Blue Ribbon Bluesfest brings headliner Altered Five Blues Band to Fairfield Aug. 3

The Southeast Iowa Blues Society presents its annual Blue Ribbon Bluesfest Saturday, Aug. 3 to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

This year, the event kicks off with the 2018 International Blues Challenge winner, Kevin BF Burt.

Burt is a true blues man with a sound and charisma that captivates audiences with his musical talent and storytelling lyrics. It is rare to find an individual blues man of this caliber who is now in demand for blues festivals around the country.

The second blues artists to take the stage will be the Ivy Ford Band.

Ford has managed to take the Chicago scene by storm. In January 2015, Ford opened for the legend Buddy Guy at his club in Chicago and continues to share the stage with Chicago blues hall of famers J.B. Ritchie, Joe Moss, Toronzo Cannon and Tom Holland. She fronts her band and has the title of the 'Chicago's Blues Kitten,” performing selections from not just the blues genres but rock 'n' roll and soul.

The Ivy Ford Band will be followed by the headliner for the evening: The Altered Five Blues Band.

For 17 years, the Altered Five Blues Band has been winning audiences with a swaggering stomp of bruising, barrelhouse grit. According to Downbeat magazine, frontman Jeff Taylor 'sings powerfully” and 'Jeff Schroedl's live-wire guitar reaches the high bar of mixed invention and fluidity.” Blues Bytes magazine declares the group features 'the funkiest rhythm section outside of Memphis.”

For its fourth album, 'Charmed & Dangerous,” the Milwaukee-based quintet joined forces with Blind Pig Records, one of the world's premiere blues labels. Produced by multi-Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge, and featuring guests on harmonica and backing vocals, the 13 tracks of original, contemporary blues prove worthy of the recent groundswell of acclaim. American Blues Scene proclaimed the album, 'will be making huge waves ... one of the year's best!” and the title track has been in regular rotation on SiriusXM's Bluesville for more than a year.

The band was nominated for a prestigious Blues Music Award in the category of Best Emerging Artist Album, and the song 'Cookin' in Your Kitchen” won Blues Song of the Year at the 2018 Independent Music Awards.

Keeping the blues alive between each of these artists will be Iowa's Blues Hall of Famer Tony Blew.

Tickets for The Blue Ribbon Bluesfest are $25 or $20 for Southeast Iowa Blues Society members. Tickets are available at Morgan's Corner Bar in Ottumwa, The Guitar Farm in New London, Weird Harolds Records in Burlington and the Classic 96 studios in Fairfield.

Information can be found at www.southeastiowablueessociety.com.