The Doobie Brothers, Aaron Neville, Gregg Allmann and more headline the 2nd Byron Bay Bluesfest Announcement for 2014.

Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia’s multi-award winning 5 Day Festival, held over the Easter long weekend (17 – 21st of April) at its home, the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, north of Byron Bay, has announced the second list of legendary artists set to grace the event’s 25th Anniversary special edition!

After the first announcement focused on headliners John Mayer & powerhouse Dave Matthews Band, as well as compelling contemporary musicians, this is what Bluesfest diehard fans wait for every year. It’s all about Legends, Blues & Roots and a perfect blend of Funk & Reggae. And so who’s next? Well, Paul Simon was announced in the fourth announcement last year. So anything is possible!

SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT:
Doobie Brothers
Aaron Neville
Gregg Allman
Boz Scaggs
India.Arie
Suzanne Vega
Steve Earle & The Dukes
Dr John & The Nite Trippers
JAMAICAN LEGENDS feat. Ernest Ranglin, Sly & Robbie, Bitty McLean
Jimmie Vaughan
The Wailers
Ozomatli
CW Stoneking
Larry Graham & Graham Central Station
Grandmothers of Invention
The Magic Band
Robben Ford
The Paladins
Music Maker Foundation Feat. Pat Wilder, Cool John Ferguson, and Little Freddie King

Peter Noble, Festival Director, had this to say about the announcement:

“Here come the Legends. We are so proud to be bringing you the Doobie Brothers and just like Steve Miller Band at Bluesfest in 2013, they have hit after hit after hit. Talking about Steve Miller, we are announcing Boz Scaggs, who is an original member of the Steve Miller Band and he will give us the real “Lowdown”, (one of his many great hits) – a really classy white soul man, if EVER there was one.

Gregg Allman is the leader of Southern Rock’s greatest band – The Allman Brothers – hell… they created Southern Rock and this is his first ever Australian tour.

Although Aaron Neville has toured Australia before in The Neville Brothers and as a guest for The Blind Boys of Alabama, this is also his first Australian tour, so we are going to hear all his hits. Live, Gregg and Aaron are both just great and they are going to deliver us very hot shows.

We have tried for years to get India.Arie and Dr John to come back to Bluesfest and are so proud they have agreed to come to our 25th.

One of Bluesfest’s all time favourite bands The Paladins will return – they played the first ever Bluesfest at the Piggery in Byron Bay in 1990 – when Bluesfest was a club festival – and we haven’t seen them here in a decade – These guys Rock(abilly) – with deadly passion.

Other festival favourites returning include Jamaican Legends featuring Ernest Ranglin and Sly & Robbie, Jimmie Vaughan, Ozomatli, CW Stoneking and The Wailers and we have waited a number of years to welcome each and every one of them back.

Suzanne Vega will play Bluesfest for the first time and one of our all time favourites the Music Maker Foundation – the non-profit organisation who almost singlehandedly keep the pure Blues flame alive in the South of the US today – will once again send the real deal smoking Blues to our yearly juke joint at Bluesfest, where they will play every night. This year includes Little Freddie King playing Australia for the first time and Bluesfest favourites Pat Wilder and Cool John Ferguson.

The Music Maker Foundation delivers one of our most jam packed shows at Bluesfest – the word soon goes out and their stage is the place to be – each and every night – to experience real blues – hot, sweaty, sexy and down home – an absolute don’t miss.

And – I am proud to announce a VERY special billing of two bands that will both play Australia for the first time. Believe me, it is hard to get them to play almost anywhere and these will be real unique, almost ‘one of a kind’ shows – The Grandmothers of Invention – featuring members of the original Mothers of Invention, performing the songs they created with Frank Zappa back in the day.

NOT to be outdone will be performances by the The Magic Band – YES – Captain Beefheart’s band – the one that played on Trout Mask Replica. Both bands feature original members from that time – and they will perform faithful renditions of the classic songs they created – WOW.

And like Otis Redding used to say – “’If you think we gonna stop now – we ain’t gonna stop now” – in true Bluesfest style – stand by – there’s plenty more to come – I’m beginning to get excited.

ARTISTS ALREADY ANNOUNCED:

John Mayer
Dave Matthews Band (Two Incredible Performances)
Erykah Badu
John Butler Trio
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Iron & Wine
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Devendra Banhart
Morcheeba
Gary Clark Jr
KT Tunstall
Allen Stone
Valerie June
Nikki Hill

Bluesfest playing schedule is available on http://www.bluesfest.com.au/

All Festival and Camping tickets are on sale through http://www.bluesfest.com.au/ or by phoning the office on 02 6685 8310

Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster on http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/

Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.