Brownsville Blues Festival announces change of venue

Shamaya Sutton, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·3 min read

Aug. 29—The annual Brownsville Blues Festival will be returning under a new name and new location this year at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley on Sept. 3. Now known as the Brownsville Blues Review, guests can expect the same level of entertainment and comradery, just inside an air conditioned theater space.

"The Center for the Arts is a great venue and we are excited to see some of the Brownsville Blues Festival all-stars performing on the big stage," said Clay Thompson, one of the event organizers.

The blues festival had previously been held at the Ponderosa Park Amphitheater in Brownsville for nearly three straight decades. However, last year's high temperatures seemed to dissuade both attendees and park organizers. So this year will mark the first indoor blues adventure for Thompson and his crew. The lineup is expected to include some of the Bay Area's and Sacramento's top blues performers such as Willie G, Tia Carroll, and Kyle Rowland.

Oakland's Willie G has been a solid, horn-heavy blues artist veteran for more than two decades. Hailing from Hallsville, Texas, in the 1960s G got out of the military and started working with Bay Area R&B vocal groups The Chancellors and The Capitols. In 1968 he struck out on his own and started to tour California. G's work as a bluesman finally paid off in 1993 when he was presented the Blues Contribution Award by the Bay Area Blues Society.

Carroll, a Little Village recording artist, is set to light up the stage with her soulful sound. This award-winning California native has quietly accumulated one of the most impressive entertainment resumes in the Bay Area and has become one of the most sought-after female singers on the West Coast. Carroll has headlined venues and festivals all over the world with her band as well as some very well-established host bands. She has shared stages with legends such as Ray Charles, Jimmy McCracklin, Syl Johnson, Sugar Pie DeSanto, B.B King, Tommy Castro, Elvin Bishop, Igor Prado and Eric Gales.

Rowland is said to dish out a sauté of boisterous Chicago and swampy Texas blues with a pinch of West Coast swing. With help from a few of his heroes such as James Cotton, Lazy Lester, Hubert Sumlin, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and others, Rowland learned specific techniques on stage presence, the music business, and several highly revered harmonica secrets. Last year, Rowland signed an endorsement deal with Hohner, a harmonica company which he has proudly used for his entire career. Rowland will be representing the Sacrament Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge, the world's largest gathering of blues musicians, in Memphis in January 2024.

Tickets for the Brownsville Blues Review are available online at thecenterforthearts.org, or by calling the box office at 530-274-8384. The Center for the Arts is located at 314 W Main St. in Grass Valley. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the music will begin at 6 p.m.