“I am deeply honored to be going over there to entertain our troops, and Lord knows I love to hang out with men in uniforms,” stated Shemekia Copeland.

“We are thrilled to be going back to Iraq and to have so many great Blues artists volunteering to go to a war zone. This is certainly an historic event for the Blues and for our men and woman who so proudly serve our country,” stated Bluzapalooza founder and producer Steve Simon.

“Our October tour’s lineup would sell out any Blues festival in the country. It's an honor to be able to bring it to our troops,” stated Bluzapalooza co-producer John Hahn.

This historic tour will be documented by renowned New York photographer Joseph A. Rosen, a recipient of the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award in photography from the Blues Foundation.

The Bluzapalooza tour has been made possible with the help of Armed Forces Entertainment, The Blues Foundation, Blues Revue, NorthernBlues Music, Alligator Records, Blind Raccoon, Delta Groove Records, Blind Pig Records, Hohner Harmonicas, Telarc Records, Sony Corporation, Ruf Records, and Entertainment Support Systems, LLC.

Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas. Founded in 1951, AFE brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops each year. Bluzapalooza is proud to be working with AFE.