Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival

The Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival celebrates the rich history, musical and cultural art form found in Russell City and Hayward during the post war years from the 1940's thru the 1960's. Located outside Oakland, CA, the area was once known for it’s dirt-floored clubs, bootleg electricity, and steady stream of Delta Blues-style musicians. Eventually the traditional sound of the harmonica was replaced with horns and West Coast Blues was born.



The Bay Area Blues Society is pleased to bring those sounds back through the Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival. The 2009 festival is taking place on July 11th & 12th and will focus on Texas-style Blues. About 120 artists play at the event and they had an attendance of 3,200 people last year.



They are now accepting submissions to perform at next year’s festival. Preference will be given to artists originally from Texas and artists that perform original Texas-style Blues. Compensation, travel and accommodations are negotiable. This is a great opportunity for artists to play at an established Blues festival and experience the rich history of the area.