Downtown Harp & Juke Festival

Bobby Rush

Jackson’s foremost ambassador of the blues, Bobby Rush is a legendary artist and a humanitarian. A 50-year veteran of the stage and studio, Rush made his mark in the Chicago blues scene of the 1950s and 1960s. He became friends and bandmates with legends like Little Walter and Muddy Waters. Rush has won countless awards from the Blues Foundation and Living Blues Magazine, including "Best Live Performer” and "Best Blues Entertainer". His live show is a dazzling mix of great songs and comedic performances, all delivered with a wink and a nod to the audience.

www.bobbyrush.net

Terry "Harmonica" Bean

A dynamic one-man Delta blues powerhouse. A Pontotoc native, Bean was once a top professional baseball prospect before a motorcycle accident disrupted his career. Bean has shared the stage with legends like T-Model Ford, R.L. Burnside, and Big Jack Johnson. He continues to perform at blues festivals across the U.S.

www.cathead.biz/TerryBeanPROMO.html

Arthur Jones & Common Ground Blues Band

One of Jackson's hottest blues bands, with Arthur Jones providing the authentic sounds of Chicago-style harmonica.

Adam Gussow / Brandon Bailey

Two of the most innovative modern blues harmonica performers combine their one-man-band attacks. Gussow was one-half of Satan and Adam, a legendary Harlem street music duo that was featured in the U2 documentary "Rattle and Hum". He is now a professor at Ole Miss and a renowned harmonica player and instructor. Brandon Bailey won the 2008 Orpheum Star Search in Memphis.

www.modernbluesharmonica.com

Scott Albert Johnson and E Company

Johnson was named "Best Musician" in the 2009 and 2010 "Best of Jackson" readers’ poll in the /Jackson Free Press/. His original music is a combination of rock, blues, jazz, funk, bluegrass and much more, and has received rave reviews nationally and internationally. Johnson will be backed by E Company, a hot young jazz/funk band from New Orleans, with two Jackson natives (David Shirley on drums, Joe Shirley on keyboards).

www.scottalbertjohnson.com

www.ecompanymusic.com

Charlie Musselwhite

One of the most legendary performers in the history of the blues, although his music goes well beyond that genre. Musselwhite has been nominated for 7 Grammy Awards and a 24-time Blues Music Award winner. In 2010, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, January 1944, Musselwhite’s resume reads like a who’s who of modern music: Eddie Vedder, Tom Waits, Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Gov’t Mule, INXS, Mickey Hart, George Thorogood and personal friend and best man at his wedding John Lee Hooker.

www.charliemusselwhite.com

E Company

E Company is a hot young jazz/funk band from New Orleans, with two Jackson natives (David Shirley on drums, Joe Shirley on keyboards).

www.ecompanymusic.com

"Jumpin" Johnny Sansone

"Jumpin" Johnny Sansone is a New Orleans music institution. His eclectic blend of blues, zydeco, rock and roll and much more is a dazzling reflection of the cultural gumbo of his adopted hometown.

". . . Johnny Sansone could easily cut a record that coasts on his formidable harmonica skills . . . [but] rather than fence himself in as a mere stylist . . . the ebullient Sansone incorporates elements of trad blues, zydeco, and roots-rock into a formidably listenable [record]."
[Gambit Weekly]

www.johnnysansone.com

Billy Gibson

Known as the "Prince of Beale Street", Gibson (a Clinton native) is arguably the most popular blues musician in Memphis today, and one of the young stars of the harmonica world. He won the 2009 Blues Instrumentalist of the Year (Harmonica) from the Blues Foundation.

www.billygibson.com

Greg "Fingers" Taylor

Although he’s best known to the outside world as the man who lent his harmonica magic to countless Jimmy Buffett hits, Jackson music fans know him as one of the greatest blues harmonica players ever to emerge from the "City With Soul". "Fingers" will make guest appearances with various acts throughout the Festival.

Scott Albert Johnson

Johnson was named "Best Musician" in the 2009 and 2010 "Best of Jackson" readers’ poll in the /Jackson Free Press/. His original music is a combination of rock, blues, jazz, funk, bluegrass and much more, and has received rave reviews nationally and internationally.

www.scottalbertjohnson.com