Briggs Farm Blues Festival is an annual

blues music Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

festival that takes place in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania, in the

Northeast Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA or Nepa) is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton (the area's largest city), Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleto ...

. since the summer of 1998. The festival is hosted every July on the farmland owned by the Briggs family. Briggs Farm offers concertgoers a weekend of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, camping, southern-style barbequed food, and an informal atmosphere. In 2014, more than 6,000 people attended the festival.

History

The Briggs Farm Blues Festival was initiated in 1998 by Richard Briggs on a farm which had been in his family since 1768."Festival review: Briggs Farm Blues Fest a not to be missed summer destination"
''The Morning Call'', Jodi Duckett, July 13, 2015. After working as a TV producer later in life, Richard decided to use his skills to produce a blues festival. Since then the festival has grown and expanded each year, and draws attendees from all over the United States and around the world gathering to hear Delta-style blues. In 2015 the festival presented mainly blues-rock on the main stage. The Back Porch stage presented a mix of local, regional and national blues musicians.

Camping

Many attendees at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival stay in the campground which is set up near the main stage, at the edge of cornfields, or in a wooded area. The campground accommodates RVs, trailers, and tents. Camping allows people to stay throughout the weekend and to meet other blues music enthusiasts.

Program

*1998 – Big Jack Johnson, BC & The Blues Crew, Frank Grace and the Detonators, Sting Ray's Blues Band, Krypton City Blues Revue *1999 –

E.C. Scott E.C. Scott (born September 14, 1951 or late 1950s) is an American electric blues, soul blues, gospel music, gospel and soul music, soul singer, songwriter, record producer and television host. Jerry Wexler, called Scott "one honest-to-God soul sin ...

Lonnie Shields Lonnie Shields (born April 17, 1956) is an American electric blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His primary influence was B.B. King. He has released seven albums to date, and one publication described his music as "bewitching, funk-influen ...

, Tom Larsen, Melissa Reaves, Little Red Rooster, Frank Grace & The Detonators *2000 – Johnny Rawls, Melissa Reaves, Harper,

Peter Tork Peter Halsten Thorkelson (February 13, 1942 – February 21, 2019), better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the bass guitarist and keyboardist of the Monkees and co-star of the NBC ...

*2001 –

Eddie Kirkland Eddie Kirkland (August 16, 1923 – February 27, 2011) was an American electric blues guitarist, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter. Kirkland, known as the "Gypsy of the Blues" for his rigorous touring schedules, played and toured with John ...

, Eddie King, Blind Mississippi Morris, B. C. & The Blues Crew, The Midnight Blues *2002 –

Phil Guy Phil Guy (April 28, 1940 – August 20, 2008) was an American blues guitarist. He was the younger brother of blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Phil and Buddy Guy were frequent collaborators and contribute both guitar and vocal performances on many o ...

, Osee Anderson, Dave Riley, Deb Callahan,

, Harper, Sting Ray *2003 – Lil’Dave Thompson, Mary Taylor, Tom Larsen, Clarence Spady, Christine Santelli, Magic Red & The VooDoo Tribe *2004 –

Sonny Rhodes Clarence Smith (born Clarence Edward Mauldin; November 3, 1940 – December 14, 2021), known as Sonny Rhodes, was an American blues singer and lap steel guitar player. He recorded over two hundred songs. "I'm what you call a self-proclaimed Dis ...

Joanna Connor Joanna Connor (born August 31, 1962)] is an American Chicago-based blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.] Early life Connor was born in Brooklyn of New York City, and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. After moving to Chicago in 1984, she w ...

, Harper, Clarence Spady, Wolfe, Little Budd *2005 – Big Jack Johnson, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Dave Riley, Kelly Richey, Clarence Spady, Krypton City Blues Revue, Nate Myers & The Aces, Sarah Ayers Band, Magic Red & The VooDoo Tribe *2006 – Sam “Bluzman” Taylor, Sharrie Williams, Lightnin’ Malcolm, Collin John Band, Cornlickers, Deb Callahan, Christopher Dean Band *2007 – Big Jack Johnson, Alexis P. Suter Band, Harper,

, “Big T.” Williams, Paul Mark & The Van Dorens,

Lefty Williams Claude Preston "Lefty" Williams (March 9, 1893 – November 4, 1959) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is probably best known for his involvement in the 1919 World Series fix, known as the Black Sox Scandal. Career Willi ...

*2008 – Big George Brock, Nora Jean Bruso, Johnny Rawls, Clarence Spady, Bobby Kyle, Colin John & Michael Hill, Kelly Richey, Sarah Ayers Band,

, Bret Alexander, Mikey Jr., Mark Armstrong *2009 –

Louisiana Red Iverson Minter (March 23, 1932 – February 25, 2012), known professionally as Louisiana Red, was an American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who recorded more than 50 albums. A master of slide guitar, he played both traditional a ...

, Joey Gilmore,

Teeny Tucker Regina B. Higginbotham (born January 22, 1958) known professionally as Teeny Tucker is an American electric blues and new blues singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of the late blues musician Tommy Tucker. AllMusic noted that "Teeny Tuc ...

, Johnny Drummer & The Starliters, Alexis P. Suter, Tom Larsen, Scott Weis Band, BC & Company,

, Nate Myers, Mitch Ivanoff *2010 – Louisiana Red,

David "Honeyboy" Edwards David "Honeyboy" Edwards (June 28, 1915 – August 29, 2011) was an American delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi. Biography Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi.

Mississippi Heat Mississippi Heat is an American blues band based in Chicago, led by harmonica player Pierre Lacocque. Formed in 1991, the band has toured in the United States, Canada, and Europe, with occasional performances in South America and North Africa. M ...

, Mac Arnold,

John Primer John Primer (born March 5, 1945, Camden, Mississippi, United States) is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist who played behind Junior Wells in the house band at Theresa's Lounge and as a member of the bands of W ...

, Moreland & Arbuckle,

Clarence Spady Clarence Spady (born July 1, 1961) is an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist from Paterson, New Jersey. His unique musical style combines blues, jazz, funk, latin and rock. He has released three studio albums, ''Nature of the Beast'' ...

, Harper, Deb Callahan,

, Terry "Harmonica" Bean *2011 – Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones, Eddie Shaw & the Wolf Gang,

, Alexis P. Suter Band, James Armstrong, Terry "Harmonica" Bean,

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes Jimmy "Duck" Holmes (born July 28, 1947) is an American blues musician and proprietor of the Blue Front Cafe on the Mississippi Blues Trail, the oldest surviving juke joint in Mississippi. Holmes is known as the last of the Bentonia bluesmen, ...

Eli Cook Eli Cook (1814–1865) was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It l ...

*2012 – Jesse Loewy

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Blues festivals in the United States Folk festivals in the United States Music festivals established in 1998