About this festival
The festival celebrates the legacies of departed North Mississippi blues legends including Joe Callicott, Mississippi Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Othar Turner, and the festival will once again feature many of their children and grandchildren. These include Duwayne Burnside; the Burnside Exploration, featuring Garry Burnside; Cedric Burnside with Lightin Malcolm; David Kimbrough; the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, led by Othar Turner's 17-year-old granddaughter Sharde Thomas.
Other "second generation" acts returning to the event include Kenny Brown, R.L. Burnside's longtime guitarist and "adopted son;" and the Reverend John Wilkins, son of pre-WWII recording artist Robert Wilkins, whose song "Prodigal Son" was covered by the Rolling Stones. Also returning to the festival are Jimbo Mathus, T-Model Ford, Blue Mountain, Danny Lancaster, Jocco Rushing with Fried Chicken & Gasoline, and John Barnett.