Lyran Park (Rockford)
Teeny Tucker/ photo: Elaine Hughes
August 27, 2022
Showtime: Noon-9:30 p.m.
Gates: 11 a.m.
Tickets: $10-15 at Crossroads Blues Festival
Noon Melody Angel on Main Stage
1:30 PM Gina Meeks in Pavilion
2 PM Donna Herula on Main Stage
3:30 PM Gina Meeks in Pavilion
4 PM Tia Carroll on Main Stage
5:30 PM Amanee Avery in Pavilion
6 PM Shaun Murphy on Main Stage
7:30 PM Amanee Avery in Pavilion
8 PM Teeny Tucker on Main Stage
After two years of small, "non-festival" events, the full-fledged festival returns for the Thirteenth Annual Crossroads Blues Festival returns at Lyran Park on Saturday, August 27, 2002 for a great day of music. This year’s event is Women of the Blues, featuring five female artists on the main stage and two ladies performing between the main stage acts, doing a pair of short sets each on the pavilion stage.
The day will begin with two great Chicago acts, Melody Angel at Noon and Donna Herula at 2 PM. Melody is a high powered guitar player, songwriter and singer who is making a name for herself in the blues world. This is her first time playing in Rockford and the Crossroads Blues Society is proud to have her open the fest. After that we have renowned artist and music educator Donna Herula and her band. Donna's 2021 album, Bang at the Door, garnered notice for last year's blues awards and got lots of airplay. In addition to touring and performing, Herula is a highly-regarded teacher at Chicago's Old Town School of Music.
At 4 PM Tia Carroll, a fantastic West Coast soul blues woman, will take the stage in Rockford for her first Midwest tour. Tia Carroll hails from San Francisco and is a power house vocalist. Her last album received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Blues Blast Music Award. She is an amazing singer!
At 6 PM, the Nashville siren Shaun Murphy takes the stage. Shaun is an amazingly talented and versatile singer. She performed at the Tebala events Center in Rockford in Fall of 2019, at several Blues Blast Awards ceremonies, and has also appeared at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Shaun has worked as the backing vocalist for Bob Seger for pretty much his whole career. She also sang with Eric Clapton and Little Feat on top of her long and storied 40-year solo career. She got her start in the Motor City and even released a duo album with Meatloaf (Stoney and Meatloaf). With her powerhouse pipes, Shaun can be a rocker when she needs to be, but since attending the Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1969 her first love has always been the blues.
Concluding the day is none other than Teeny Tucker from Ohio. Teeny was supposed perform for Crossroads Blues Fest in 2019 when the pandemic struck and the fest was cancelled. Last summer she planned to grace the stage in Rockford but right before that date her guitar player and manager came down with medical issues that prevented her from touring. Thankfully 2022 finally worked out and Crossroads Blues Fest is honored to have her. The daughter of Tommy “Hi-Heeled Sneakers” Tucker, Teeny was brought up in the blues and R&B and is a powerful singer and great talent in her own right. She last played in Rockford at the Tebala Events Center, and for the 2018 Blues Blast Music Awards show. There are five fantastic acts on the main stage, and there is even more in between those acts!
Between acts, you can catch Gina Meeks and Amanee Avery performing in the Pavilion. Gina sings with the popular Rockford band Groove Hotel and also appears with other artists and on her own. She will perform at 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM. Amanee is dubbed Rockford's Sax Chick and is an up and coming local talent who sings, plays and writes songs. She will perform at 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM.
Local vendors will provide a wide variety of delicious food items , and a vast selection of beer and wine will be offered for $5, along with soft drinks for $1. No coolers or outside food or pets are permitted. Tickets are $10 in advance and day of the event are $15 at the gate. The festival is a fundraiser to support the Crossroads Blues Society’s extensive ongoing Blues in the Schools programs, for which the organization received a Keeping The Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis.