also garnered the attention of the international market with a nomination for Best New Artist in the 2018 Independent Blues Awards. “Laurie is one hell of a great guitarist and if you have not had the pleasure of seeing her, put it on your must do list!” (Blues Blast).

Female blues guitarist Laurie Morvan, WINNER Blues Foundation award for Best Self-Produced CD at the International Blues Challenge, has a unique, fiery guitar style, and has been highlighted in feature articles in Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar and Modern Guitars magazines. Not just a wailin’ guitar slinger, Laurie is a compelling lead vocalist and songwriter who writes from personal stories filled with pain, triumph, hope, and her characteristic humor. Performances feature crowd-pleasing harmonies of backup singer/percussionist Lisa Morvan along with dueling solos between Laurie, keyboardist Tom Salyers and bassist Pat Morvan, fueled by the intense blues rock foundation of drummer Lonnie Jones. For more information on her many CDs, see www.lauriemorvan.com.

PARKING
There is FREE PARKING south of the main park (south of Jefferson Street) along the river and bluff. Once parked, walk across Jefferson Street to the main park (201 W Jefferson Street, Joliet).

FROM THE WEST: head east on Jefferson Street (Rt 52). At the base of the Jefferson Street Bridge, turn right (south) onto Bluff Street for parking along the river or bluff.

FROM THE EAST: head west on Cass Street. Cross over the Cass Street bridge. At Plainfield Rd (Rt 30), turn left (south). At Jefferson Street (Rt 52), turn left (east). At the base of the Jefferson Street Bridge, turn right (south) onto Bluff Street for parking along the river or bluff.

FROM I-80: exit on Center Street (Exit 131, first exit after the bridge). Take it to Jefferson Street (Rt 52). At Jefferson Street (Rt 52), turn right. At the base of the Jefferson Street Bridge, turn right (south) onto Bluff Street for parking along the river or bluff.

PRODUCED BY
Will-Joliet Bicentennial Park, Inc.
All proceeds benefit Will-Joliet Bicentennial Park, Inc., a nonprofit 501(C)(3).