Marshall’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) are excited to bring the 14th Annual Blues Festival to downtown Marshall on Saturday, June 24, 2017. This year’s exciting headliner is Luther Badman Keith!
Marshall’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) are excited to bring the 14th Annual Blues Festival to downtown Marshall on Saturday, June 24, 2017. This year’s exciting headliner is Luther Badman Keith!
Luther is a veteran Detroit Blues guitar player who has recorded more than 50 songs and released 4 great albums. He has performed at some of the most notable venues and events in the area including Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, Cliff Bells, Bert’s Place, Callahan’s, Harbor House, Nancy Whiskey’s, Rosie O’Grady’s, the historic The Soup Kitchen, and Ground Zero in Memphis.
Luther has also performed at The Music Hall, The Ferndale Blues Festival, The Windsor Blues Festival, The Chene Park Concert Series, The Campus Martius Concert Series, The Arts Beats & Eats Music Festival, Cobo Center, and The New Year’s Eve D-Drop at Cadillac Square.
Luther has been nominated for five awards at The Detroit Music Awards and was honored as Outstanding Blues Songwriter. He also won The Detroit Blues Challenge Award.
What makes these accomplishments even more impressive is that Luther didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 30 and didn’t start performing in public until he was 45.
After earning a degree in Journalism from The University of Detroit, Luther landed a job as a reporter at The Detroit News. He later became a columnist, then Chief Economics Correspondent – and eventually the Business Editor for the paper. But in 1980, he saw famed Blues guitarist, Luther Allison, perform at a local nightclub and became immediately hooked on the Blues. A transformation took place.
Days later, Luther went out and bought a used guitar and spent the next 15 years practicing the instrument as a recreational musician. In 1995, Luther finally formed a band and began to perform on stage. In 1998, he picked up the nickname “Badman” based on his style of play and that became his artist middle name. Then in 1999, things started rolling when Luther released his first CD. In the 16 years that followed, he would release three more.
These days Luther can be heard performing at local clubs and festivals all around the Metro-Detroit area for evening and weekend gigs. But his current professional day job is serving as the Executive Director of the Arise Detroit Foundation which works with neighborhood businesses and leaders to improve the quality of life in the many Detroit communities.
“After last year’s hugely successful Made in Michigan Festival, realizing that there is a tremendous talent in the state of Michigan, we are going to feature another year of Michigan blues entertainers”, said Blues Festival Committee Chairman Jason LaForge.
Music begins at 2:30 p.m. with Danae and the Grind in the beer tent. She will play sets throughout the day at approximately 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. The main stage schedule includes the Out of Favor Boys at 3:30 p.m., Who Dat at 5:00 p.m., Nashon Holloway Band at 7:00 p.m. and Luther Badman Keith Blues Band at 9:30 p.m. There will be no shortage of music, drink and food with the festival running until 11:00 p.m.
Michigan Avenue will close Saturday at 11:00 a.m. for the event and reopen after midnight. The Marshall Blues Festival is brought to you by Diamond Sponsor Oaklawn Hospital, Platinum Sponsors BluFish Consulting, Dan Henry Distributing, Dark Horse Brewing and EATON.
For more information, follow the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarshallBlues or visit the website at www.marshallbluesfest.com