The Fabulous Thunderbirds at Bayfront Blues Fest. Photos by Jill Fisher.

This is the sixth Bayfront Blues Festival I’ve been to since returning to Duluth back in June of 2020. The BBF was canceled that year due to COVID. I

did attend several BB festivals in the 1990s, back when the first stage, covered by a yellow tent, was in place and a second stage (without a tent) was set up opposite it at the other side of the park, allowing us to simply turn our chairs around to see the immediately following act. The park was relandscaped since then, with the high berm created and planted to create a sound barrier between the music and the vendors.

The landscape design was inspired, keeping the two activities acoustically separated but adjoining to provide needed amenities.

Thus it has been some 30 years since my first real experience of the blues, thanks to the BBF. Having bought my 2026 three-day pass at last year’s festival, I was pumped and ready to get my fill of the blues.

Paul Barry Blues Band

DAY 1: First up at noon on Friday, Aug. 14, was the Minneapolis-based Paul Barry Blues Band, which was a fabulous kick-off for the 2026 BBF. It foreshadowed the several band leaders on the ticket who play the blues harp as their primary instrument.

This was particularly appropriate because he is a blues harpist extraordinaire who plays a chromatic harmonica capable of playing in any key. Barry was mentored by renowned blues harpist William Clarke and lived with him for a time in California.

Barry’s first number honored that connection with a song by Clarke: “Chromatic Jump.” Other Clarke tunes he covered included “Pawnshop Bound” and “Lollypop Mama.”

He was backed by several musicians known to locals: Dan Schwalbe (electric guitar), John Franken (electric guitar), John Etzell (bass guitar), Tim Wick (organ) and Marty Bryduck (drums). These guys were ramped up to wail from the first note and set a high bar for the performances to follow.

Gabe Stillman on electric guitar was the front man of a trio that included a bassist and drummer. The first number played was extremely loud and had folks inserting ear plugs. Stillman claimed Gladys Knight as a major influence and sought the audience’s approval by varying his selections widely. So much so that his set concluded with “his favorite song,” a soft rock rendition of Glen Campbell’s “Gentle On My Mind”!

The third performer was Eric Johanson, also on electric guitar. He and his band came on with a rockin’ number. They included a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Louisiana,” along with some tunes with the New Orleans sound from his album Below Sea Level. 

Mark Hummel

Another exceptional blues harpist, Mark Hummel, played the fourth set of the day. Hummel has been nominated seven times for a Blues Music Award in the “Best Instrumentalist: Harmonica” category. In his set Billy Flynn, a blues guitarist from Green Bay, Wis., was featured, enhancing the Chicago blues sound of this performance. His other backup band members included Tim Wick on organ plus a standup bass player.

The fifth set of the day was by Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials. This band is a known quantity since it performed this past March at the West Theatre (reviewed in the March 12 issue of the Reader). It brought us more of the Chicago blues and repeated some of the songs, stories and tidbits we heard back then. It was a well-received set that had many attendees dancing to this mostly upbeat music.

Southern Hospitality

Southern Hospitality featuring Damon Fowler (lead vocalist), Victor Wainwright (keys) and J.P. Soars (electric guitar, vocals) wound up the first day with a rockin’ blues set. It wasn’t overloud such that most of us were able to remove our ear plugs. “Yard Sale” was one of the best songs they played, as they provided some southern-inflected blues, diverse rhythms and lengthy instrumentals that could  put them in a jam band cadre. The music was wild and crazy as they closed out the evening’s performances.

DAY 2: This chilly Saturday, with a stiff wind off the Lake, began at noon with a set by the Blues Music Award winner Johnny Rawls. He won a for his album I’m Still Around and has had 29 albums released since 1989. He’s also played on others’ albums, including two of Otis Clay’s.

Johnny Rawls

Rawls dedicated the song “I Miss Otis Clay” to his memory. The set consisted of traditional classic blues numbers — “Everyday I Get the Blues,” “Ride in My Cadillac,” “Shake That Thing,” etc. Rusty Wall was playing the harp, while singer, Gerome “Mississippi Blues Boy” Durham, was a guest performer in Rawls’ set. Several attendees told me that Rawls plays their favorite kind of blues.

Kyle Rowland

The second act on this second day of the festival was Kyle Rowland from California. He really blew folks away with his vocals as well as his hot harmonica. What was remarkable was that his backup was a pickup band that had never played together!

Surprisingly, it included Richard Medec of Erik Koskinen’s band, on drums (recognizable by his distinctive beat). In speaking with Kyle the next day, he affirmed that he strove to bring emotional commitment to his delivery, whether it be singing or playing the harp. Undoubtedly he achieved that goal as he was a hit with every blues fan I spoke to.

Ghalia Volt

Ghalia Volt who followed Rowland was one of only two female band leaders at this year’s event. She had a bass guitarist and a drummer backing her. She demonstrated how slide guitar ought to sound. And her deep alto voice was versatile — piercingly aggressive one moment, then sultry and breathy the next.

She spoke of her preference for whiskey and that may have conditioned her vocals. Indeed, she was something of an actress, taking on a distinctive vocal character that suggested she came from a long line of story tellers. Plus, her enunciation was excellent; we could plainly hear the lyrics of her songs, some of which were quite dark. She certainly was a crowd pleaser.

John Priner

At 5:15 pm, John Primer & the Real Deal Blues Band took the stage and gave us their take on Chicago blues. Yes, they were definitely the real deal. And guess what — a badass blues harpist was also featured. He was Steve Bell, who cut his teeth playing with Muddy Waters, is considered the pillar of the Bell musical dynasty and been inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. 

There was some fine slide guitar playing and a fun tune titled “They Call Me John Primer.”

It was also fun to see “Captain” Al Kirk playing drums. Al is from Chicago but has resided in the Twin Cities for decades and hosts jam nights at Shaw’s in NE Minneapolis on Mondays and at The Blues Saloon in St. Paul on Tuesdays.

Mud Morganfield

Larry Williams AKA Mud Morganfield, son of Muddy Waters, followed with more Chicago blues for us. He sang “Live the Life I Love (Love the Life I Live),” which was made famous by his father’s recording. Though I missed much of this set, I heard enough to realize they were a very cool band. Their numbers, whether fast or slow, had that satisfying blues vibe.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds began its headliner set just as the rain that had been threatening and forecasted began to fall. It drove many attendees from the park despite promises that the sudden downpour would shortly pass and there would only be a short rain delay. And that was true.

Since I was among those who took off, I was chagrinned to be able to hear the band continue its performance as I lay in bed two miles to the east. The next day some friends who stayed to hear the Thunderbirds finish their set declared it to be “great!”

Reverend Raven & The Chain-Smokin' Altar Boys

Day 3: Sunday, Aug 16, began with a bang as we got to hear Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys of Milwaukee open the final day of the festival. They are a perennial favorite, having played 13 previous BBFs, so fans showed up early.

His band included a fine pianist, a 2020 grammy award winner, Dennis Wage. And of course there was a blues harpist: Westside Andy, who we’ve seen play with the Rev. through the years. On one of his solos, he blew so long (minutes!) that I assumed he was using circular breathing. But he disabused me of this notion, explaining that he uses his diaphragm to blow such continuous notes.

What was most unusual about this gig was how jazzy a number of the songs were, including one I believe was “Bad Boy.” The audience even clapped after solos.

“Black Coffee” was another tune with a jazzy rendition, complete with the drummer playing with brushes. I trust we will see this band again at a future BBF.

Brandon Santini

Sunday’s second act was Brandon Santini who played (you guessed it) the blues harp. He highlighted the sound of Mississippi hill country blues — with heavy driving drumbeats, two chords and droning repetition. They played selections from the band’s latest album, Which Way Do We Go?

Santini revealed that his band was greatly influenced by classic rock and roll such as the music of Huey Lewis and the News. Midway through this set Kyle Rowland joined the band on stage to duel and duo with Santini. This was greatly entertaining.

The set closed with more hill country blues and the song “Let Your Love Light Shine on Me.”

Al "Piper" Green

Next up was Piper & The Hard Times. The band leader, Al “Piper” Green was quite the showman, moving around the stage and engaging with the audience. He was also a very sharp dresser with his blue shirt, white pants and red boots.

He told us of his upbring on a West Tennessee farm where he was consumed during the work week with typical farm chores but on weekends became “Cowboy Gucci” wearing a three-piece suit. That was the name of the song which followed his introduction. It is on the band’s latest CD, Good Company as is “Not Your Fault” that they also performed.

Another of their original songs was “Preacher Blues” with a sneaky sounding lead in riff. Brandon Santini joined this group to add his blues harp to the mix. I noted this band featured a female pianist, Amy Frederick, who also provided harmony vocals. Together they were hot stuff, one of the best acts in my book.

Katie Henry

It was a sunny 77 degrees by the time the second to the last act took the stage. It was Katie Henry, the other female band leader in this year’s festival. She played both keys and electric guitar and had a bass player and drummer. Her song “Love Like Kerosene” was a dark portrayal of a romance to be avoided. She followed that up with “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and a segue into Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” (which insists “everybody must get stoned!”).

Another song, “Bury You” was a lesson: “bury the past or the past will bury you.” Interesting stuff, though to my ears, this was the least bluesy of all the acts as she seemed closer to indie rock.

Curly Taylor & Zydeco Trouble

Traditionally, the last set of the festival features a Zydeco band. This year it was Curly Taylor & Zydeco Trouble. Here again we had a performance by a Grammy Award winner. They were upbeat with great energy pouring forth from a rub board, accordion, piano, bass and drums. I got in a little more dancing to this music but it was such a beautiful evening that I felt the need to call it quits after just a few songs.

Overall this was a really wonderful BBF, even if there was not one saxophone heard!

UPCOMING: Several exciting shows are on offer this weekend: The Scarlet Goodbye is scheduled to play at Silver Bay City Park on Friday, Aug. 21, beginning at 7:30 pm. On Saturday, Aug. 22, Pert Near Sandstone and Junkyard Mule will be at Earth Rider festival grounds, 8-11 pm. Then on Monday, Aug. 24, Cigarette Picnic will play at Bent Paddle’s outdoor Lollygag stage at 7 pm.

ALSO: Many folks who were grieved to hear of George Zissos’ death and that of his wife Leanne may wish to attend the Celebration of Life event for them on Thursday, Aug. 27. It will take place from 4 to 8 pm at The River Inn Bar & Grill at 3212 River Gate Ave. in Scanlon.