“… a grand parade of the best Memphis has to offer, where our greatest gift to the world – music – is writ symphoniously large. It is a destination for music aficionados from around the world, who make a pilgrimage to downtown Memphis every Labor Day Weekend. It is the only weekend where you can boogie, strut, jitterbug, sway to your heart’s content – and with good reason – the Center assembles the best artists and musicians the South has to offer!” –Bill Ellis, Commerical Appeal
Hey y’all! Here’s a look at some of the performers at this year’s Memphis Music & Heritage Festival.
The schedule with set times is posted here.
Saturday, September 3rd:
Bobby Rush, Joyce Cobb, Exodus, The Bo-Keys, Elmo & The Shades, King Ellis, Shufflegrit, The Gary Topper Group, Favor, The Mellowtones, Hope Clayburn & Soul Scrimmage, The Plantation All-Stars, The Bell Singers, The Subteens, Jazz-A-Fire, Smoochy Smith, Loni Rose, Mary Ubonksy, Robby Grant, River City Tanlines, John Kilzer & Teenie Hodges, Deborah Swiney, Lisa Lambert & The Pine Ridge Boys, Porcelan Chalet, Anointed Cowans Singers, Alfepado, The Sensational Six, Grassfire, The Sultana, Last Chance Jug Band, Johnny Yancey and The Sanctuary Jazz Orchestra, Austin Carroll, Community Bubble, David Corbett & Nancy Chase, Dandelion & The Raindrops, The Kattawar Brothers, Brittany Russell & The Trunk Monkeys, Big Brother & Little Brother Music Ministry, John Paul Daniel and Friends, Hickory Withe Bluegrass and more
Sunday, September 4th:
Tribute to Rufus Thomas by FreeWorld with special guests Marvell, Carla & Vaneese Thomas with James Govan
The Stax Music Academy, Kate Campbell, Susan Marshall, Barbara Blue, Valerie June, Grace Askew, Tonya Dyson, Sweet Angel, Blind Mississippi Morris & Brad Webb, Los Cantadores, Mr. Del, Devil Train, Ms Nickki & The Memphis Soul Survivors, Moments of Joy, Paul Taylor, Sonny Burgess & The Legendary Pacers, John Paul Keith and the 145’s, Darrel Petties & S.I.P., Dan Montgomery with Robert & Candace Mache and with Louis Meyer, Tennessee Mass Choir, The Jazz Collective, WAMPA, Orange Mound Jazz Messengers, The Agitators, Ghost Town Blues Band, Jeremiah and the Gospelettes, Randy Haspel, Sidney, Cindey & Sidney, Memphis Klezmer All Stars, Bluff City Backsliders, Judy McWillie, Anne Katherine Campbell and more
Dancers and More
Watoto Memphis, Millennium Maddness, Byorna & Lee Brantley Hip Hop, Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl, Chinese Jasmine Flower Dancers, Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, Pyramid Dance Company, Traditiciones Mexicanas, Firehouse Black Arts, Kelly Newell, Sharona Rubinstein and Performance Arts Network, Chinese Kung Fu and more
Family Programming
Opening ceremonies at the Tennessee Arts Gayoso Stage (10:00 to 12:00) with Dandelion & The Raindrops, Watoto Memphis and Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group.
Filling the entry to Folklore Hall will be an area for children to make art from found objects, talkers, quilters, musicians and lots more.
Cooking Stage
Several regional cooks will prepare their specialties, featuring Delta Pecan.
Artists and Crafts Vendors, including:
Adeli Jewelry Designs, Bebo Folk Art, Art Covington Paintings and Prints, Hank Holland Folk Art, Alan and Cathie Jacobs, Jewelry with one of a kind stones, Misty Lavender, Jewelry, Wilson Lee, African American Wood Carvings, Frank Lilly Paintings, W. C. and Cornelia McDaniel, Crystals, Minerals, Fossils and custom gemstone jewelry. Dinah Makowsky Millinery, Marjorie Mebane Original wearable art and clothing, Annie Odell, recycled neckties and more, Andria Marick Jewelry, Miz Thang’s Folk Art, Billy Moore Folk Art, Frank Noto, blues paintings, Laura Predny’s black and white oil paintings. Simon Pritchard’s Rock and Roll Paintings, Elizabeth Turvaville, Curled Tail Pottery, Cindy Uphoff and more.
Artist Bob Gray will be at the Center’s Sales Tent signing this year’s poster dedicated to Rufus Thomas. The Festival Poster and T-Shirt will be on sale at the Festival.
T-Shirts will be available Monday, August 29th in the Center’s Folklore Store.
For more information, see our Center For Southern Folklore Facebook page, Twitter @southernfolk or go to their website.
See Also:
- In the News: Lineup announced for 2011 Cooper Young Festival
- The Sound of Memphis: Stax to the Max – A Soulsville Street Festival
- Memphis Music Club: John Paul Keith Talks About His Retro Sound, Songwriting and Memphis
- The Sound of Memphis: Fareveller Festival Trailer
- The Sound of Memphis: Stream John Paul Keith’s “Live at the Hitone”
