The Baton Rouge Blues Festival is a free, weekend-long annual celebration of swamp blues held in
downtown Baton Rouge.

Originating in 1981, it is one of the oldest blues festivals in America, first held
on the campus of Southern University. The festival, produced by the Baton Rouge Blues Festival and
Foundation, honors legendary home-grown blues artists like Slim Harpo, Rudy Richard, Silas Hogan,
Whisperin’ Smith, Guitar Kelly, Schoolboy Cleve, Chewin’ Gum Johnson, and Raful Neal. Over the years,
Blues Fest has featured nationally and internationally recognized artists such as Bobby Blue Bland,
Marcia Ball, Phil Guy, Larry Garner, and Charlie Musselwhite. Notable performances include hometown
favorite Buddy Guy in 2016 and Louisiana darling Mavis Staples in 2019.

Swamp blues, a genre that originated in Louisiana’s capital city, gained significant exposure in the 1950s
thanks to Crowley record producer J.D. Miller. Miller’s distribution of recordings from Baton Rouge blues
artists through Nashville’s Excello Records brought names like Lightnin’ Slim and Slim Harpo into the
American music scene with hits like “Rooster Blues” and “Rainin’ In My Heart.”