Bluzapalooza, the first Blues concert tour to go into a war zone,
will ship out to military bases in Iraq and Kuwait on April 1 to entertain
troops.
Created by Blues producers Steve Simon and
John Hahn and presented by Armed Forces Entertainment, this inaugural
tour stars Blues icon and four-time Blues Music Awards (BMA) nominee
Bobby Rush, two-time BMA Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the
Year Janiva Magness, and Beale Street Entertainer of the Year Billy
Gibson, with Tony Braunagel from The Phantom Blues Band heading
up the Bluzapalooza All-Stars Blues Band.
“Bluzapalooza gives America’s
greatest Blues musicians the opportunity to say ‘Thank you’
and ‘We love you’ to America’s greatest soldiers,”
stated Steve Simon, co-producer of the tour.
“For our men and woman serving on the
frontlines, Bluzapalooza is like attending a great Blues festival
right in their own home town,” stated John Hahn, the tour’s
other co-producer.
Armed
Forces Entertainment has already approved a second tour in the fall
and others are being prepared. Many of the top businesses and labels
in the Blues music industry are coming to the plate help finance and
provide other support for the tour. Chip Eagle, the publisher of Blues
Revue and BluesWax will be carrying journalist credentials on the
tour so that Blues fans from around the world can follow this monumental
event. Watch for more soon right here in STLBlues!
|
