photo by Dan Schilling

The Madison Blues Society is holding its 8th Annual Blues Picnic on Saturday, June  19, 2010 at Warner Park. You can enter at 2930 North Sherman Avenue or at 1625 Northport Drive. Head on back behind the parking lot to the shelter with the big colored drums and you'll find a lot of fun! This great event continues to be FREE! Everyone from the community and beyond can come and enjoy a fantastic day of music, food, drink, beer and fun in the sun!

We've got another great lineup of music and there's plenty of room for dancing. If just hanging out is your style, there's also lots of room for blankets and chairs with shade under the trees. We'll have a variety of traditional and ethnic food vendors to give you lots of options for great eat and drink. And Capital Brewery will be back with their fine brews.

MBS owes a lot of thanks to the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission for their continued support of the MBS Blues Picnic.

photo by Dan Schilling

Joe Nosek's Blues Kids are gonna be back again this year. Joe and MBS are continuing to work with the East Madison Community Center (EMCC). The Blues Picnic will host another great Blues Kids performance. This terrific program teaches kids how to play harmonica and write their own songs and lyrics. The Blues Kids will be playing the blues again backed up by a professional band - Cash Box Kings. And the EMCC will be selling food and soft drinks again this year to help fund their many great programs for Madison's youth.

photo by Dan Schilling

The BLUES KIDS have been a highly successful project of Joe Nosek of the Cash Box Kings for several years now. Joe has been working with community kids to teach Madison's youth about Blues music and start the next generation of Blues musicians.

This is the third year that the BLUES KIDS had their training and practice sessions at the East Madison Community Center (EMCC). They'll be back, singing and blowin' harp, backed up by the Cash Box Kings. The last few years, proud parents have attended the picnic, cheering on their kids and making it a great family event. The kids have a lot of fun on stage and the crowd always loves it!

Reverend Raven

Born and raised on south side of Chicago, Reverend Raven has been playing the blues since 1971 when he first saw Freddy King play at the Kinetic Theatre in Chicago. After 15 year hitch in the Navy he moved to Milwaukee where he began a long friendship and collaboration with Madison Slim, long time harmonica player for Jimmy Rogers.

Since 1990 he has opened for B.B. King, Gatemouth Brown, Pinetop Perkins, Koko Taylor Band, Junior Wells, Billy Branch, Magic Slim, Elvin Bishop, Sugar Blue, Lonnie Brooks, William Clarke, Lefty Dizz and numerous others at festivals and at Buddy Guy's Legends. Locally he has performed with Billy Flynn, Perry Weber, Piano Willie, Stokes, Jon Paris, Clyde Stubblefied, Bryan Lee and the Lamont Cranston band. The Reverend and the boys were the Wisconsin Music Industry (WAMI) award for best blues band in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005 and again in 2008. They also received the People's Choice Award in 2006 and 2008.

Reverend Raven and his Chain Smoking Altar Boys have been bringing crowds to their feet at the hardest to please and sophisticated night clubs in the Midwest, playing traditional blues, straight up with a big dose of passion. With smoking grooves, served up with hot harmonica and smooth stinging guitar they play original songs peppered with nods to Slim Harpo, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and the three Kings. These boys really cook!

John Primer

John Primer is absolutely the "real deal". The Chicago blues guitarist began his career playing at Theresa's with Sammy Lawhorn, for a year with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars, played with Muddy Waters band between 1979-1983 (until Waters' death) and for the last 13 years with guitarist Magic Slim.

The Camden, Mississippi-native began playing the guitar as a child, and moved to Chicago in 1963. He began hanging out at Therea's Lounge, where he jammed with legends like Willie Dixon (in 1979 he joined Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars), Junior Wells, and Sammy Lawhorn.

Primer has been keeping busy with his major label debut The Real Deal (Atlantic), You Got to Watch (Earwig) and Blues Behind Closed Doors. He was a big hit at last year's Chicago Blues Fest where he joined a slide guitar workshop and demonstrated his seasoned slide techniques.