2012 BLUES MUSIC AWARDS WINNER

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND

HEADLINES THE INAUGURAL

SUNSHINE BLUES FESTIVAL

Best Musical Lineup in the State in Years

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18 – FT. MYERS     SATURDAY, JANUARY 19 – BOCA RATON    SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 – ST. PETERSBURG

ALL TICKETS JUST $49.50 ON SALE NOW!

          Winner of four Blues Music Awards and a Grammy Award for “Best Blues Album” and now nominated for four more Blues Music Awards for 2013 the Tedeschi Trucks Band will headline the inaugural Sunshine Blues Festival in Florida, playing three dates in the state.  Featuring two stages of live bands, the Festival will make its debut at Centennial Park in Fort Myers, Friday, January 18, 2013, with music starting at 12:30PM.  Then, Saturday, January 19, 2013, with music starting at 11AM, it comes to Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton in South Florida and finally Sunday, January 20, 2013, with music starting at 10:45AM, at Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg in the Tampa Bay Area.  The one and only New Orleans Blues Legend Dr. John also makes a features appearance on the bill (St. Petersburg and Boca Raton only).

            Tickets for what is destined to become a major annual event for the Sunshine State, the Sunshine Blues Festival, are on sale now at www.livenation.com, all TicketMaster outlets or charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.                                                   

All dates, acts and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All tickets are subject to applicable taxes, parking and service and handling charges

              “The Blues is where it all began for Modern Music in America,” says Neil Jacobsen, President – Live Nation Florida.  “Putting this show together has been a labor of love and we are very excited to bring a world class Blues Festival to Florida as an annual event.”

              It has been an amazing year for the Tedeschi Trucks Band or TTB as their loyal fans prefer to call them.  In February their album Revelator won the Grammy Award for “Best Blues Album.”  Then in July they dominated the Blues Music Awards (formerly the WC Handy Awards) where they won not only Album of the Year, but also took home trophies for Band of the Year, Gibson Guitar Award (Derek Trucks) and Contemporary Blues Female Artist (Susan Tedeschi).  And this year they have been nominated for four more. 

True to Truck's promise, the album delivered a collection of blues-dipped rockers and heart stirring ballads in which the echoes of so many great traditions flowed together naturally, blending with an entirely original, modern sensibility. Critically acclaimed as a 4 Star "masterpiece" by Rolling Stone magazine and simply "Outstanding" by USA Today, Revelator broke into the Billboard Top 200 chart at #12, bringing both artists to their highest first week sales and charting of their careers. Their second album, Everybody's Talkin' is a double live disc recorded on the band's fall tour last year.   

Tedeschi Trucks Band is an 11-member ensemble overflowing with talent and musical familiarity.  In addition to Susan Tedeschi (a six time grammy nominee) and Derek Trucks (who is currently #16 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time) the band includes harmony singers Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers, brothers Oteil Burbridge (long time bassist for the Allman Brothers Band) and Kofi Burbridge (longtime keyboardist/flutist with The Derek Trucks Band), a pair of drummers J. J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell, as well as trumpeter Maurice Brown, tenor saxophonist Kebbi Williams, and trombonist Saunders Sermons.

              "We are thrilled to be a part of these inaugural festivals in our home state of Florida, and share the stage with some great musicians and friends."-Derek Truck and Susan Tedeschi.                                              

Also highlighting the inaugural bill for the Festival are: the one and only New Orleans Blues Legend Dr. John (St. Petersburg and Boca Raton only); contemporary guitar legend Walter Trout formerly with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers; Louisiana slide wizard Sonny Landreth; Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band; The Wood Brothers, featuring Chris from Modeski, Martin & Wood and his well-known singer/songwriter brother Oliver; award-winning British blues guitarist Matt Schofield; the driving force of urban funk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation; Florida guitar favorite Bobby Lee Rodgers; multiple Grammy and Blues Music Award-winner Joe Louis Walker; the no-frills blend of Chicago, Texas, and Delta blues of guitarist Sean Chambers; and At last a real Blues Festival that will become an annual event for the Sunshine State! 

    The inaugural Sunshine Blues Festival headlined by the Tedeschi Trucks Band comes to Florida for three dates in 2013, Friday, January 18 at Centennial Park in Fort Myers; Saturday, January 19 at Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton in South Florida; and Sunday, January 20 at Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg in the Tampa Bay Area. 

Tickets for the all day event are on sale now at www.livenation.com, all TicketMaster outlets or charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

For more information go to www.livenation.com.