Schedule of Events
October 12th-14th
About the Oxford Blues Festival
Our ultimate goal is for Mississippi to not only be the “Birthplace of America’s Music”, but also the pinnacle of America’s music! We will do this by providing unforgettable experiences at our events while also empowering the next generation of Mississippi musicians. We will donate a portion of our profits to furthering the music education of Mississippi youths by donating to Mississippi public schools to buy new instruments, offering scholarships to music camps, and so much more. We hope that by providing the next generation of Mississippi musicians with the essential tools they need for a proper music education that one day they will be the headliners of the OXFORD BLUES FESTIVAL.
Thursday, October 12th, 2023 – Schedule of Events
FREE ADMISSION @ THE OLE MISS BLUES ARCHIVES/2ND FLOOR OF THE J.D. WILLIAMS LIBRARY
1:00pm – 2:00pm
“Blues Legends Unplugged: A Journey Through Time, Tradition, and Transformation”
Panelist: Little Willie Farmer
From Mechanic to Full-Time Bluesman
Willie Farmer is living proof that Mississippi continues to breed deep blues.
He’s lived his entire life in tiny Duck Hill, Mississippi, on the family farm in the Hill Country east of the Delta. He was besotted with the blues by his early teens. He started with an acoustic guitar, but he picked cotton and saved enough money to buy an electric instrument.
He learned about blues and R&B mostly through listening to a powerful station out of Nashville, Tennessee.
“John R of WLAC, that’s how I listened to Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf,” Willie says. “I learned Lightin’ pretty good, and then I went to B.B. I can play all the up-to-date stuff now—B.B., Little Milton—but I like the old stuff, that’s the real blues. The blues they’re singing today, that ain’t blues to me. It just doesn’t have the feel.”
2:30pm – 3:30pm
Soulful Sounds: Blues Music and the ongoing pursuit for justice.
Panelist: Brenda Luckett & Al White
Brenda Luckett is from Clarksdale, MS. She was born into the blues and Civil Rights Movement. Her father was a charter member of the the local NAACP and her mother the secretary for 30 years for the organization. She is the Goddaughter to Aaron Henry.
She is a board member of the Fuller Foundation and the Griot, an after school mentorship program for youth. She is also a retired school teacher. She started taking her students on historical tours of Clarksdale because a lot of her students didn’t know much history of the blues and Civil Rights legends from their own community.
Al White is an activist and a life long promoter of blues music. He is the founder and organizer of the Duckhill Blues Festival. He is currently the Mayor of Duckhill, MS.
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Then join Thacker Mountain Radio at 6 pm for a Blues themed show!
Performing bluesmen include: Davis Coen; Kenny Kimbrough; and Ernie Vincent.
Friday, October 13th, 2023 – Schedule of Events
The Emerging Blues Artist Showcase
@The Lafayette County Arena
70 FD Buddy East Parkway
Location: Lafayette County Multipurpose Arena, 70 F.D. Buddy E Pkwy, Oxford, MS 38655
Gate opens @4:30pm
6:30pm – 6:50pm The Delta Project
7:10pm – 7:30pm Malach
7:50pm – 8:10pm Delo Brown
8:30pm – 8:50pm Cricket & The Boogieman
9:10pm – 9:30pm Steve Brewer & the All Tore Up
9:50pm – 10:10pm The Blues Experience
Note: Times & Line up subject to change.
(Gate opens at 5:00pm: VIP’s may enter early at 4:30pm) – The event starts at 6:30 pm
Saturday, October 14th – Schedule of Events
The Oxford Blues Festival
The Lafayette County Arena
70 FD Buddy East Parkway
Gate opens @10:30 am
11:10am – 12:10pm Mark Doyle & Bud Carson
12:30pm – 1:30pm Randy Ferguson
1:50pm – 2:50pm Little Willie Farmer
3:10pm – 4:10pm Mick Kolassa
4:30pm – 5:30pm Cadillac Funk
5:50pm – 6:20pm Wendy Jean Garrison & Andrea Staten
6:40pm – 7:40pm Anthony “Big A” Sherod
8:00pm – 9:15pm Mizz Lowe
Note: Times & Line up subject to change.
Ticket Prices
Early bird discounted admission available until September 12th! Early bird festival passes include admission for Friday and Saturday!
Students – $15 (save $5)
General Admission $35 (save $5)
VIP Admission – $300 (save $60)
VIP Admission Includes:
Special seating located directly in front of the main stage.
VIP room, with tables and comfortable chairs.
Complimentary food presentation from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. by local restaurants.
Beverages which include free beers, wines, sodas and spring water plus complimentary mimosas served on Saturday afternoon
Private air conditioned restrooms for VIP patrons only.
Reserved Parking