(FREDERIKSHAVN, DENMARK) – For the 14th year, Denmark’s largest, multi-award-winning, blues and soul festival will deliver a high caliber music program with a range of styles from primarily American Blues Music Award (BMA) winning artists. It is the foundation for an amazing and warm-hearted experience that always arises when the stars and an international music-loving audience meet. Last year’s festival attracted audiences from 17 different countries and saw all local hotels sold out several months in advance. Blues Heaven Festival will be Nov 1-2 at Arena Nord in Frederikshavn, Denmark.
The lineup includes:
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds with the King of Blues Harmonica: Kim Wilson fronting one of the world’s greatest and most respected blues bands.
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd received 5 GRAMMY® nominations, 2 Billboard Music Awards, a pair of Orville H. Gibson awards, the Keeping The Blues Alive Award (KBA) and 2 Blues Music Awards (BMA).
• Shemekia Copeland was crowned the official successor to Koko Taylor as ‘Queen of the Blues’ at the Chicago Blues Festival. She’s been nominated this year in four BMA categories been nominated a staggering 31 times in various categories over the years.
• Joe Louis Walker has recorded 30 albums, and holds an international reputation as one of the blues’ most prolific and talented stars. Nominated for prestigious awards 55 times and is a Blues Hall of Fame member.
• Curtis Salgado is a 9-time won BMA winner. He sang lead with Robert Cray, Roomful Of Blues, Steve Miller and Santana, before he went solo.
• Nick Moss Band nominated for 4 BMAs this year – Best band, Best album, Best traditional album and Best Harmonica Player (Dennis Gruenling). Overall, they have been nominated for 22 awards.
• Thornetta Davis is a powerful and soulful blues and gospel singer who in 2015 was crowned “Detroit’s Queen of The Blues” and has won over 30 BMA’s. In 2018 she was awarded “Best Blues Album” by the prestigious French La Academie du Jazz.
• Chris Cain is the world’s Best B.B. and Albert King interpreter and has 12 albums under his belt. This year he is nominated in 2 BMA categories. Joe Bonamassa says “One of my favorite and criminally underrated blues players at all times.”
• Tad Robinson has 8 BMA nominations and released 6 recognized albums. A divine singer, schooled by Al Green and Sam Cooke, Tad brings his old bandmate and heavyweight guitarist Alex Schultz, lead guitar for Rod Piazza for 7 years.
• Mike Sanchez pianist/singer is the charismatic creator of Big Town Playboys, a band popular across all of Europe.
• Ian Siegal has performed in 35 countries and is the only non-American who has twice received the MOJO Blues Album of the Year award, as well as a stunning 11 British and European awards.
• Toby Lee (has amassed a staggering 350 million views on social media. For the past 2 years Toby has enriched Blues Heaven as a guest performer with the greatest names, but this year he returns with the all-new Toby Lee Blues Band.
• Blues Beatles is Brazil’s most popular blues rock band. These are not copies, but interpretations.
• IDMC Gospel The 15 members choir from London celebrates its 25th anniversary, and have released nine albums. The choir has sung with Luciano Pavarotti and also at the 2012 Olympics, as well as at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.
• Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne …No boogie-woogie piano player hits the keys with the same feeling, and he is not called “Blues Boss” for nothing.
• The Bender Brass (TBB) first appeared at the Big Blues Bender Festival in Las Vegas. TBB have now performed at more than 20 of the biggest festivals in the US and put the icing on the cake.
In 2018, Blues Heaven won the award for “International Festival of The Year” from the distinguished French online blues magazine Zicazic. Blues Heaven Festival organizer Peter Astrup also won the coveted new Danish Blues Music Award, “Hoochie Coochie Man of the Year.” In January 2019, Blues Heaven came 2nd in the “Best Festival in the World” awards by Polish blues magazine Twój Blues. In March, Peter also won the Toneværk Award.
Tickets and transport: Tickets from DKK 590 / €79 See the website for tickets and shuttle bus transport from Aalborg airport and shuttle bus from the hotels to venue.
